Men And Women : The Role Of Women In The Military

Women are without doubt an integral part of the military services. It took the determination of women throughout history to pave the way for the 400,000, women that serve today. From the early years of the military to the present conflict in Afghanistan, women have made continuous progress towards equality. It is through their contributions that the military has evolved, consistently opening more jobs to women in combat. Time has proven that war does not discriminate; a successful military uses the strengths of all members despite their gender.

While interviewing ten people, both civilian and members of our armed forces of varied sexes, all but one had a common concern with women in combat. They do not believe they should be integrated if they are unable to meet the exact same standards as the men who hold those positions currently. Staff Sergeant Pedro Campoverde (11B infantry), ex Drill Sergeant stated “women should have different standards. They are built differently from us males.” He has recalled many instances where male soldiers were not able to complete certain tasks and would have to get assistance from other soldiers.

Over the past few years, there has been huge discussions when the topic of equality for women who have joined the military is being brought up. Being that gender equality is a big thing in the military now, I decided to chose this topic and discuss how I feel about it. According to the United States constitution, all men are created equal and this does not exclude women. One of the main things I learned is that equality for women in the military is a major issue. There should be no gender inequality in the United States military period. Most jobs are now open to women that were once allowed for only a man to do but when it comes to something such as the military, it should have always been that way No one should be told they can’t do something when it requires fighting for your country. Even back when men were drafted in the military, women should have been able to get drafted as well. You would think the military would take any and everybody that is willing to fight for his or her country simply because it would make our job easier as a whole. Frequently, women are stereotyped as feeble and incapable of doing certain things. Nevertheless, this should not be applied in any kind of career, particularly in the military.

Women are not ready to join the ranks of men in the combat arms. Gender equality has no place on the battlefield. This is based on the following reasons: 1) Biologically, women are not equipped to handle the body stresses that are associated with combat roles. 2) The addition of women in combat roles will undoubtedly increase the number of sexual assaults, STDs, and pregnancies in the various military units. 3) History has shown that the military lowers its standards for women. In a combat role, women must be able to complete the standards that are set for men.

Males and females have many physical differences between them. Some of these issues would be those female soldiers are, on average, five inches short; possess half the upper body strength as men; have 37% less muscle mass. These differences lead to complication sin the military, women may seem capable of performing the necessary tasks but it is the unnoticed, little tasks that cannot be performed. A female soldier may be able to drive a five-ton truck, but they may not be able to change a tire; thus, making the male soldier step in and help. Furthermore, women may be placed in a "field-artillery" unit, but often times they cannot handle the ammunition. Despite all of the physical drawbacks, there has been some success from females on the front line (Owens). While this is biologically proven, there has been research presenting effective ways of training women’s bodies to keep up with males’ bodies. The Defense Women's Health Program (DWHRP) conducted a research in 1994 to focus on the importance of training for military women. The study was conducted on groups of female civilians, female soldiers, and female college students ranging from 14-weeks to six months. The study showed increases in strength, body composition, material handling, etc. Powerful data was obtained during the study that challenged earlier studies which questioned the trainability of women. However, even

Women have been enlisted in the armed forces since June 12, 1948, when President Truman signed the Woman’s Armed Services Integration Act. Throughout this time, women have served several different roles; however, women were not allowed to serve in combat forces. Arguments offer the idea that women are physically and emotionally capable of performing the same as men. Researchers have proven that only a small percentage of women have the psychical capability to perform the demanding aspects of military training, although there are a select few women that are capable of completing the qualification standards to join the combat forces. With that being said, women should be allowed to fight on the front lines.

Women met the physical and mental standard, they are technically proficient, and are highly trained war fighters and leaders. Women know and have accepted the challenges, responsibilities, and the dangers of being in the military just like men have. Any unit, regardless of size, mission or gender that has in it have the potential to engage with the enemy. Just like men, women also need to train to be in the military, but some people think that the military is no place for a woman. Just because of the gender of a person doesn’t mean they can’t do certain activities, a girl could play football or a guy could be a cheerleader. But just because something is labeled as guys or girls’ activities doesn’t mean the other gender couldn’t do it and that is what people are doing in some parts of the

Men achieve better roles above women when it comes to being in combat and women do not stand a chance against them. . Lisa Grossman states in her article, "The Right to Fight: Women at War," how combat roles are now open to women. Grossman states that, “Even among soldiers, women on average have about 30 percent less muscle strength and 15 to 30 percent less aerobic capacity than men” ( Grossman n.p.). An argument that is being used against opening combat roles to women is that they just do not have the strength to succeed. Statistically, men have a larger muscle mass, so women do not stand a chance on the physical strength portions of training. Some people are concerned that difference in physical strength may put teams at risk, or that women

The statement that is thrown around more than not when it comes to this controversial subject is “Women are not built like men, does this mean we are changing the standards for them”. This is a very real statement and it can be looked at from multiple angles. Ideally no standards should be changed at all in regards to what physical demands that Military requires from men and women in their respective branch APFT’s. Units should not increase the

Observing women in combat roles on a global scale shows that the United States is not following the same policy many other major countries already have in place. Not only are these women able to fight, they thrive in doing so. They are establishing a standard that proves they can be just as efficient and capable as men without putting the entire unit in danger. At this juncture, allowing women to be in combat roles is a formality because they already do this even without technically being able to. Denying women the right to be in combat roles means that the United States is failing to capitalize on the full capacity of the military.

Many argue that women won’t be able to handle the requirements needed to be able to go into combat and lack the muscle as well. Standards can’t be lowered for women and most aren’t able to make the cuts. “Those who are capable are going to rise to the challenge,”states Chief Warrant Officer Raquael Patrick of the Army ( motherjones.com). Even though the standards are high, the women who do reach them respectively earned their place and have proven that they are capable of serving in combat as much as guys are.

Women have served our nation for centuries, even before the United States was born. They are essential to the nation’s survival and have contributed with their talents, skills and courage. As of today, women account for 15.3% of all branches combined. As a consequence, allowing women to join the military has allowed all branches to meet the required personnel thus making an all-volunteer military rather than relying on the draft. In the last two decades, we have seen two major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and women have played a vital part in the success from logistic, transportation, medical and other methods. In spite of that; women do not belong in combat, they lack the strength, their anatomy is different and most importantly, they will disrupt the cohesiveness of an infantry unit.

My concern is why women are not able to fight in combat. Even though some people think women are too weak to be in combat, women should at least be able to have a role based on their equality. Female servicemembers have proven themselves to be mentally, morally, and physically capable of being in combat as well as men are and changing a role in the military.

I realized that although in theory women in the armed forces seemed like a good idea, there are many obstacles that make that reality very difficult to achieve. In writing this paper I am not proposing that either position is more valid or right than the other. I only hope to present each side in an equal light to help others to understand the issues involved.

There have been many arguments regarding women on whether or not women should be allowed in combat roles. The military policy bans women from having combat roles. Although, Defensive secretary has ordered the military to allow women in combat roles. Many people believe that women don’t meet the standards of being in combat duties. They say that women are not strong enough and have a strong percent chance of dying. There have been studies that show that women in combat get the squadron a higher injury rate and are less efficient.