This is an indicator that strength alone isnt the answer to our question
Although weapons are superb equalizers (indeed, more equalizers than unarmed martial arts), and although women can defeat men in swordfights and in other weapons (HEMA tournaments are a HUGE (repeat: HUGE) testimony to that fact), at the end of the day, who is going to generally have the more powerful sword strike? Whos going to, generally speaking, have the more powerful club strike? Whos more likely to have the more powerful, more penetrating spear thrust? Whos going to generally be able to pull a bow back further? Keep in mind, though some bows can be equally utilized by both men and women, others, like the longbow and Mongol bow, require significant elbow grease to pull, with draw weights well over a hundred pounds (in some cases 200 pounds). Plus, the more you pull back on a bow, the farther you can send an arrow. There is a reason why the average draw weight for a modern bow is 35-45 pounds for men and 20-35 pounds for women.
True, some weapons are better equalizers than others. Crossbows, for example, dont require a lot of strength to use. The Atlatl spear thrower, a weapon that predated the bow and arrow in most regions of earth (and which could fire spears both farther and with more punch than a spear thrown by hand), likewise could be well utilized by women and even kids!
Indeed, its thought by some that the arrival of the bow and arrow (which requires more brawn to properly use) basically kicked women out of the hunting business, forcing them into the far less exciting career of gathering. However, there are payday loans Montana caveats to these weapons: when it comes to crossbows, we have to remember that bows and arrows have been around for 64,000 years (up until recently, they were thought to go back 39,000 years), while crossbows have been around for only as far back as the 6 th century BC (keep in mind, males comprised the vast majority of warriors throughout history, including LONG before and LONG after the invention of the crossbow). When it comes to atlatls, we have to remember that, though women and children could use them effectively, and no doubt used them in hunting, this doesnt mean that both women and children were fighting alongside men in clashes between caveman armies (though women and perhaps some children would have fought against an invader attacking their cave or encampment). Remember, men still had physical advantages over women and children. Along with this, the simple throwing spear FAR predates the atlatl. Indeed, there is evidence that throwing spears were used over 90,000 years ago, possibly even half a million years ago. Its a known fact that men generally throw things farther than women (more on this later). Along with this, we have to remember also that, while the atlatl predated the bow and arrow in most lands, the earliest bow and arrows actually predate the atlatl (the latter of which was invented over 17,000 years ago. Once again, bows and arrows were around 64,000 years ago).
This is interesting when you consider that intimidation and reach are both very useful on the battlefield
Keep in mind, in most cultures, even weak guys were conscripted into military forces, while even very strong, formidable women stayed at home.
Men not only are stronger, but also larger. They are generally taller, heavier and usually have a greater reach. The longer your arms, the longer your sword and club strikes. The larger you are, the more potential you have to intimidate an enemy. If you combine this with the fact that men are generally larger, stronger and have a greater reach than women…then it starts to become even clearer why most warriors in history were male.
