I believe women and men are equal in intelligence and other qualities, yet men have always been viewed as the "protector". When safety is concerned, the father figure usually steps in to defend his family.

So this is where Rand gets hung up. I think that when he sees these women (that he feels responsible for) dieing, he feels he has betrayed his "protector" status. My two cents.

On a lighter note, and not to sound sexist; women are less strong in general then men, which adds to the protector idea. I am still waiting to see a woman deadlift 800 pounds