The question of whether women in the military force in the United States should register for selective service just like their male counterparts has triggered a debate with both sides having strong points. In a recent hearing of the Senate, the Marine Corps and the Army Chief supported the idea that the women should be measured with the same standards that apply to their male counterparts 1 . The current times are momentous in the history of women for the initially perceived men best-suited careers, military being one of them. With so much being done to actualize gender integration in the armed forces, it is just logical that the women rise to the standards put for the men in the same fields.
Women should register for selective service because the legal reasons for the exclusion are no longer valid. Women having been cleared for the combat roles, the Supreme Court ruling of 1981 on the same subject will not hold for a long time. The Department of Defense for the Direct Ground Combat Definition and the Assignment Rule of 1994 which had not permitted women to get assignments on duties below the level of the brigade with combat as their first mission was also rescinded in 2013 2 .
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Secondly, Military is now an equitable institution, and so it would just be fair if the women would also shoulder the same burdens that their male counterparts have struggled with for a long time. The Navy and the Marine Corps have started reviewing several titles to make them gender neutral.
Many women have been informally involved in the combat situations even with their official ban from combat. It would just be important that the situation is formalized and regularized to give women with potentials full ability to involve themselves in the combat. For example, several women joined the troops of special operations in Afghanistan, and because the idea was not regularized, these women found themselves in an ambiguous state 3 . Selective service is usually the first contact between the military and the civilians. If this is selectively reserved for men alone, then the message passed across is that of gender bias. The Marine Corps already came out and supported the inclusion of women.
When the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 incorporated women as permanent and full members of the armed forces, the Marines indicated that they had taken 2% of the total personnel. This was also done to recognize their good performance in the World War II. Women in the military just like the men are both fighting for the country. If they are not given the same standard of tests, then the military cannot satisfactorily achieve a successful mission. If women cannot pass the test, then how would they even accomplish the mission? Women and men should both be ready physically, mentally and emotionally to accomplish the task of defending their nation. Besides, wars have got rules, failure to stick to the rules would mean failing in that same war. If war has to be won, then it means that everyone has to adhere to the rules. Women should, therefore, pick it up and be up to the task, matching the standards required and go for it.
Some of the strong opponents of this idea are the forces dealing with special operations. In the year 2015, 85% of the special operations forces believed that women should be exempted from the jobs to deal with special operations 4 . Most of them cited inferior physical strength and their weak mental and emotional strength as the main reasons. Indeed, this is not surprising as these formations have had their cultures, histories and rituals which did not include women. The Special Operations, for instance, has for a long time exhibited success and excellence in performance even without the women counterparts.
Many people also believe that women should not only be given much lower standards than men but rather different roles. They argue on the basis that women cannot equal men. Women have got different body shapes, hormone levels, organs amongst other differences. Women should, however, have same opportunities to advance to higher rankings. Some argue that women should not go about fighting the wars of the world. God made the society in a way that the two genders should find their specific roles. Men were meant to struggle in battles and defend their families and nations while women were made to be homemakers with different roles altogether. Women are supposed to sit back make their homes. With this argument, they believe that women should not even be allowed to serve in the army.
A study done in 2015 on the Marine Corps found that women average performance in the military did not match that of the men more so on the field performance 5 . Even though this study passed through a lot of criticism, it was an indicator that there are still many fears as far as gender integration is concerned. Many people may not think good of their daughters, mothers and wives getting involved in a robust and vigorous practice such as the military and the combat forces. However, this idea may be a shortsighted one since women have proven that they can handle the big task. Nearly in all disciplines in the society, women have fought for equal rights. These rights normally come with duties. So the principle of equal rights brings with it equal duties. In most workplaces, men and women share most of the responsibilities with their male counterparts. Registration in Selective Service should just be the same.
Bibliography
Kamarck, Kristy N. "The Selective Service System and Draft Registration: Issues for Congress." (2016).
Paustian-Underdahl, Samantha C., Lisa Slattery Walker, and David J. Woehr. "Gender and perceptions of leadership effectiveness: A meta-analysis of contextual moderators." Journal of applied psychology 99.6 (2014): 1129.
1 Paustian-Underdahl, Samantha C., Lisa Slattery Walker, and David J. Woehr. "Gender and perceptions of leadership effectiveness: A meta-analysis of contextual moderators." Journal of applied psychology 99.6 (2014): 1129.
2 Kamarck, Kristy N. "The Selective Service System and Draft Registration: Issues for Congress." (2016).
3 Paustian-Underdahl, Samantha C., Lisa Slattery Walker, and David J. Woehr. "Gender and perceptions of leadership effectiveness: A meta-analysis of contextual moderators." Journal of applied psychology 99.6 (2014): 1129.
4 Kamarck, Kristy N. "The Selective Service System and Draft Registration: Issues for Congress." (2016).
5 Kamarck, Kristy N. "The Selective Service System and Draft Registration: Issues for Congress." (2016).
