When a disaster strikes or an emergency condition is evident gender roles will have to be placed on a back burner for a while. Sure it is nice to have the man of the house bring the wet clothes basket to the line for the wife to hang them up however in these types of situations men and women will certainly hold equal positions.
I, as a man feel just as capable as my wife in performing the often thought of tasks which are usually associated with “Women work”. I can cook, wash clothing and perform numerous household duties which many feel should fall upon the women of the group. In the same sense my wife can fix a car, use tools and generally perform any work that the men in the group can do. This is the only way we will survive in dangerous and life threatening situations. Work simply can not be distributed on the basis of gender.
Perhaps this equal distribution found in our family is a result of my 20 plus years in the military where during my absence my wife had to learn to survive with her own talents and skills while I being in the field was forced to take care of myself. Both ways it works out great and I would recommend the same procedure to other survivalists and their groups.
Sex roles may be fine in the event that you have a large group of people and have the luxury of those extra hands but that will not always be the case in an emergency situation. I had relatives that lived without the benefit of the modern comforts that we experience today. My great grandmother would slaughter the animals for food, clean the fish, bring in the wood for the stove and cooking and work the fields without batting an eye. I learned at a very young age to cook because my aunt didn't have a clue as to how to cook a dinner. These are traits which must be learned and employed by both sexes and not designated to only one gender.
As survivalists we are all going to be required to possess skills which will cover a broad spectrum of talents. We each will need to develop the necessary flexibility required to survive in the face of impending stress whether it will be for a temporary or long-term period of time. It may occasionally require two people to wash clothes. If a member of the family gets sick you may discover an abundance of extra clothing and bedding that will require washing. Either the man or the women should be capable of accomplishing these tasks.
Life in a survival situation is not always black and white, male or female but a collaboration of the two. The key is doing what you can when you can and you and your family will survive any disaster.
