in this essay i argue that sailing ships promote gender equality among the Gelfling of Thra
sailing ships are closed-in spaces with LOTS of climbing surfaces. You don't need wings to get high up, and might not have room for your wings among all the ropes
so Gelfling having wings on a ship might make them immune to fall damage and let them glide between masts, but it wouldn't give the same advantage as seen on land
on land there are cliffs to glide down from, crevasses and gorges to leap and glide across, forests full of trees stretching for days worth of travel where leaping / gliding between them would make travel so much easier, there are creeks and rivers to float over without swimming or using a boat, and that's not even considering the stronger fliers who can do more than glide. On land, Gelfling with wings (usually adult women) have a unique and versatile form of movement that lets them see and do things that wingless Gelfling either can't do, or can't attempt without taking a lot of risk
on a ship though, things are different. Surrounded by water (Sifa) or burning sand (Dousan) there will usually be nowhere for a winged Gelfling to glide or fly to outside of the ship itself
(exceptions to this might be a ship foundering close to shore where winged Gelflings could bridge the gap or even ferry others across it, re: Tavra, or during combat, when winged Gelfling could board early while the ships are still at distance)
the ship itself is, as said above, both cramped for space for spreading wings and full of things specifically meant for climbing on
additionally, weather prediction
on land it might be normal for wingless Gelfling to only pay attention to weather that affects people living on the ground, while Gelfing with wings learn more specifics about the winds and pressure changes that affect their flying
but on a ship at sea, everyone who sails would have a vested interest in studying the winds, even the Gelfling who have no wings and will never fly
you don't need wings to adjust your ship's sails while catching more wind. You do need to see the storm coming before it swamps your ship
in other clans, who live in permanent buildings and villages, detailed knowledge of winds and air currents (beyond what brings rain or storms that threaten crops) would mostly known by winged Gelfling (usually adult women) or maybe the occasional traveler
But in the Sifa and Dousan, that knowledge now is shared by everyone to a certain level. Winged Gelfling wouldn't be the only ones expected to be wind wise
and if a Gelfling can sail their ship just as well without wings as with them, if sailing said ship is crucial to survival of everyone onboard, if the whole clan is regularly traveling by ship (or sand skimmer), then ship captains and sand masters are just as qualified when they don't have wings
example from the books: Onica, a Sifa women who lost her wings, captains her own ship alone and despite having a winged Gelfling (Naia) aboard, chooses to show Kylan, a wingless stone-weight boy, how to work the ship's rigging
women are still the maudras (usually) of the Sifa and Dousan, the two nomadic clans keep the idea of wings as important and women as leaders by default- but the Sifa will let a wingless Gelfling lead them, and the Dousan let their sand masters be wingless Gelfling as well
and i think it's bc of the ships. mmm hmm. ships did that
