Apologies, it was Norway not Finland. As of now, ten countries conscript both men and women, of which Norway (since 2013) and Sweden (since 2018) conscript both sexes on the same formal conditions.

As I said in the article, I am against conscription full stop and think anyone should be allowed to opt out if they so desire....but if conscription does become necessary then it should be down to individual parents to decide which one of them is best suited for which aspect. Someone should remain with the children - the idea that it should ALWAYS be Mum is rooted in deeply traditional views.

And yes, men are physically stronger and faster, and were we still fighting with large sticks and bits of pointy metal this would be more relevant than you suggest. I didn't say everyone had to be conscripted for the front line, I said if you're going to conscript, it either has to be universal or not at all. It cannot discriminate on the basis of sex - because discrimination on the grounds of sex is profoundly anti-feminist. There are plenty of jobs for which conscription would be suitable - there are

And yes.... I see your argument and I raise you Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Lydia Litvyak and Roza Shanina and pretty much any women the Russians decided could cut it in direct combat roles.