Women In Combat Roles

“Men are stronger than women.” Due to the hormone differences between men and women, women have less muscle mass and more fat mass then men, so by default men are just better than women. Women and men also have different genitals, but having their genitals outside of their body men must be superior

January 24, 2013 Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta lifted the ban on women serving in combat. For years women have served with honor and distinction. When faced with combat and in an insurgency type of modern warfare, any soldier can potentially see combat. Realistically, there is a difference between experiencing combat on a convoy and going out day after day on combat patrols to perform search and destroy missions. Having served as a Marine Infantryman in Afghanistan twice, I am against the decision to open all combat military occupation specialties (MOSs) to women. My purpose is not to degrade the valuable contributions of women in the military, but to specifically address their role and effect on direct combat Infantry and Special Forces units. I celebrate the decision to lift the previous ban on a social basis for women’s equality, but my personal experiences and knowledge of the way war is experienced makes me ultimately opposed to allowing women to serve in direct ground combat positions.

Throughout history, women have played a role in the defense of their nations. In 1429, Joan of Arc successfully led the French Army into battle against the English at age 17. In 1588, Queen Elizabeth I traveled to Tilbury, Essex to fight beside her Army during the Spanish raid. And in 1788 at the Battle of Monmouth, Mary Ludwig Hayes, also known as “Molly Pitcher”, took over her husband’s cannon position and continued to engage the enemy after he had fallen in battle. While these are extraordinary accomplishments made by these most admirable women, should this level of close combat be expected, or possibly

Understanding the critics views and how politics on both side of the isles could impact our mission, we wanted to be as transparent as possible during our assessment. There are distinct advantages between the genders, their roles, opportunities, and promotions, putting our female soldiers at an egregious disadvantage. "There has also been controversy raged in recent years over whether women are fit for military service which supports the narrative and out dated policy’s. " (Brown 326). In the articles "Women Unfit for Combat? Au Contraire!" conveys his thoughts on women in combat, gives what he assesses as strong examples to argue his case discourage women from considering combat roles in the military, making this bold statement in his

Yet, many argue that the distinction between combat and non-combat becomes blurred in the context of women warfare (Ladin; Holm, Hoar). In actuality, many women are assigned to jobs that will expose them to enemy attack, and this has been openly acknowledged by the top Pentagon officials. The United States Army has also recognized that women would be deployed in combat zones as an inevitable consequence of their assignments. This was

Since 1901, women have served in some form of the military, however, dating back to the American Revolution women have had an unofficial role. Women have had and will continue to have an important role in the military, the question is whether women should be allowed to occupy specific combat positions. Traditionally women have not been allowed in combat occupations, but recently these restrictions have been somewhat lifted, making certain occupations available to women. Despite the lift complications arise from women being in combat vocations and it’s not just because of the physical differences, there is also the increased risk of sexual assault. Due to the detrimental impact on the military, soldiers, and society, women should not

In the article “Women in the Military” mentions the women have been joining the military since 2000. Besides that, women who serve the military do require a lot of physical requirement because of stereotypical thinking of women being weak. Even more, some commanders want more women to participate in the use of technology. Women tried fighting this kind of idea but managed to fail; In 2003 young women named Lynch was the only survivor of an insurgent attack in Iraq, which motivated more women to join the army. Even more, women that join the army also experienced harassment and rape. After these incidents, it was decided that the military training was not going to be co-ed basic training. By doing this the pentagon announced in 2013 that they

When it comes to combat assignments and the needs of the military, men take precedence over all other considerations, including career prospects of female service members. Female military members have been encouraged to pursue opportunities and career enhancement within the armed forces, which limit them only to the needs and good of the service due to women being not as “similarly situated” as their male counterparts when it comes to strength or aggressiveness, and are not able to handle combat situations.

Did the women get to keep their jobs when the men came home from war?

"Rather than being armed with guns, firepower and brute strength, women and girls were armed with patriotism, conscientiousness, and vigilance.

"When warring tribes fought over food or men during our first beginnings, those women were undoubtedly in combat…women warriors [later in history] were not considered so unusual…Joan of Arc and Bodecia fought as warriors. Women fought in the Civil War alongside their buddies, only to be found out once they were slain in battle" (Culture & Society)

Since women have, on average, less total muscle mass they are physically weaker than men in general. However, men have denser, stronger bones, tendons, and ligaments. The greater muscle mass of men is the result

Women total up till about 14% of the 1.4 million military personnel in the United States army. (Gabbatt, 2013) The statistics in pentagon state that about 144 military women have been killed and around 865 women have been injured in combat and noncombat incidents in Afghanistan and in Iraq. (Parrish ,2012) As of 2012, there were about 20,000 women deployed in Afghanistan and this number is even likely to increase. Women have become an integral part of the army service in Afghanistan and Iraq. Seeing how women have been equally hurt and injured in the wars, they should be given an equal position along with their male counterparts. Apart from equality in the military, it is quite essential for women to be given same ranks because this inequality is the leading cause of increased sexual assaults on women. This sort of change is required and needs to be implemented in a very organized manner. Transformational leadership needs to come into play where everyone's ideologies are kept intact but the change is made merely by producing enthusiasm in the entire group. (Denning, 2007)

It is worthwhile to reflect on the social and political advancements of women during the past one hundred years. Women now have the right to vote and to own property. They let their voices be heard instead of sitting silently in the kitchen. Women hold jobs previously restricted to men - police officer, firefighter, construction worker, doctor, truck driver and scientist. Obviously, this list is not all inclusive. Unfortunately, there is still one area that remains restricted to women. Women have assisted the military forces as far back as the Revolutionary War and yet there remains positions that women are excluded from. Female military personnel, having proven their ability to handle combat situations and having

Women are physically weaker. Their genetic structure is made differently than the males. Susan Brownmiller