Men were dense! They felt that a woman's duty was in the home as a wife and mother - period! And they expected her to be happy with that and only that! Should she veer out of that mold, there was something wrong with her. Men could not accept the fact that a woman could be civically motivated, nor did they see the freedom that a woman might gain by disguising herself as a man, even if that meant putting her life in danger. Their small minds could only relate her disguise as being romantically motivated.
THANKFULLY that outdated attitude has changed. Although we still hear of women in the military being bullied and abused today, we as a general public are now more accepting of a woman's choice of career and obligation.