...27-03-2016 Women in Military Combat: Should they be Allowed to Serve or Not? The question of whether women should be allowed to serve in military combat has always been a contentious issue with some of the people claiming that women should be allowed to serve in military combat positions while others insisting that military combat positions are meant for men. This paper is going to give an in-depth analysis of the reasons why people claim women should be allowed to serve in military combat positions or not and come up with a conclusion on the matter. 1. Why Women should be Allowed to Serve in Military Combat Positions The first reason why women should be allowed to serve in combat positions is to promote gender equality. The main reason is, the military gives a clear picture of how the society is and having gender equality improves the military’s public image. Although women have been allowed to support in military operations since 1901, women are still excluded from some combat positions and promoting gender equality would improve the military’s public reputation by promoting gender equality. A perfect example is the ancient structure of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army which allowed women to serve in combat positions as well and in leadership roles as generals (Xiaolin, 1993). Second, women should be allowed to serve in military combat positions due to their physical ability. Although most women do not have the physical ability that men serving in military combat positions...
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...allow women in combat is not a new issue. Prior to the 1990’s, women were not even allowed to fly combat missions or allowed onto combat ships. In the United States military the term combat is defined as an armed conflict. The definition of combat is important to know because the argument is that women should not be allowed to serve in combat. Women not being allowed to serve in combat is a much different argument then the argument that women should not be allowed in the military. Women perform many important jobs in the United States armed forces and very few people are against women serving in the military. The United States armed forces consist of five branches, the Airforce, Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. Currently women are allowed to serve in all five branches and are being integrated into the combat mission of all five branches. In December of 2010...
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...Can Women Serve In Combat? The Military Leadership Diversity Commission is recommending that the Pentagon do away with a policy that bans women from serving in combat units, breathing new life into a debate that really should never have developed in the first place. Let’s take a look at the reasons for the current ban, and the reasons why some may be trying to lift the ban that keeps women from serving in direct combat roles. First, Let Me Be Clear Let me be clear in efforts to head off any “you hate women” ignorance. This article is not about whether women should be allowed to serve in the military in general. This is specifically about why I personally believe women (female or trans-gendered) should not be allowed to, forced into, pressured, or even given the option to serve in direct combat roles such as Infantry, Sniper, Special Forces, Recon, Ranger, SEAL, Combat Diver, or Delta units. In my opinion, this is a common sense issue… but to no surprise, the “well-educated” people that have done studies and compiled reports commissioned by the government seem to be incapable of utilizing a commodity such as common sense. And trust me, I have seen many women, especially in the Marine Corps, that were highly capable, willing and able to serve in infantry and combat-related roles. There’s more to it than that. Reasons Why Women Should Not Serve In Direct Combat Roles Strength, equality, logistics, safety and emotions are a few main areas that I would like to discuss...
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...Marine speak. In a high pitched, but solid voice I heard the words “I am here to help and where do you need us?” The distinctly female voice was a shock to my ears and I immediately turned to make eye contact. With an apparent surprised expression on my face, the female Marine looked at me and said “today I am just a Marine.” I then watched this Marine competently employ her Marines and precisely engage the enemy forces. This is what Marines are trained to do. The actions from the additional Marines allowed for me to evacuate my injured Marines and push back the attack. In the end, I never looked at that Marine and thought you can’t help me, you are a woman and this is combat. I believe it is a ridiculous question if a woman should be allowed to possess combat arms Military Occupational Specialty or serve police officers in the civilian sector. They already do, have done so for years, and have done it well. I have personally...
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...For as long as our country has been founded, males were usually thought up as to be physically stronger and have more stamina and endurance then women; and this was proven true in most cases. For many years, America’s military was comprised of 100% men. However with the changing times of our country this was amended to allow females to enlist in the ranks of the military. They were given much easier physical entrance tests, tests more adapted to women. As of this very day, women are currently “barred” (banned) from combat. Congress has attempted to lift this bar multiple times, however it has never passed vote. In some cases, females are just as strong as males if not stronger and I believe it is unjust to bar all females from combat based solely off an outdated stereotype. If a female can pass the same physical requirements as a male infantry solider, then there is no just means as to why she can not pick up a rifle and serve next to a male on the front lines of defense. The female body is far different then the male body. The Department of Defense (DOD) knows that women aren’t suited for combat — even if it won’t outright admit it. The easiest way to demonstrate this is by considering the differences in Army standards for physical fitness for men and women . . . and how the Army skews those differences to the advantage of women. For instance, if a 33-year-old male were to do 43 push-ups, 55 sit-ups, and run two miles in 15:18 for his Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), he...
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...English 043 Persuasive December 11, 2010 Women in Combat Should women be allowed in combat? Can women perform and function as effectively as men in combat? Some would agree and some conservative people would usually argue that they shouldn't. Many would debate the physical capabilities and mental differences of the two sexes, or even the effect of the presence of the opposite sex on the battlefield. But we should also be reminded, women have been serving in the armies and for centuries have fought many successful battles. Policies that prohibit women to join the combat must be abolished. Capable women should be allowed in combat, and not be denied the ability to function in the army on an equal basis. Buried in the history of books, women have played many roles in combat for many centuries. In 600 BC, there is a legend about fearsome female warriors from ancient Greece. These stories speak of women who were trained in the art of war, how to use weapons, and how to cope with physical hardships. The stories tell us that they conquered men on the field of battle. These women are called the Amazons. Who would forget the story of Joan of Arc, who in 1429 successfully led French Troops into battle against the English. During the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, hundreds of women disguised themselves as men to fight. These are just a few examples of what a woman can be, they have proved themselves able to handle difficult situation well when they are thrown into one...
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...WOMEN IN COMBAT Abstract As the band is lifted on women serving in combat, some would say it will affect our military readiness as a whole. Through research this paper will show that all these misconceptions of women not being cut out to serve in combat zones are just that a misconceptions. This paper will also discuss physical standards, the fact that women have already seen combat, and whether women are able to make the same decisions as men in stressful combat situations. WOMEN IN COMBAT Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will lift a longstanding ban on women serving in combat, according to senior defense officials. The services have until this May to come up with a plan to implement the change, according to a Defense Department official. "To implement these initiatives successfully and without sacrificing our war- fighting capability or the trust of the American people, we will need time to get it right," he said in the memo, referring to the 2016 horizon (Martinez, 2013). The new order, signed Thursday by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, will open as many as 237,000 new jobs to women. Women comprise about 14% of the 1.4 million active military personnel (Michaels, Vanden Brook, 2013). (See Appendix A, photo 1.) During the Iraq War, 4,475 U.S. service members were killed and 32,220 were wounded; in Afghanistan, 2,165 have been killed and 18,230 wounded through Feb. 5, 2013. Among service members deployed in these conflicts, 103,792 were diagnosed with post-traumatic...
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...BLAW Women in the Infantry Today, one of the biggest debates over women’s rights is the one over females being in the infantry. The world is changing and with that comes a lot more responsibility for policy makers, and there is a great debate over women being on the front lines. Women have been in the Military for quite some time, but not in a front line type of role. I can see both sides of the argument; the one that wants people to broaden their views and accept women in the infantry, and the other side that sees at as more of a male type of position. There are many pros and cons to the Military allowing women in combat positions, and I believe that while women should be allowed to have a chance in the infantry, the standards need to be the same whether it is a male or female. When the Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta removed the barriers of women being in the infantry it opened up 237,000 jobs to women. Around 53,000 positions are closed to women by units, such as Brigade Combat Teams in the Army. Panetta said that “if members of the military meet the qualifications for the job- not reduced qualifications- then they should have the right to serve.” The same argument can be made for having gays in the military. I don’t believe that they should be excluded, but I do believe they should have to keep their personal life to themselves. I agree with Panetta’s statement saying that if they are qualified then women should be able to serve. And the Secretary of Defense also stated...
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...SHOULD WOMEN BE IN COMBAT? Doris Gantt ENG 102 Research Writing Date: August 27, 2013 For decades, there have been countless debates over the issue of women and their involvement in the United States Armed Forces. One of the hot-button issues involves their participation in combat, an issue which has resulted in extremely divided opinions. To this day, it continues to be a Left-versus-Right, Feminists-versus-Traditionalists debate. As a woman with experience serving in the United States Armed Forces, I am positive women can participate in all facets of military duty. From clerical, technical, medical, supply, and general support to more combative field and rescue scenarios, women can be as reliable as their male counterparts. The current sentiments regarding gender indicate that women are no longer viewed as incapable of taking on responsibilities that have been traditionally dominated by men. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, women started to deviate from the customary homemaker lifestyles and began finding success in furthering their education as well as their professional careers. Women have viewed themselves simply as more successful because of their abilities to manage both their professional and personal lives. However, this does not mean the mindset of women and their inabilities to carry out male-dominated roles has been completely eradicated. As with all things, there is always going to be an opposition. Every opinion has its detractor. In this case women...
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...war it depends on its military to be up for any challenge war has to offer. 50 years ago the thought of a woman joining the ranks were laughable; today it is a reality. Women have proved that they can doubtfully be called the weaker gender, and recently have been able to serve in combat roles. Combat roles are the most dangerous and physically demanding roles the United States military has to offer. When a soldier signs up for this role they understand that they will be put on the frontline and in the line of fire from the enemy. Nature has made women physically weaker and less durable than men. A highly trained woman cannot match a man in physical strength. I served proudly alongside women for ten years in the military, but I strongly believe that they should not be able to serve in combat roles in the United States. Having them serve in such roles can have negative effects on them and the men that they serve with; lower standards, health issues, and possible harassment situations. When women were allowed into the military many of the army standards were either lowered or vanish completely. According to head officials at West Point Academy, Cadets no longer run in boots due to the fact women were suffering from a high rate of injury (Knight, 1991). Physical training test scores were adjusted because women could not meet the basic physical requirements to stay into the military. Due to the decrease in standards today’s soldiers have become lazy and overweight. “According to...
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... The article “Women In Combat: Leon Panetta Removes Military Ban, Opening Front-Line Positions” by Lolita Baldor discusses a major change in how the military will be utilizing their male and female Soldiers. After many years of women not being aloud to fight in the front-line, the Pentagon is lifting its ban on women serving in combat which will open an immense amount of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after generations of limits on their service. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s move to lift the ban originates from President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech in which he emphasized about equal rights for all. Although changes are set to be announced Thursday by Panetta, the changes will not happen over night. While some positions may open as soon as this year, the more vigorous jobs, such as special operations forces may take longer. There is still no guarantee that a woman might be stepping into a mans job anytime soon. The military will have until January 2016 to make a case that some positions should remain closed to women. In spite of overturning a 1994 Pentagon policy that prohibited women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units, there is still is an ample amount of opposition towards women in combat. One of the biggest concerns about placing women in a combat zone is strength and stamina for certain jobs. In addition to the doubts of a woman’s performance, suggestions that the American public would not tolerate women soldiers being...
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...roles of women in the U.S. military. Although there has been an increase of opportunities for women to serve in combat roles, they are still discriminated against in every branch of the military. However, in the last few years with ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the success women have been having in combat, policies are being debated. Utilitarian The U.S. military insists that women not participate in combat roles for a number of reasons. The most common reasons brought up are reasons that affect the majority of soldiers, which happen to be men. However, all of these reasons have been proven to be inaccurate or just plain not true. In light of these findings it remains that women are restricted from certain combat duties. One of the more common reasons stated is that women are not strong enough to participate in battle and that they would hinder overall operations due to their physical weakness. However, it has been proven that with proper training, women can become just as strong as men their same size. (USARIEM) Another reason commonly brought up is that women can’t handle the stress of battle and that they have too much mental anguish. Col. Carl Castro, director of Military Operational Research Program at the Dept. of Defense, has proved this incorrect. He states, ‘‘when I look at the data, I see nothing to counter that point.'' (NY Times) The last Utilitarian argument that I will discuss is the argument of having women serving in...
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...Women in Combat For the past two hundred and forty-one years of the United States military’s existence, women have not been allowed to serve in combat roles. Recently however the argument to abolish this practice, and to fully integrate women into our fighting forces has gained some traction, with the Secretary of Defense actually setting a timeline for lifting this ban. This is yet another welcome step forward for our country. If done correctly this move will strengthen our nation, but if performed poorly or for the wrong reasons, could further damage an already tenuous relationship between male and female soldiers. Fully integrating women into frontline combat positions would create a more diverse talent pool for the armed forces to pull form. Diversity has always been a strength for the U.S. military, allowing them to quickly adapt to situations by pulling ideas from cultures and experience not available to its adversaries. The potential problem with this integration stems from the fact that Americans tend to be impatient, demanding instant change. Instead of lifting the ban and allowing the number of women in combat positions to grow naturally overtime the military will most likely bow to political pressure and adjust the standards to allow for the quick entrance of women into these positions until the desired quota is met. The military already has different standards for men and women, take the Army Physical Fitness test; for a male and female soldier to get the same...
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...Women in the Military Life is not easy, nor has it ever been for a woman. No one has a harder and more stressful life than a woman. A woman’s life is more difficult than a man’s because she must endure child birth, maintain personnel appearance, and overcome discrimination; Women in the United States have fought for the right to be included in many facets of society. From the beginning of time, women only had certain roles to play. A woman’s job was limited to homemaker, wife and mother. Women have played a tremendous role in the armed forces from the past to the present. In World War II thousands of women served in the military in traditional roles as a nurse or held an office job. Women should be allowed to fight for their country. The United States Army is the only branch that has recognized women in combat zones. They have yet to serve on the front line, but they are able to participate in convey. When it comes to combat assignments and the needs of the military, men take precedence. What is the point of taking women to the combat zone, if we are not able to go to war? When the military trains for combat, there is no gender bias training. The United States spends a lot of money on combat training for women and men. It is a waste of time and money not to send a woman to war. War is color blind. Behind every uniform is a Sailor, Solider, or Marine. When a woman walks into her command, she is greeted by her rank not her gender. Why shouldn’t a women serve for her country...
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...[ return to top ]Changing of Roles of Women in the Military Changing of Roles of Women in the Military Combat Exclusion Law Should women serve in combat positions? The Combat Exclusion Law has dealt with this question since the 1940’s. As time continues, the question remains. The military has increased the percentage of females allowed to be enlisted and commissioned in the services as well as increasing the positions allotted to them (Matthews, Ender, Laurence, & Rohall, 2009). Keenan posits “women have served with distinction in … the Revolutionary War…as volunteer nurses and were only occasionally in the direct line of fire…four nurses evacuating 42 patients while the Germans bombed their field hospital…” (the DoD Combat Exclusion Policy) pg. 21. The most recent debate questions a women’s engagement in combat. What distinguishes some positions as being acceptable while others are not? Who has the authority to approve exceptions, and what exceptions have been made? On May 13, 2011, a bill placed before the House of Representatives addressed the issues to “repeal the ground combat exclusion policy for female members” (HR 1928). Political Issues or Influences In 1973, women began to grow in numbers in the All-Volunteer Force implemented under President Nixon. “In February 1988, Department of Defense (DoD) codified the Combat Exclusion Policy by adopting the ‘Risk Rule’”, (the DoD Combat Exclusion Policy) pg. 21, 22. The change of the feminine role in the civilian population...
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