Hi Chisel,

As far as physical stature, endurance, determination and the ability to survive, there shouldn't be any major issues regarding gender; there are plenty of female soldiers and law enforcement officers out there that prove the point that gender isn't a major factor.

Some critics claim that 'street survival' requires extreme physical strength and ability that sets males in a better position than females with an equal level of ability. I strongly disagree. During my tenure as a law enforcement officer, brains usually won over brawn, so the whole physical strength issue isn't as big a deal as it seems. The muscle guys usually tended to start more fights than anything else and since career criminals spend long hours in a ruthless environment pumping iron and fighting, chances are the REAL baddies are going to be badder than us; our edge is to be better prepared. The key is to be prepared, if you are ready for trouble you will most likely avoid it before your other skills are needed.

When I was a soldier a few years back, we were given classes on the structure of Russian infantry units and women were included in infantry units, often as snipers at the squad level since they are apparently very adaptable to precision marksmanship, more so than male counterparts. If the Russian army is happy with women in the infantry then the point is easily made that the female role during adversity is the same as male.

Regarding Lewis & Clark, I think the classic roles of women would have been a major factor when dealing with societies adhering to strong gender roles. It would still be a challenge since many males don't view lone females as a viable threat, something that could serve as an advantage in cases where a would be attacker is able to be caught off guard.

As far as lethal force is concerned, would you feel better studying martial arts or non-firearm methods? Learning to use knives is a really effective close fighting technique that scares the beejeebers out of people, and it doesn't require tremendous strength.

The choice for joining a group or going solo is a tough one for anyone. If you feel the need to join, it would be best to forge those ties prior to an incident since you don't really know people until you are under extreme stress together - then it can be a great benefit or a miserable dependency. Maybe a lifelong friend with fewer skills would be better onboard than a stranger with hidden motives or other issues?