Prolific explainer Katherine Barlow (of Vienna, Austria, formerly of London, England) explains a fact of life:
There is yet another reason for not having women in military forces:
menstruation. It comes in monthly cycles until the menopause (I presume most of the women in any army will be pre-menopausal by a few decades). Any woman reading this knows all about the downside of this monthly routine and the effect it has on everyday performance of regular activities. Try putting several women in one unit as well to avoid problems amongst a predominantly male unit and you will discover that women, when living in groups for a long period (no pun intended) will eventually begin to menstruate at nearly the same time. Can’t you just see the Notice Board at the Pentagon or NATO or the EU (when they get their act together): “Due to ‘THAT TIME OF THE MONTH’ commencement of hostilities will be postponed.”Posted by: Katherine Barlow | 6-Jun-06 5:52:01 AM