One elephant in the room, difference in sexes when it come to crying.
Yes, it's been established either sex can and does cry. What we're leaving out is who cries more and why, also how we approach/view crying as a sign of weakness, which may be an unhealthy way of looking at a healthy and normal part of our biology.
I'm not sure a female recruit crying more than a male counterpart is in itself a sign of greater weakness or inability to cope. More information is required.
For instance, a recent article made the rounds about a male scientist complaining about female students crying more, but he was likely viewing it through his own bias, as a sign of weakness, when really it's a form of emotional coping, and why they were crying more may not be due to greater weakness, may just be their way of coping with pressures of university vs how male students deal with the same pressures.
Also, women have shorter and shallower tear ducts (on average), so tears pour out more, whereas male tears will build up in the larger, deeper ducts before spilling out. In those cases, men have the advantage of "getting a handle" on them before the waterworks become so obvious, thus appearing to cry less and appearing to have a greater emotional resilience. That same advantage becomes a disadvantage, depending on the scenario and circumstances, likewise with women's crying. Something to consider and I wouldn't write off a female soldier solely based on tears, not without having more information and context.
Studies have also suggested higher testosterone levels inhibit crying.
