There’s a classic saying:
When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
The modern template for epic fantasy is the reverse of that. The world of Epic fantasy is a world of nails, where all that matters is whether you are a hammer.
The nail is war, and the hammers are warriors.
War is a duty of men.
War is not a duty of women.
This generation glorifies war. (It also condemns war—another of its inconsistencies.)
In the name name of equality, media portrays women as warriors so they can share in that glory.
Doing so is commended.
Saying “war is no place for women” is met with condemnation.
War is a forum where men kill other men.
Separating women from war is not degrading to women, unless one ascribes some essential human value to warriors. A value that cannot be achieved through any other means than war.
<aside> 💡
There are at least two other related motivations for woman warriors which are beyond the scope of this article: People wanting to do whatever is right in their own eyes, and protracted gender confusion.
</aside>
Exclusion isn’t the problem.
Excluding women from man’s duties does not devalue women.
The problem is women’s duties have been devalued.