Originally Posted by
langleybaston
apply an absolute standard, hence, for example, no women in some of the above, simply because of physique
Except you could also look at it this way: Why not have the standard be that you must be able to lift a jeep over your head or single handedly pull it out of axle deep mud? The answer is obviously because nobody would pass, so they make standards that the people they want or think they should accept can pass. In effect the tail is wagging the dog
If the response is that "well this equipment weighs this much" or "that equipment is that particular dimension" then it's only because they're designed that way to meet the existing standards
Making different standards for women is no more a compromise than making standards for men that are designed to be achieved