The Issue Of Gender Equality In US Military
Growing up, my household has always been unorthodox from other households. Staying at home, my dad would cook, clean, and braid my hair; while my mom was the Soldier who went to work every day. Today it is not much different; my mom is still a Soldier, but my dad has a great job as well, and they are both extremely successful. During my moms' twenty years of service she has never come to the conclusion that she is not strong enough or smart enough. She has always been treated as an equal by her fellow Soldiers and some have even admitted to being afraid of my mom. She has opened my eyes to see the world differently. To not see a world where women are weaker or less than to the point where they cannot achieve their dreams. But to see a world full of equality and possibilities. Unfortunately, I have also come to the realization that our world is not this way.
Our world still has many obstacles to overcome until it achieves equality. It is sad but true that women are always classified as a fragile stereotype and are expected to continue to live in a man's shadow. To care to a man’s needs and to run a household so that the man may be successful and accomplished. Even if a women becomes successful and achieves to receive a well-paying job. It is well known that she will get paid less than the average man who works the same ranking job as her. This shows that women today still struggle to achieve their dreams because of the misogynistic walls that block them from continuing on their path to greatness. Now, I am not saying that women have not come a long way in this fight because they have. Women have demolished some walls by; gaining the right to vote, having jobs, joining the military, being on the front line, becoming a General in the military and, acquiring positions that was once only eligible for men. Women are given equality, but with limits. For example, women in the military were recently allowed the right to be on the frontline during war but still not allowed/required to sign up for the draft. Females deserve equality, to have the same responsibilities as males, and to be treated with the same amount of respect. In order to achieve true equality for women in the military they should be required to sign up for the draft.
Why are women not forced to sign up for the draft? Maybe they are not forced to sign up for the draft because others might feel that women need to stay home to take care of the families and our country while the men are away. However, if women are forced to sign up for the draft as well then there will be men and women still here who did not get selected that can help take care of our country. There are many successful stay at home dads in this country that would be perfectly okay if their wives were to be the ones to fight for our country. If women were forced to sign up for the draft that would cause men and women to equally be away and home to fight for our country. In order for this to become reality women in the military must overcome all of the obstacles they face. The biggest obstacle right now for women in the armed forces is the draft. Yet people do not talk about the draft very much or see women protesting to be obligated to sign up for the draft. This is because people will not fight for something that they do not feel will immediately benefit them personally. On the contrary, there are many benefits in the draft for our country and for women. Women being part of the draft provides more numbers during war. It provides a strong and successful career for females. Consequently, where there are pros there are also cons. One of the cons about women being part of the draft is that if a married couple, with a family, both have the same birthday and their birthday is called for the draft then their children are left with no parents to care for them. When weighing the pros and cons the pros overpower the cons.
Some say that in order for women to legally be required to sign up for the draft, that training needs to be modified for women. Even today, women in the armed forces are not held to the same standards as men. When women take the PT (Physical Training) test they are not required to meet the same standards as men, even though they complete the same test in the same amount of time. This test consist of; timed push-ups, timed sit-ups, and a timed two mile run. This proves that the training system is already modified. Even though, women are able to do what men do in the same amount of time, they are still seen as less than when in reality they should be seen as equals. Testing standards might be different for men and women but training for deployment is still administered the same for both. A study was done to see the differences between men and women while deployed. This proved that men and women are not all that different.
Anderson, Morgan, one of the many authors, of this study has recorded information that women and men are not as different during deployment as suggested. The study states that during deployment the percent of women that ran equal to or more than five miles raised eight times while for men it only doubled. While away from home the rate of injury went down for males and females. All of this proves that women are equal to men when they are away from home, fighting for our country, because their numbers are not far apart and they accomplish the same goals. However, skeptics may believe that women should not be allowed to join the military or be on the front line. They don’t believe they are physically capable to do what men can do in order to get the job done. These people may also believe that war may be too dangerous for women mentally and physically.
Previously, in my last paragraph I explained how women and men are equal when it comes to deployment training. A study by Rappole, C and many others was taken to evaluate the injury rate of men and women during deployment. This study showed that when women and men deploy their injury rate actually goes down. Yes this can be hard to believe but it’s true. Their injury rate goes down due to the amount of training they do. This training increases their strength and lowers their chances of injury during normal activity. Those who do not agree with women in the military may worry about sexual assault for women or how war will affect them mentally. A study by Rosellini, Anthony and several other doctors shows that both men and women get sexually assaulted while away from home. Although, the numbers differentiate between men and women, where five percent of women are sexually assaulted, and only one percent of men are sexually assaulted. Granted these numbers may be true, but as some may know not everyone openly talks about those kinds of bad experiences, leaving these numbers to be questionable.
Furthermore, even though these numbers differentiate between men and women, they are both affected mentally and emotionally and may cause depression, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), and suicidal thoughts. As a result these mental and emotional outcomes were evaluated on men and women while they were away from home serving our country. Nonetheless it does not exclude that fact that anyone can be sexually assaulted anywhere at any time. Throughout my research and personal experience within my household, I have come to the understanding that men and women are equals in the military, and should be treated as such. If girls were legally required to sign up for the draft once they turn eighteen, exactly how boys are legally required to sign up for the draft once they are eighteen, then our government would be able to come up with an equal amount of girls and boy. Who can honorably serve our Nation together. Those in the armed forces of opposite sex both train the same with the same increase and decrease in categories of strength, endurance, mental health, and injury rate.
I believe that if men and women are equal in these categories. Complete the same physical test with no accommodations. Both are allowed on the front line, and are eligible to earn high ranks in the armed forces then they both should be legally required to sign up for the draft. This should happen in order to be able to truly have equality in our countries military.
