[Anonymouse]

I recall reading somewhere - damned if I can remermber where - that there is at least one practical reason for not having women soldiers. It has nothing to do with pregnancy issues, PMT, periods or - oh, please - makeup.

It is, rather, a purely physical issue. No, not upper body strength; women are just as capable of acquiring that. No, it's a hip issue - I read that a study had been done on the effects of long marches (surely a soldier's stock in trade) while carrying heavy equipment (again, it goes with the territory). Specifically, it tends to wear womens' hip bones away because of the way they're built. I submit that a soldier with deteriorating hips is a danger to herself and her comrades in combat.

On the other hand, I also read somewhere that when women and men were fed and trained together, as in ancient Sparta, archaeologists find it very difficult to distinguish male from female skeletons, so maybe the study (I can't even remember who conducted it, or where - very sloppy of me, I know...) was wrong.

So I'm in two minds on the issue.