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Why should women not serve in combat arms in the military
Womens roles in the military
Womens roles in the military
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Does gender determine the skill set that an individual possesses? This has been a hotly-debated issue for centuries. Women’s abilities have been questioned in the workforce and in everyday decisions. One such area in which women have been questioned is military service. There are 1,853,690 female veterans. Currently, approximately 203,000 military members, or 14.5 % of the military, are women. Still, some have doubts about how useful they can be. Though women have been efficient in tactical operations and on the front line, some claim they are unfit for service. Women deserve an equal chance in military positions because they possess the ability to work with men physically and have the same mental capacity as men, even outperforming them in …show more content…
True, women carry their strength differently than men. However, women and men are actually more physically similar than the majority of other animals. Women have about 30 percent less upper and lower body strength; there are no exact statistics pointing to a specific number. This does not mean they are unable to carry out the same duties as men. Women are less prone to diseases. They also have clearer night vision and a better visual memory, which could be useful in night time operations (III). They are able to train in order to build strength. In the military, women are not expected to do any less than men. They carry the same weights and do the same jobs. Private Kayla Padgett is one woman out of many who has proved herself as fit for the same positions as men. She worked as a platoon guide and was determined to be efficient. Drill sergeant Joseph Sapp praised her as “one of the best in the company.” The women of the infantry are expected to do the same physical tasks as men. The fact remains that if a woman can meet all of the standards for becoming a part of the military, they should be allowed to do so (Philipps …show more content…
According to studies, this is far from the truth. The Marine Corps conducted a study which found that mixed-gender combat units had “no detriment in morale.” These platoons also showed improvements in decision making, though they were slower in certain physical tasks. In percentage, mixed-gender units had no more reports of sexual assault than other cases. They were less likely to need disciplinary actions. The director of the Marine Corps Force Innovation Office, Brig. Gen. George W. Smith Jr., did caution against integration if it meant slowing down the abilities of a group, saying that it was “a prescription for failure.” He maintains that the physical tests for men and women should be the same. That is a fair assessment. The fact remains that if women can perform well, they deserve to be in the military. Women can be successfully integrated into the military as long as they follow the standards set by the recruiters (Philipps
“It is not probable that the greater strength of man was primarily acquired through the inherited effects of his having worked harder than woman for his own subsistence and that of his family; for the women in all barbarous nations are compelled to work at least as hard as the men” (234). Men may usually be stronger than women but it’s not necessarily always true. Women could be just as strong as men if the cultural and beauty standards were different and if it was what women desired. This idea has evolved from social factors being implemented more than evolution or biology.
The military is trying to find new ways to recognize the fact that women now fight in the country’s wars. In 2011 the Military Leadership Diversity Commission recommended that the Department of Defense remove all combat restrictions on women. Although many jobs have been opened for women in the military, there is still 7.3 percent of jobs that are closed to them. On February 9, 2012, George Little announced that the Department of Defense would continue to reduce the restrictions that were put on women’s roles. The argument that “women are not physically fit for combat” is the most common and well-researched justification for their exclusion from fighting units. It has been proven if women go through proper training and necessary adaptations, they can complete the same physical tasks as any man. Though there seem to be many reasons from the exclusion of women in the military, the main ones have appeared to be that they do not have the strength to go through combat, would be a distraction to the men, and that they would interrupt male bonding and group
With society’s past and present it is apparent that women are still not equal even if they have the title. Men are observably stronger and have a different mentality in situations than women. This is not to say that women should not be in the military but they should have the choice that way they can accept the responsibility and train themselves mentally and physically to achieve the responsibility and respect needed to fight for our country.
... The General Accounting Office concluded in a hearing on May 8th 1999 that combat inclusion is the greatest impediment to women attaining higher military rank. Until qualified women are given access to assignments that are central to the militaries mission, they will be marginalized. Sexual harassment is a huge problem
Sexual harassment is a tremendous problem in our society that for years has been hushed. But recently this problem has been brought to public attention, and the government has passed laws that make sexual harassment in the work place a criminal act. However, only futile attempts have been made at eliminating such misconduct in the military. The effects of the aggressive treatment that women experienced during Operation Desert Storm were noted by Elaine Connely, Executive of the Coalition for Military Readiness:
The first reason that women in the United States Navy have proven that they do belong is because many women have overcome gender-based biases. In Brian Mitchell’s book ‘Women in the Military: Flirting with Disaster’ he clearly states his opposition of women being in the military. “Forthe opponents of integration, the requirement that the authority of the service ‘must be exercised within a program providing for the orderly and expeditious admission of women’ meant that there would be no ‘survival of the fittest’ in the admissions process: the services were compelled to admit some women one way or another.” He believes that women are not worthy of being admitted to the services and that it is a requirement forced upon the services to select amount women.
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.
Many women around the world have big responsibilities in the military, and although some people may disagree, I believe they can handle anything a man can handle when it comes to being on the battlefield. Some people think that women should not be able to fight in the military, where as other people think they should be able to fight in the military. Each supporter and non-supporter has their own reasons. Some of the reasons for the non-supporters are because of their gender. They think that because they are women, they cannot handle the challenges that being on the battlefield brings. Women are willing to fight, and they know what can happen, they know exactly what can happen. They are willing to fight for their country, and I believe they should be able to. The men that fight for our country are against women fighting in combat. They believe that women are not capable of doing what they do to defend and fight for our country. The men feel that they cannot trust women to help back them up at war simply because of the fact that they are women.
women in the military and found that 51.8 % of men and 74.6% of women
...nto a situation of high testosterone, women are not considered to be a threat. Military research now however, has shown that women have the physical stamina to endure battle and do not disrupt the cohesion in the male units and can also be mentally tough without breaking when under fire. Women are not only discriminated against in the military, they are also discriminated against in Philosophy, religion, and Popular Culture.
The story of America’s military woman can be traced to the birth of our nation. During the American Revolutionary War, the 18th and 19th centuries, where women served informally as nurses, seamstresses, cooks, and even as spies and were subject to Army’s rules of Conduct. Though not in uniform, these women shared soldier’s hardships including inadequate housing and little compensation. Women have formally been part of the U.S Armed Forces since the Inception of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901. In 1973 the transition to the All-Volunteer Force marked a dramatic increase in the opportunities available for women to serve in the military. As of September 30, 2009, the total number of active duty women in the U.S was 203, 375, and women made up 14.3 percent of the U.s armed forces (Robinson). Women are a crucial role in c...
Women Have The Same Rights As Men To Be In The Military “Women have been serving — and in many cases dying — alongside men on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan for a decade” (“Equal”). Males and women were born with the God-given right to be equal. Women should be able to fight in wars because their motherhood instincts, vocal voices and their ability to rationalize situations. Everyone can perform the same tasks but some just have to work harder. Women can fight in wars just like men and they will work twice as hard.
Across the history, women Suffer from luck of their right. Culture and civilization was not respect women and put them in the lower layer in their social pyramid. Kill them were they alive, while other give them a life with a lot of misery and obstacle, which is the same thing or killing them better than these life . At the few previous centuries, the world growth and become more opening. people understanding that they are needing women in a lot of job outside their home as men. Sadly, when we came to combat sector, we stop thinking logically. It is men major one hundred percent . If we look to the book (1001 things everyone should know about women's history) which written by Constance Jones (2000) we can find that only 88013 women among history had the ability to take part in military by give a variety of services. Some country actually these day try to make it happen. For instance the first country was allowed women in military was Norway around 1985. Then, it followed by thirteen other countries. It still small percentage compared with the world. It is the right of women to join army and take part in combat, because they are capable as men in adapting with situation. Also, they have equally amount in cerebration and they have the right to decide their own destiny.
...into play that could affect how women perform in dangerous situations. Women are doing an outstanding job performing and magnifying their current positions in the military. We need to be satisfied and recognize our limitations as humans and soldiers. The role of women has always played an important role in military history. By leaving them out of combat their reputation can remain untainted.
Some people will argue that the physical differences between men and women are substantial enough to dismiss women from infantry. In the Army, women do not have to score as high as the men on the physical fitness test, further backing the argument about physical strength. Women, on average, have less upper-body strength, less muscle mass, and a lighter skeleton, which could lead to an increased risk of structural injury (Owens). If women were assigned to the front lines, they may not be capable of doing the physically demanding jobs such as handling Howitzer munitions (Owens). There is a feeling of a double standard because men are held to higher physical fitness requirements than women.