Why could men do martal art and women couldn't?

Answer 1

There was never a time when women could not do Martial Art. In fact, several well-known systems of Martial Art were founded by women.

However, in many cultures, women were traditionally viewed as subservient to the males, and essential for nurturing of the family, thus were typically excluded from joining the military where soldiers or warriors were trained. Only in the private sector, where average villagers learned of unarmed fighting methods, were women sometimes included. There have also been historical exceptions, and probably many more that have gone unmentioned.

In most cultures, fighting was considered brutal, and even uncivilized, thus not viewed as an appropriate activity for women. With some exceptions, most early cultures were dominate by the males, having originally been the hunters, and warriors who protected wondering tribes, and became the soldiers that defended villages and kingdoms. The women being typically smaller, and less muscular than the males were generally protected by their male counterpart, and revered more for their beauty, and femininity - - the complimentary side of the Yin and Yang in Chinese philosophy (um and Yang in Korean). Men did not usually want wives that were battered and bruised from combat (or combat training), and with the fact that conquering armies often brutalized and raped the women, females were kept as far from combat as possible.

This logic holds true today, but has been modified in many countries and cultures to allow women to be a part of the armed forces, but still not always directly in direct combat. The Martial Art, as an Asian system of warrior training for balance of mind, body, and spirit, has always had some female involvement, and that has grown exponentially in recent decades.