Women warriors in ancient times and mythology
Throughout ancient times, women have appealed periodically as the dominant gender in some cultures. Various females, be it in mythology or history, have served as great warriors, or even figures of authority.
The Amazons, for example, were a warlike race of women who treated men like scum. They hunted for food, engaged in warfare, and left household chores to men, effectively reversing gender roles. Men were treated as "breeding material", and were subject to the whims of the female Amazons, and could be shared among many women who desired them. The Amazons were said to be legendary warriors capable of holding their own against any legion of warriors, and went to extreme, almost fanatical lengths to hone their fighting skills. They would run for miles in the forest barefoot, toughening the soles of their feet to enable to travel over tough terrain with minimal discomfort. They began weapon practice from a young age, and were pushed to their limits with weapon drills. Certain Amazon women, even cut off one of their breasts in an attempt to improve the distance their arrows could travel, for their breasts would often be in the way of their bow strings, hampering their abilities to draw the bow.
Athena, the goddess of war was said to have popped out, fully grown and attired in battle garb from her father's mouth, and was said to be a fearsome war goddess, albeit possessing a feminine side. A city was even named in honour of her.
Joan of Arc, another historic figure, led an impassioned charge to repel the foreign invaders from her homeland, France, upon receiving a divine sending from God in her sleep. She succeeded in winning the first war, but upon ceding defeat in the subsequent skirmish, was sold to the enemy and was tortured and burned at the stake for witchcraft, a martyr in every sense of the word.
However, not all of these battles were won by force. Cleopatra VII was able to effectively neutralise the attempt by Julius Caesar to expand his empire by utilising her womanly wiles to her full advantage. Captivated by her beauty, Julius called off the attack on Egypt in the hopes that she would accept him, but to no avail. However, he made good his word and left Egypt out of his plans for world domination.
To conclude, we observe that women played a dominant role in warfare throughout ancient history, proving that gender stereotypes of women as homemakers is as much a result of external influences as well as genetic factors.