Men and woman will have different advantages and disadvantages in a survival situation. For the most part, emotions govern the actions of women. Where as men use a more rudimentary logic to govern their actions. This emotional governance can save lives in a situation where a man may have used basic logic to reserve resources thus eliminating the life. It may work positively or negatively for any given circumstance.

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Women and men are like two sides of the same joint in your body. Each side is unique, but they rely upon one another to work properly. One is not stronger or weaker; they compliment each other to achieve a properly working limb.

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Examples of Female Advantages:

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When it comes to a disaster scenario, men tend to underestimate women and would have no idea of a woman's level of self-defense training. Especially a smaller female without a firearm in her hands. The firearm is the great equalizer between size and strength. This underestimation can be an asset for an individual as well as a team. The individual can usually get men to lower their guard a little. If the female approaches with a male, adversaries usually think the only threat is the man.

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Many men tend to act quite chivalrous around women. Some men will be more mindful of their behavior and act as protectors of the women. A well-spoken woman with charisma can usually get a man to let his guard down, and these women typically communicate successfully with other survival groups. Because of this code of chivalry, women are often more likely to receive help than other men are.

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However, women leaders faced with other female leaders may not be able to maintain the same levels of civility as they do with the men. Often women tend to be nastier to women of other groups.

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Women are more likely to show compassion and befriend people. Women excel at caring for the needs of groups as well as organizing these groups. Often their caring nature unites them with others. Women will learn the strengths and weaknesses of the group and be able to delegate people based on that knowledge. However, this ability can also endanger the group if she uses it for personal manipulation and is not a diplomatic individual focused on the goals of the group.

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Women are also valued for their reproductive capabilities much more then men are. You need more females than males to ensure the continuation of the species.

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Men tend to be pore nurturers. They can learn these skills, but it seems they come much more naturally to women. Fathers will train their sons to be strong, and sons can watch how their father treats a member of the opposite sex. The examples can be good and bad, but this is the role of the father. Women tend to nurture their children more, and a stay at home mom may have a hard time transitioning to a survival state in a collapse. She would have to find the strength to survive and tackle her emotions to stay alive. Men might turn violent much faster and go into predator or protector mode. People who trust less, avoid people, have good skills and the ability to survive on their own will live longer. 

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Women tend to have a smaller caloric need than men. They can go further on less.

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Men and women strengthen each other's weakness, but there are some disadvantages for women in a disaster scenario:

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Pregnancy and childbirth are perilous for women without access to medical care. The nutritional needs for pregnant women are astronomical and most likely unachievable in a collapsed society. Without access to birth control, 85 out of 100 women of childbearing age would be pregnant with one year of the event. Take into consideration any surgeries you could have now to prevent this risk (if you’re done having kids) as well as the consequences of other medical procedures that could cause you to need future medical care. 

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Women tend to be smaller and less muscular than men. However, this makes men more relied upon for manual labor, which sets them up for injury and body burnout at a younger age. Women must be aware that their smaller size may make them more vulnerable to attack from larger men. Know how to protect yourself. Learn how to use leverage to best the weight and strength of a man. Do not rely upon the protection of your spouse or boyfriend. He may not be there. Remember, if a man and a woman are walking down the road, typically the man will be removed first because he is seen as the immediate threat.

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Women may only be seen as sexual objects. Ten percent of men today do not care about laws and social norms. However, today there is law in place to hold them accountable to their actions. In a collapsed society this consequence to their actions will not exist, and they will do whatever they want. Sexually, men are visually driven, and if a man is one of those ten percent and hasn't seen a woman for a while, a woman can expect an attack. The man may lay in weight and befriend the woman or her family. Even today, most sexual assaults are from family members or individuals that are very close to the family. Trusting anyone in that situation will be tough. The ten percent that exists today would only grow as time goes on. Good people are trying to feed their families would kill for survival if they couldn't work or steal the food they need. Once one social norm is violated it becomes easier and easier to violate all of the norms they once respected.

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Women need more calories when they are menstruating. Forget the mess for a moment. Women lost one cup of blood, each period and this loss of iron can cause big problems for a body running on minimal nutrients. The normally strong woman may become a weak link in the group. On a long trek, the loss of blood and strenuous activity will cause the body to ask for more oxygen and make the heart pump faster. This may cause the body to exhaust itself faster, leaving the woman unable to keep up or the group in a position to care for her. If you are a woman or are concerned about a female you love, know your wild forageables so you can eat plants with additional iron supplies.

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Both men and women will experience changes in their common personality traits. Women will have to become more masculine and alpha to survive with dignity. They will have to face the wolves that some men have become. There are a few options: They can act weak to fool their adversary into letting their guard down, they can live as a sheep protected by the seep dogs who battle the wolves, or they can turn into the protector of the group. People will follow any individual who is strong and focused. Some men would become a wolf, hunting others. While, others will become like the sheepdogs, protecting their flocks.

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Long term survival situations will create endless risks no matter what gender you are. However, there are some differences. It is important to realize this differentiation exists if you are going to prepare to survive with any dignity.

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