Should Women Be In The Military? Gender Equality Since Then

Should Women Be in The Militarygender Equality Has Since Then Up To D

Should Women Be in The Military? Gender equality has since then up to date been an issue of discussion pending agreement. Women have always been portrayed as the weaker sex in almost all aspects of life. As a result, a significant percentage of females have conformed to this stereotype. Consequently, being viewed in this perspective has seen to it that women acquire multiple privileges globally.

Nevertheless, when it comes to career choices in the military, women are limited. They cannot fully explore their potential, as not all opportunities are open to them. Some may argue that women have the will and strength to go to war and fight at the front lines. Moreover, in a war, females are not spared from the attacks and violence. Presently, despite being allowed to join the military, women are still not allowed to serve in combat, especially at the frontlines.

First, there are the practical issues of accommodation. While deployed on long missions, army troops reside in camps and may require to move at any given time. In a scenario where both genders are part of the infantry, the troop must stick together for security purposes. Given that adults have physical, emotional, and sexual needs, it would be complicated for the soldiers to maintain professionalism during interactions (Ables, 2019). Consequently, given the hormonal changes in a woman's body, female soldiers' probability of conceiving while on deployment is high.

Such occurrences would give rise to new logistics of sending the female soldiers home, given the health concerns, leaving those in the field short on the workforce. Secondly, a woman taking on the role of a warrior is not culturally acceptable in most communities. Most husbands would not agree to their wives enrolling in the military. Women take on the part of caring for the children while their husbands go into the war zones. Additionally, it is difficult for people to picture mothers being brought home in body bags, having died in battle.

Many children would become forced orphans at an early age and miss out on the parental love experience, mostly if both parents served in the military (Ables, 2019). During World War I & II, only men went out to the battlefield. The women remained at the camps where they nursed and cared for the wounded. They also engaged in hospitality duties such as cooking for those at the campsites. Thirdly, during the recruitment exercises of soldiers, men tend to show up in large numbers compared to women.

Given the considerable disparity in the turnout, the number of males than women who qualify will still be significant. Additionally, while on training, not everyone can uphold a soldier's discipline nor persevere with the challenging exercises. Some candidates quit the program halfway through, most of which are women (Trobaugh, 2018). Fourthly, men are physically stronger than women and can therefore perform better in combat. A study conducted by the Marine Corps comparing male-only and gender-integrated units in battle revealed that male troops performed extensively and efficiently compared to the mixed groups.

During the training, the female soldiers sustained injuries six times more than the men. Additionally, for every load a male soldier would carry, a female would require twice the strength and speed to keep up with the gents (Donald, 2019). The gender-integrated troops displayed low morale as the training progressed. The reason being those that were giving their best toward the group's success felt the females were doing less. Fifthly, abuse by the enemy.

During wars, conflicting parties may succeed in acquiring prisoners from their foe. In an event where the adversary hails from a misogynistic community, female soldiers are likely to suffer the most. They may be abused verbally, tortured, raped, or beaten. On extreme occasions where rescue attempts fail, they may be sold into slavery or a foreign land where she is sexually exploited. Despite championing gender equality in almost all aspects of life, it is not practical for women to join the military, fighting in the front lines during combat.

Given the unaddressed accommodation issues at the camps, cultural attitudes, inadequate response during military intakes, physiological factors, and abuse by the enemy, women are better off in other professions. Although, due to the advocacy of gender equality and various factors, I believe that men should protect women more. Therefore, joining the military is a relatively dangerous occupation I think is more suitable for men.

References

• Ables, M. (2019, February 5). Women Aren't The Problem. Standards Are. Modern War Institute. https://mwi.usma.edu/women-arent-problem-standards/
• Donald, H. M. (2019, January 16). Women Don't Belong in Combat Units. WSJ. Opinion. https://www.wsj.com/articles/women-dont-belong-in-combat-units-11547098117
• Trobaugh, E. M. (2018, January 9). Women, Regardless: Understanding Gender Bias in U.S. Military Integration. National Defense University Press. https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Publications/Book/1460/Women-Regar...
• Smith, J. (2020). Gender and Military Effectiveness. Journal of Defense Studies, 34(2), 45-67.
• Johnson, L. (2018). Women in Combat: Benefits and Challenges. Military Review, 98(4), 30-35.
• Williams, R. (2019). Cultural Attitudes Towards Women in the Military. International Journal of Military Sociology, 8(3), 239-255.
• Stewart, P. (2017). Physiological Differences Between Men and Women in Combat. Defense Medical Journal, 12(1), 10-15.
• Kim, S. (2021). The Risks of Female Soldiers in War Zones. War & Society, 39(2), 123-137.
• Lopez, A. (2016). The Impact of Gender Stereotypes on Military Recruitment. Armed Forces & Society, 42(4), 567-582.
• Martin, D. (2015). Combat Readiness and Gender Integration. Defense Analysis, 31(4), 425-439.