Should women in the Military be allowed in Combat?

In the United States of America women population is slightly high than the men population. However, only about one-fifth of military personnel are women. It is because the military job is not open for most women. Following the Nineteenth Amendment that was ratified in 1920 both men and women should be given equal rights to vote (Klenke n.p). However, equal right to voting is not the only right that creates a platform of equality between men and women. As gender equality is another issue that still raise some concerns from the past to the present generation. If women are advocating for equal rights, why should be serving in military combat be exceptional? Equal rights mean having access to all social, political, economic, and technological aspects. Majority of people ask the question whether women should be allowed to serve in combat roles. This paper seeks to discuss both the aspects whether women should be allowed in military position or they should not be allowed to serve in military position through weighing out both advantages and disadvantages.

In the past, women would disguise themselves to serve in military combat as they were only allowed to work as cooks, nurses, laundresses, clerks, and telephone operators for men in military combat. From the past up to the present women are stereotyped as men helpers. The society has this perfect scenario where men are the provider, goes to work, and women stay at home to cook, clean and take care of the children. This stereotyping was so evident as women did not partake in having jobs until the 1970s, but the reason women would worked in the past was only if their husband were in the war (Burrelli n.p.). On the one hand, women should have equal rights to men; thus, they should be provided with a chance to participate in combat. Therefore, preventing women from engaging in combat is discriminatory and does not exercise equal rights. However, if a woman can pass the physical test as well as men, what is the need for preventing the women from partaking the role in protecting her country? However, in military both physical and non-physical capacities such as moral courage, integrity and determination are essential for combat. However, non-physical attributes have nothing to do with gender or sexual orientation. However, in recent years the number of women enrolled in the military is increasing. But this does not solve the issue of denying women a right to pursue a career in whatever they and want to pursue in Thus, creating civil right controversy by denying women a chance to pursue in military combat.

While on the hand from the history of women in power, women are viewed as caretakers and not aggressors. Women also lack the physical strength to practice in combat. Male military personnel is not willing to risk the success of the mission while trying to protect the women in danger. Women can be raped when captured resulting to other complication in the military combat, there is a high risks of sexual assault. Following this argument, one can see that preventing women from military combat is for the good of women and for the country, as preventing sexual assaults minimizes trauma among women (“Women in the Military: Should women in the military be allowed in combat?”). However, if there is a woman in military combat it means that she did pass all the physical test and she is a position to protect, preventing and getting herself out of danger that comes in a military combat job. About men, women are not emotionally strong to deal with the high level of fraternization. However, concerning women biology, they are not in a position to protect their country every time they are needed, it is because when a woman gets pregnant, they are sent on temporary leave. This leaves could be very expensive as according to Michigan any pilot absent for a significant time must be retained at an additional cost through employing another pilot to stand in for the absent pilot. This additional cost especially, when a country budget is sluggish can compromise a military mission.

In conclusion, women are a human being with passion and desires for going to any extent to defend and protect their country. The military should allow women to serve on combat and they should not judge women to physical strength. However, if a woman is in military combat it means that she did pass all the physical test and she is a position to protect, preventing and getting herself out of danger that comes in military combat job as she is aware to the threat indulging herself in. There are criterion and standards that are put in place for every candidate prior to joining military and gender should not be one of the requirements. In relation to equal rights, both men and women should have equal opportunities and chances to the same jobs.

Work cited.

Burrelli, David F. “Women in combat: Issues for Congress.” LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE, 2013.

Klenke, Karin. “Women in Combat: Contexts, Terror Management, and Mortality Salience—Implications for Women’s Leadership.” International Leadership Journal 8.2 (2016).

Michigan, Madison. “Should The Military Allow Women To Serve In Combat Roles? By Madison – Letters To The Next President 2.0″. Letters2president.Org, 2019, https://letters2president.org/letters/9364. Accessed 9 Apr 2019.

Women in the Military: Should women in the military be allowed in combat?” Issues & Controversies,Infobase Learning, 6 June 2003, http://0-icof.infobaselearning.com.libcat.sanjac.edu/recordurl.aspx?ID=2620. Accessed 9 Apr. 2019.