Quite frankly, it depends on the tour. There was progression.
My last tour in Croatia, the three myths around women with regard to physical fitness, group cohesion and operational effectiveness were debunked. My platoon hit three anti-tank mines, and we survived a lot of attacks. We accomplished a lot of missions, and my gender had no impact whatsoever on any of those.
I can't say the same for my first tour. I was locked up in a duty room and not allowed out of the camp. I guess it depends on the leadership, the opportunities and time.