On December 3rd, 2015, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter announced that from then on women can serve in all combat roles that were previously men only. Now, women could serve on the Navy Seals, the Green Berets, and the front line, just as long as they “qualify and meet the standards”. However, not everyone seemed to agree. After the announcement, Senator John McCain and Representative Mac Thornberry released a statement saying that this decision would “have a consequential impact on our service members and our military’s war fighting capabilities”. However, it should be noted that the standards for our acceptance of women into higher combat positions are no different than the men. This is why McCain and Thornberry’s statement has frustrated a lot of women. Women still must train the exact same way and be able to withstand the immense physical demands that these positions require. If a woman or man isn’t physically capable enough for the job, then they will not be put in that position, disregarding their gender. Therefore, because they are in the exact same training positions, it is hard to believe that allowing women to be in high combat roles will lower the effectiveness of the U.S military.
Personally, it’s irritating to have to overlook what appears to be a milestone of acceptance and have state representatives claiming that the U.S. military will weaken with women on the front lines and in higher combat positions. Besides the remarks from U.S. authorities, women face other challenges when serving. Lt. Gen. Karen E. Dyson talks about her experience as a company-grade officer in a sustainment brigade years ago. She tells the story of how her supervisor wrote in her officer evaluation report that she was “the best female commander [he had]” and that she instead wished he would’ve written that she was just “the best commander [he had]”.
Women in the military also have to deal with the threat of sexual assault, as a lot of women struggle to receive the respect that they deserve. One of the main arguments for why women shouldn’t be allowed to serve in some roles is to protect them and their safety. Some higher level combat roles require sleeping bunks on sight. This worries a lot of women about being subject to sexual crimes. This may be one of the solid and rational reasons for excluding some women from positions. For Amanda Downs, who was a corporal in the Marines from 2007-2011, this fear became a reality. While in Military Operational Specialty School, Downs was raped, yet didn’t open up about it until years after the incident. She states, “If we could progress past the point where we are now in terms of sexual assault and gender discrimination and that type of thing, [we can open positions]”.
More traditional views see women in the military as an uncomfortable situation. According to researchers, “traditional attitudes make many people both uncomfortable with the idea of women fighting” (Discovery News). They also note, “there are also concerns that women will interfere with group bonding and cohesion—the same arguments that long interfered with the integration of African Americans and gay people into the military”. Many women have expressed their frustrations about how the military should be like other job fields: “To keep someone out of something… or restrict them when they’re capable still doesn’t make sense to me,” explains Air Force Captain Kristen Franke. Rightfully so, women should be held to the same standards, have to complete the same tasks, and looked at as an equal in any military position, just like a man would be.
But how are things looking for the future? Gender discrimination may still be alive and some people will always have beliefs about their uncomfortableness with women in higher combat situations. However, many women have found that they thoroughly enjoy their jobs in serving our country. Air Force Captain Kristen Franke states that she “was surprised with [her] generation of people. It’s been really smooth and [she has] been extremely accepted and equal”.
Since 1914, women have served in greater numbers and in more diverse roles in the military apposed to years before. Even in other countries, women are conscripted into military services, but only in some countries across the world. There are few places where active military duty allows for equal opportunity between men and women. By 2017, the proportion of women in the military was around 16%, which is much higher than other nations like India and the UK.
There has been progression in the issues surrounding gender equality in the military in more recent years, there’s no denying it. Compared to 70 years ago, when only female nurses were allowed to serve on-site, to now, so many changes have been made, all at the hands of women who have fought for equality.