[Thadlerian]

I think it can be stated quite fairly that the primary gender problem with WoT is that men are allowed to fill a wide range of character types, whereas all the women (I'm making this judgement having read books 1-5) seem to be the same character, with the same abilities and faults. Further, these are faults that somehow prevent the females from becoming sympathetic characters. They may be likeable, as they're beautiful (somehow, a woman's first defined characteristic is her looks, whereas a man's is his actions), physically powerful, brave, and generally create intrigue and action whenever they appear, but none of them appear mild and sympathetic like the males. Can you see a Jordan female in the shoes of Rand, Tam, Mat, Perrin, Lan, Tallanvor (or what was that guard's name) or that prince dude in book 2 who apologizes for being a darkfriend?

However, it should also be noted that Jordan does nothing new, he just emphasizes a trend that has become common in SF/F (and mainstream media as well?), most likely as a half-hearted attempt to satisfy feminism, in which the formula has become the following: Female strenght = Power. Male strenght = Propensity to do objective good. Use of this formula can be found with writers as diverse as David Eddings and Kim Stanley Robinson.

The "damsel in distress" is no longer accepted; she has now been replaced by the "incompetent tomboy".