Women in the Military

[Shane for Wax]

Should they be allowed to openly go into combat? Is a woman's life really more important than a man's? I think not. Women have risked their lives just as much as men throughout history, we have had great women such as Lyudmilla Pavlichenko (A Ukrainian/Russian sniper in world war two who amassed 309 kills) and Joan of Arc who have bucked the trend to help lead their people in battle. A woman, biologically, can be better in battle than a man. This is especially true for female snipers. Females have less adrenaline that pumps through their veins, allowing their aim to be steadier. They also can channel their anger, unlike men. A woman can sit and wait forever to pop her enemy in the head with her gun's bullet, while a man may get antsy and give away his position in an attempts to draw out the enemy, thereby risking himself needlessly.

 

What do you think? Should the ability to carry a child keep you from going into battle?

[Strategos]

A woman, biologically, can be better in battle than a man. This is especially true for female snipers. Females have less adrenaline that pumps through their veins, allowing their aim to be steadier. They also can channel their anger, unlike men. A woman can sit and wait forever to pop her enemy in the head with her gun's bullet, while a man may get antsy and give away his position in an attempts to draw out the enemy, thereby risking himself needlessly.

 

In my opinion, what you said is both right and wrong. First, channeling anger can be applied to both men and women. But biologically is tricky. Adrenaline is needed in some military situations. Even for snipers, they can be surprised by an enemy from behind. In this situation, more, not less adrenaline is usually better. As well, centuries of evolution have played against women. They have sat home while men have done the actual fighting. While I have nothing against women in particular, genetics is a tricky subject, as genes are often tied to one another. But science does not decide this. Personally, I think that it is the woman's choice, as long as the choice is not coerced or influenced by factors which do not directly relate to the choice.

[Shane for Wax]

Well if anyone is interested in the history of women in military roles...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_military

 

You will find that there have been more women who have seen combat than people are led to believe (especially in ancient times) only recently has the role of women in combat been 'No no, women cannot see combat' Or rather 'should not'.

[Strategos]

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't intend that there were only a couple women in the military historically, just few in comparison to men. Hopefully, all women (and all men, for that matter) will one day see actual combat, not highly edited TV coverage.

[Shane for Wax]

Well you said that evolution was against women. I don't rightly think so. I'm using my anthropology background here, if you don't mind. Women in comparison to men are usually small and lithe, and therefore agile, making them fast. Speed is a necessity in hand to hand combat, not to mention in the modern age when you find yourself stranded from a vehicle. Men are bulky, and they do not usually have a good center of gravity. Also, the drive to protect what they love is very strong within a woman. I am of course not responding to debunk your argument, rather I am emphasizing my own argument. :)

[Macabre]

Well you said that evolution was against women. I don't rightly think so. I'm using my anthropology background here, if you don't mind. Women in comparison to men are usually small and lithe, and therefore agile, making them fast. Speed is a necessity in hand to hand combat, not to mention in the modern age when you find yourself stranded from a vehicle. Men are bulky, and they do not usually have a good center of gravity. Also, the drive to protect what they love is very strong within a woman. I am of course not responding to debunk your argument, rather I am emphasizing my own argument.

 

Unfortunately, the fact that most women are smaller and less muscular than men works against them in a lot of situations. I'm not doubting a women's determination, but we simply are not able to carry an injured soldier back in dangerous situations, or win most hand-to-hand or close-range fights.

Plus, there is the fact that if captured, women are treated horrendously and in a lot of cases, worse than men. Especially in the Middle East. If you are a captured women you will most likely be raped and beaten and killed there.

 

Personally, I think that it is the woman's choice, as long as the choice is not coerced or influenced by factors which do not directly relate to the choice.

 

This simply is not the military. You are given orders to follow-you can't just say you don't want to do something, man or woman.

[Strategos]

This simply is not the military. You are given orders to follow-you can't just say you don't want to do something, man or woman.

 

Oh, I guess I didn't make this clear. I meant to join the military, to risk your life is a personal decision.

[Shane for Wax]

Unfortunately, the fact that most women are smaller and less muscular than men works against them in a lot of situations. I'm not doubting a women's determination, but we simply are not able to carry an injured soldier back in dangerous situations, or win most hand-to-hand or close-range fights.

Plus, there is the fact that if captured, women are treated horrendously and in a lot of cases, worse than men. Especially in the Middle East. If you are a captured women you will most likely be raped and beaten and killed there

You make it seem like that is a new occurrence....It frankly isn't. And aren't all of those things to be expected at any rate?

 

September 13, 1624: Ketevan the Martyr, a Georgian queen, is tortured to death after offering herself as a hostage to Shah Abbas I to prevent war.

 

1670: Alyona, a Russian female ataman rebel, is burned at the stake.

 

As for carrying comrades back home? Oh that is highly possible for a woman. I've seen it happen in real life. You underestimate the comraderie that is found in the military, and the urge to keep your countrymen safe to fuel your drive to bring them to safety.

 

Besides, you're as likely to be raped, beaten and killed outside of a war zone as you are inside.

 

As has been mentioned, it should be the woman's choice, not the choice of a diplomat.

[jun]

from what i am reading, you beleive they shouldt go into combat

 

well, woman for many years have fought for equal rights, so why denie them this one? They want to defend there country. Legally, they are told of the dangers, as everyone else is, to joining the Military. They choose to accept it, and thus, Why they go out in armed combat. And i will tell you, no life is more important then another.

 

If this is not what you ment, then sorry, but i can not understand your paragraph on the first post.

[Macabre]

Oh, I guess I didn't make this clear. I meant to join the military, to risk your life is a personal decision.

 

Okay, thanks for the clarification. :)

 

You make it seem like that is a new occurrence....It frankly isn't. And aren't all of those things to be expected at any rate?

 

September 13, 1624: Ketevan the Martyr, a Georgian queen, is tortured to death after offering herself as a hostage to Shah Abbas I to prevent war.

 

1670: Alyona, a Russian female ataman rebel, is burned at the stake.

 

As for carrying comrades back home? Oh that is highly possible for a woman. I've seen it happen in real life. You underestimate the comraderie that is found in the military, and the urge to keep your countrymen safe to fuel your drive to bring them to safety.

 

Besides, you're as likely to be raped, beaten and killed outside of a war zone as you are inside.

 

As has been mentioned, it should be the woman's choice, not the choice of a diplomat.

 

I never meant to imply that this is new, so sorry if it came out that way.

I wouldn't underestimate the bond between the soldiers, I'm an army kid myself, and know many brave men and women in the military. But it is much harder for a woman to carry someone back miles, than it is for a man. Simple fact of biology, we are not built the same way. It's not impossible to lift that much weight, but it's not something you're going to have a great chance of surviving.

 

You are not as likely to be abused outside of a warzone as you are inside.

[Shane for Wax]

Where are you getting your figures? I definitely see more rape and abuse cases outside of war zones than I do from the war zones. Now maybe the government is covering them up, who knows. I do know that there ARE risks, for men and women, to go into a war zone. They are different for the two genders, but they are still risks that you have to measure out. Again, it should be the choice of the woman. I personally hate it when people try to 'protect' me. Let a woman do what they feel like they have to do, they know the risks.

 

As for women carrying other people, from what I know training allows you to learn how to do such things. In sniper school you are made to carry your partner at least 3 miles.

[Unstream]

Personally, I think women should be allowed to fight.

 

But it is true that women do have a disadvantage nowadays because it was almost always the case that men fought, not women. It's true that women may be faster, but men are stronger, which would be a lot better for fighting than speed back, oh, say 700 years ago. I mean when you carry a sword, it's no good if you're fast. Even if you're quick enough to place your sword in the path of another, if you aren't strong, then your sword is merely batted to the side and you'll get cut down.

 

And women do get raped more in the warzone than outside the warzone. If you're captured, it might be a certainty. For men, it's not the same.

 

But I still think women should be able to fight in war. Strength is not as important as it used to be. And plus, extra troops would probably be pretty helpful, whether they're male or female.

[Patch]

i believe that women should be able to participate in combat. right now we have women participating in combat for the US armed forces. i also think that the government should also open up the special forces to women.

[FutureTXTurkey]

I haven't been in the military, and I am not very close with anyone who has. So I won't pretend to speak intelligently on the military or on what the effects of women in active combat would or would not have on the military as a whole. I can say though. That just from my own personal experience. I was considering signing up for the military after I finished college. I had met with a recruiter, and was all but officially signed up when I was informed that I would not be allowed to go into an active combat division. I was more than a little pissed off, and incredibly dissappointed. So, like I said I'm not going to argue wether or not they should be allowed because I'm willing to state that I just don't know enough about they reasons why they aren't, and if those reasons are valid or not...All I can say is that if they were allowed to be in active combat I would be more than happy to be one of the first woman signing up for it.

 

For me I just couldn't support the last male dominated institution trying to force woman to feel inferior, so...I'm joining the peace corps instead. It's really more my style anyway, I'm a sucker for humanitarianism. I mean I want to support my country and do my part, and and since the military fell through this seems like a good solution to me...

 

i believe that women should be able to participate in combat. right now we have women participating in combat for the US armed forces. i also think that the government should also open up the special forces to women.

 

Women may be participating in combat, but they are not allowed to sign up for active combat devisions of the army. To quote the Wiki article:

Today, women can serve on American combat ships, including in command roles. However women are not permitted to serve on submarines or to participate in special forces programs such as Navy Seals. Women enlisted soldiers are barred from serving in Infantry, Special Operations, Artillery, Armour, and Forward Air Defense, however female officers can hold staff positions in every branch of the Army except infantry and armor. Women can fly military aircraft and make up 2% of all pilots in the U.S. Military. So far the position closest to combat open to women in the U.S. Army are in the Military Police, where women man machine-guns on armoured Humvees, guarding truck convoys. Although Army regulations bar women from infantry assignments, some female MPs are detailed to accompany male infantry units to handle search and interrogation of Iraqi suspects.

[̊ ˉˉ ̊]

I'm personally for it unless their pregnant or have a young child to care for, because then they should be caring for them.

 

And it's usually their choice whether to enlist or not (usually, because in some places like Israel, there's a mandatory 3 years or something, but that's because it's a small country that needs to do it to be able to have enough troops for basically anything)

[Guest shanemk]

I remember my older brother, who is in the army, said something one time about one reason being about the returning of dead bodies on the battlefield or bodies of the wounded. That women can't bring them behind safer lines as fast as men during battle. Something like that, don't know the validity of it but its an idea I suppose.

[*SG*]

My husband is prior military, my mother, grandmothers, father, uncles, you name it all of my family has served in the military. I was intent on joining at one point.

 

I think it is simply a freedom of choice thing.

 

If you want to serve, you should be allowed. I wouldn't really break it down so far as men vs. women. :/

[antiaircraft]

Just pitching in scientifically here: you can't say with any certainty that women or men are biologically better suited to combat. Genetic differences between the genders aren't really that major - it's environmental factors that really make the difference in terms of strength, speed and the like. Essentially, you can't physically be born a soldier - male or female, you'll need exercise, training, etc.

 

Mentally and emotionally? Well, there's a very large variance from person to person there. How you think and feel is probably even more dependent on your environmental development than your physical characteristics.

 

That said, I don't think there's really a valid reason to stop women from participating in the military. If they want to fight to defend their country and the people that they love, why stop them?

[dazara]

A few bodily differences should not stop women doing their own thing.

There are women doctors, teachers etc. so I don't see why there shouldn't be women soldiers.

[Unstream]

A few bodily differences should not stop women doing their own thing.

There are women doctors, teachers etc. so I don't see why there shouldn't be women soldiers.

Yeah but women doctors and teachers aren't in danger and don't need to do any strenuous labor.

 

It's true that there are bodily differences between men and women. Hormones would be the cause of that.

 

Now I'm just justifying the reasoning of the people against women in the military. Personally I support them going in. If they want to go and get shot at and killed, they can be my guest.

[dazara]

Yeah but women doctors and teachers aren't in danger and don't need to do any strenuous labor.

 

It's true that there are bodily differences between men and women. Hormones would be the cause of that.

 

Now I'm just justifying the reasoning of the people against women in the military. Personally I support them going in. If they want to go and get shot at and killed, they can be my guest.

 

 

What I meant was there shouldn't be any differences in what they are allowed to do.

Women and men can have the same fitness, so I don't think they should be treated any differently.

[Shane for Wax]

Has anyone heard of that recent silver star winner who was a combat medic? She was amazing.

[Sapphy the Swamp Witch]

What's so different between women and men anyway, making people favour men so much?

 

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[Alex_and_ria]

Yeah but women doctors and teachers aren't in danger and don't need to do any strenuous labor.

 

It's true that there are bodily differences between men and women. Hormones would be the cause of that.

 

Now I'm just justifying the reasoning of the people against women in the military. Personally I support them going in. If they want to go and get shot at and killed, they can be my guest.

 

Both men and women have hormones.

 

This is a tough question to answer: Should women be allowed in the military?

 

I would say yes, but they not in the same areas as men. Even if they are married. Their job is to protect our country, not to spend time with each other. If they want to do that, then they don't need to be in the military to do that.

 

It used to be that women were not allowed on subs. Now they are. A sub is only so big. Women need their space, and now the government is putting them in a place where they have none?

 

My overall view is that yes, women should be allowed in the military, but they should choose to do it for one reason and one reason only:

To protect our country.

 

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