Written by Daniel Nkado
The declaration by the Ukrainian Government that all men aged 18 – 60 be temporarily restricted from leaving the country “in order to ensure the defence of the state” has stirred arguments of what many has described as a “feminist bias”.
Or simply the “turning of a blind eye” by feminists or gender equality agitators when it is men who are affected.
Part of, or almost most of, the opposite argument had been that it is men who start wars and can go ahead and fight them.
But, was it really men that created wars?
Not exactly. In the earliest of times, wars were a survival necessity and it didn’t matter who sat on the throne, wars had to be fought.
Nations fought wars for one main reason – to acquire more resources or protect the ones they have from invaders. Wood, agricultural seeds, minerals, land, food – these are some of the things wars were fought for.
Wars have also been fought for freedom and occasionally for love, with either a man or woman at the centre of it all.
Most times, war events come down to one simple decision – to fight or starve. Historical evaluations of wars have shown that it was mostly a “last resort” event.
Admittedly, there’s been instances where wars were fought for ego, or could have been prevented, but this is personal as any gender can be corrupted by POWER.
It is unfair to say men create wars because there have been several occasions where female leaders started wars. Catherine The Great is credited for having spearheaded the 1877–78 Russo-Turkish War and also the 1796 Persian War.
You might want to read an article on The Cut titled “European Queens Waged More Wars Than Kings”.
To be entirely honest, wars arise from a complex mixture of several community events and no single man or woman can be said to have started a war on their own.
Why it is men who fight in wars
The major reason why it is men who are drafted to fight during war situations is the fact that men are disposable.
A nation can lose up to 70% of its male population during war or a similar tragedy but the population can be restored within a short period of time by women. A tribe that loses a similar percentage of women will struggle to survive as men do not give birth.
For a nation to survive a large scale catastrophic event like war or a pandemic, it is absolutely imperative that the priority of survival is given to women.
It might look like a bleak fate for men, but men have since from the time in the past accepted this fate and made peace with it. It was the foundation of chivalry in Medieval Europe- the gallantry and honour expected of knights.
It still plays out today – men are more likely to get involved in risky situations that could lead to death than women. And it is why we still have men (possibly?) who can give up their lives to protect a loved one.
The second reason we have more male soldiers fighting in wars than women is because men are by nature physically stronger than women (generally) and as a result can withstand more force or show more endurance (again, generally saying).
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Daniel Nkado is a Nigerian writer and the founder of DNBStories.com. Get his books on DNB Store, OkadaBooks or BamBooks!
