Is gender equality possible in the Military? While this is a question that is subject to much debate and disagreement, it is my opinion that women should be allowed the opportunity to compete for the elite positions available in our nation’s Special Forces. In addition, women should be allowed to be on the front line serving as combat soldiers provided that they satisfy the same requirements as set forth for their male counterparts. The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution guaranteed women the right to vote marking what was to become the beginning of the equality movement for women in our nation. The pursuit of equal rights for women began long before this current issue of the right of women to fight in combat zones or the
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This ruling opened up many positions for women, not only the Army, but also the Marines that were once limited only to men. There is major conversely over whether they should be allowed to compete in the military branch of Marines. Currently, women comprise 14.5% of the active duty military personnel (CNN Staff). With this ban lifted, the percentage of women in active duty will most likely increase. As the role of women in society has changed or evolved, more women have joined the military for the same exact reasons as men; to serve and protect the rights and liberties we enjoy as a …show more content…
As one could imagine, this is the area that is the most controversial. Should women serve alongside men in combat; further, should women have equal opportunity to complete for a position amongst our elite forces. The branch of the Military that seems to have the biggest issue with complete gender equality is the Marine Corps. Amber Barno states in her article, “Gender Equality? A Double Standard for Women in the Military” that, “For decades, women and men have had ‘equal but different’ physical standards. The military recognizes that men and women have different physical qualities which led to the generation of a separate physical grading scale.” (***** Find the physical requirements men and women have to pass and compare*****) Therefore, since men and women have different physical requirements as “standard to the gender”, women were not allowed to compete for the dangerous combat roles. Now that the ban has been lifted for all branches of the military, many advocate the physical standards to be “equal” and no longer ‘equal but
This ruling opened up many positions for women, not only the Army, but also the Marines that were once limited only to men. There is major conversely over whether they should be allowed to compete in the military branch of Marines. Currently, women comprise 14.5% of the active duty military personnel (CNN Staff). With this ban lifted, the percentage of women in active duty will most likely increase. As the role of women in society has changed or evolved, more women have joined the military for the same exact reasons as men; to serve and protect the rights and liberties we enjoy as a …show more content…
As one could imagine, this is the area that is the most controversial. Should women serve alongside men in combat; further, should women have equal opportunity to complete for a position amongst our elite forces. The branch of the Military that seems to have the biggest issue with complete gender equality is the Marine Corps. Amber Barno states in her article, “Gender Equality? A Double Standard for Women in the Military” that, “For decades, women and men have had ‘equal but different’ physical standards. The military recognizes that men and women have different physical qualities which led to the generation of a separate physical grading scale.” (***** Find the physical requirements men and women have to pass and compare*****) Therefore, since men and women have different physical requirements as “standard to the gender”, women were not allowed to compete for the dangerous combat roles. Now that the ban has been lifted for all branches of the military, many advocate the physical standards to be “equal” and no longer ‘equal but