Throughout time war has been predominantly fought by men, because the idea was that women should stay home and tend to the house and the children. Few women have made a name for themselves in history, fighting in war alongside men. The most notable woman in history that broke all the gender rules of ancient time was Joan of Arc. Joan fought for Charles VII, to take back France from the English. In the end she was captured by the English and burned at the stake. Joan is the most notable women in ancient history to fight in war. Fast forward to the year 2015 in the United States of America, a new fight has been started to open the door for women to fight alongside their male counter-parts in the field of combat. Questions have been raised on …show more content…
Doctors have pointed out key physical deficiencies. If you look at the militaries physical test you can see the unequal standards between men and women when it comes to physical fitness in women. There are women amongst the ranks of men, that can and do perform or even outperform men in this physical test.
In the military there is a set standard that men and women have to meet physically. These standards are: Push-Ups, Sit-Ups, and a 2-Mile Run. The score of each category varies from age group to gender. For a recruit to graduate boot camp, they must meet a score value of 150 points or higher with at least 50 points in each category (Smith). Once, these new recruits graduate boot camp, they then move onto Advance Infantry Training. At AIT, the physical standards are increased for both age group and gender. The categories are the same at this point in a soldier’s career. For a soldier to graduate AIT, they must score at least 180 points or higher and score at least 60 points in each category (Smith). A soldier is able to graduate with these scores, however, these are the bare minimum and will reflect poorly on your record. If a soldier seeks to achieve the Physical Fitness Badge they must score a 270 or above on the Army PFT.
The scoring is much different for men and women. If you look at Appendix 1, you can see the minimum a soldier must meet at both boot camp and AIT. By looking at these charts you can see the unfairness scoring between men and
When beginning the journey to enlist in the military a prerequisite is taking the ASVAB; this is the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test. Every member attempting to enlist must take this test, however there are minimum score requirements for each respected branch. Here are the minimum scores for each respected branch: Air Force is 50, Army is 31, Coast Guard is 50, Navy is 50 and the Marines is 32. Each branch’s score
Historically, only men have fought in wars. Other than a few exceptions, such as Joan of Arc, this has largely remained true to this day. However, in 2013, the Pentagon announced that by 2016, the ban preventing women from entering combat will be fully revoked. This means that women in the United States military will be placed into combat roles, such as Army and Marine infantry units, artillery, armor, Special Operations Forces, and the Navy SEALs. This shift, which will open more than 250,000 combat-related jobs to women in the military, has generated mixed feelings from those in the armed forces. A large number of female soldiers believe that this ban removal is simply a formalization. This is because women have been deployed at or
While acknowledging the existence of studies showing the inferiority of women’s performance in combat conditions compared to men’s, Denn holds an almost dismissive attitude toward such evidence. He instead argues: “The success of women’s integration into combat units will depend on how quickly and enthusiastically officers and enlisted soldiers embrace it. Many servicemen resist the idea, citing studies that suggest the inclusion of women in combat would imperil unit effectiveness, good order, and discipline.” Thus, Denn suggests that the barriers to women’s success in combat lie not with the women’s physical capabilities but rather with those who oppose the idea of servicewomen in combat. However, a Marine Corps study conducted over a period of one year refutes Denn’s claims. “The Marines created a battalion of 100 female and 300 male volunteers. During the past year, they trained…taking part in realistic combat exercises. All-male squads, the study
40). In 1980 the double standards for women were justified because women did not fight in combat arm MOS’sand the jobs they did obtain were not as physically demanding as in today’s Army. The unfortunate misconception of this double standard is that women can perform their current APFT standard and still make it in combat arms roles. But the reality is that because of these lower standards, “on average, women suffered nine times as many shin splints as men, five times as many stress fractures, and more than five times as many cases of tendinitis” (Eden, 2015, pg. 40) because they are physiologically different than men. If we want women to be capable of performing combat arms MOS’s, than we will need a gender neutral physical test.
After many generations, it is now known that women are as mentally skilled as men. Female soldiers can and are known to be very detail oriented which can consider them to have better critical thinking skills than men. In this case, having strong analytical abilities equals strong “killer instinct”; many successful snipers and shots have been known to be from female soldiers. This important factor that is required in the military can be possessed by any individual of any gender or sexuality. According to Rebecca Shambaugh from the Huffington Post, “It isn’t about one gender being smarter or thinking better than the other; studies show that men and women are evenly matched in their intellectual performance” (Shambaugh, 2016, “Different Brains”)It shouldn’t matter
So many questions linger when it comes to women being able to be in combat. Are they strong enough? Are women capable of dragging a man’s body out of gun fire? In my opinion, this is a well debated topic in the military world. I believe that women should not be allowed in combat because most are not physically capable, emotionally capable, and not experienced enough.
Since the beginning of war itself, there have always been men who have bravely risen up to answer the call of their country and to spill the enemy’s blood. It is their duty to protect their homeland and the ones they love. Is this duty, to fight and die for what we believe only reserved for men alone? Until recently combat jobs in the United States have been strictly men only, but now there is a movement to open up the battlefield to all sexes. Very few times in history have women engaged in battle. However, it has been done before with great success, women like Joan of Arc and the countless women who fought defending their homeland in World War Two have saved many lives and made a huge impact of tipping the scale of defeat to victory. It is
If someone who has had injuries in their arms can still do pull-ups, why is that healthy female military members cannot manage to do the minimum of three is that is considered equal for both male and female participants? They should not be lowered because they are equal to both male and female and it is also the standard that has been required from both groups.
Within the military, gender roles have always been an issue. For the longest time, women weren’t allowed to serve any role in the U.S military. They would disguise themselves as men to serve on the front lines. Eventually, women gained the privilege to fight alongside men. Everyone have goals that they want to achieve. Both genders search for the same opportunity and want to better themselves. Even though the issue has become equalized, the military remains gender biased. Male and females impact the military by the skills they possess through dedication and hard work.
After a long endured history of only men on the front lines, the ban on women in combat has been removed. However, talk has spread of opposition towards this controversial topic. Questions have exploded on whether women will be beneficial or only a liability. Opposing viewers surrounding this issue believe women are not capable of excelling in combat. Not only is there differences in male and female anatomy, the overall workload is too excessive for women to endure. The popular belief still holds, women belong in the home, not on the battlefield. Yet times are vastly changing. Modern times has moved society towards fixing the wrongs it has created. From the Women’s Rights Movement to today,
”Rule: Service members are eligible to be assigned to all positions for which they are qualified, except that women shall be excluded from assignment to units below the brigade level whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground, as defined below.
PURPOSE: To advocate for men and women to be at the same physical level in combat roles.
Physical differences between men and women come up in careers such as the military. The military career requires great responsibility, dedication, and sacrifice. The key to achieving a good performance in this field is to have an excellent physical ability. Women with physical training can exceed men without physical training. In addition, women have to have great value to develop this type of careers. The equality and teamwork are two fundamental reasons too. Over the years, it has been thought that man is the only one able to do this work. However, a woman can be better prepared physically that a man. Therefore, women deserve to be assigned combat roles in the military.
There are many grounds on which this argument could be disputed, but women have contributed greatly in past wars. They have served in combat in many skills during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam (Holm).
The military in general is very strict, when it comes to the topic of equal opportunity the military is even more stringent. Equal opportunity means treating everyone fairly, and not treating someone differently based on ethnicity, religion, race, culture, or gender. I will focus more on equality on gender in the military.