Do you think that women should be allowed to be in every position (combat, etc) that men are?

Answer 1

Yes if they are qualified and are made fully aware of the potential consequences that could occur while in a combat situation. This would be a voluntary situation. I don't believe in obligatory service for women, although many countries do require it.

Answer 2

No.

Despite the obvious physical reasons that could hinder the mission, one must also take into condsideration the social aspects.

From birth, men and women in this culture are typically raised to see a woman as weaker than men are, and that women are in need of protection. This isnt just cultural though, as natural instinct will also encourage this. I've been in the Army for many years, and over that time I can't count the number of times that a male soldier will drop what he is doing to help out a female soldier, and yet ignore a male soldier in a similar situation. This kind of mentality could cause a failed mission in a combat arms unit. A combat arms unit cant afford the chance that someone may be more concerned about helping the female out than completing the mission.

Another major point to consider is the major strength that combat arms units work with, that being teamwork. More so than any support unit, a combat arms unit relys heavily on teamwork. If you have a large group of males, and then add a female to the group, those males will act differently. Whenever you add someone that is different from the majority, the team cohesion will change. If the team cant work well together any more, than they are a liabilty.

Finally, and the most important aspect to consider is the public. How are the American people going to react when they see "Jane" getting beheaded on TV after repeated rapes and beatings? Look at the crap spewed out by the media concerning Jessica Lynch (nothing against her by the way, just the media frenzy) . Until the American people are willing to see their daughters get killed like the males are getting killed, females will never be in the combat arms.

Its not about the "individual," whether or not they could make it though the training, its about the team and the support for that team. The military is NOT the place to be practicing social change, its merely a reflection of society at large, so until society changes as a whole, dont expect to ever see a female infantry"man."

PS: Lexi P, I read your link, and despite what some may think, war is not some game with computers and technology. Serve a few tours in Iraq and you may realize that.

Answer 3

Yes, I think they should be--But only if the woman (or man for that matter) is qualified. If a woman can meet the physical standards--and while not many can, there ARE some who can--she should have the same opprotunities as anyone else. Are there some women who shouldn't be in combat? Certainly. However, there are also some *men* who shouldn't be in combat, either. Whether or not one is suited for combat--or anything else--has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with the person's physical and mental qualities.

Answer 4

Definitely. Some women are tougher than a lot of the men I know. There was a recent study that proved that, with the right training, women can reach the same physical strength levels as male soldiers.

Laying in the "bush" for hours wouldn't bother me at all. Bring on the snakes, alligators, snipers, and whatever else - I can serve my country just as well as any man. And I don't think the whole PMS thing is a bad thing. I've been prepared to kill ANYONE that crosses me come that time of the month!

Many women are excellent shots with pistol, carbine and automatic weapons; many men can't hit a cow with a target painted on it.

I think the only real downside is that some men can't handle being near a female without attempting rape and harrasment (whether they are on the enemy side or our own). But that's not the woman's fault. And all women going into the military know about, and accept, this risk.

Answer 5

Absolutely not and here's why....think practically...I'm a USMC sniper. I spend a lot of time in the 'bush' no pun intended. We lay in prone positions for hours and sometimes days moving only ever so slightly to approach targets. Many times we have animals, bugs, rodents, etc crawling around and over us. Think about a woman having her period during one of these missions. Animals smell blood, especially rodents. Would you want to be the woman in a prone position while a rat gnawed on you? You see women/politicians/liberals have this idea that combat is this nice thing that everyone should be able to participate in. However it isn't. People don't actually think about things before asking they just like the pithy answers that make them sound compassionate. But the truth is that women become a liability in combat and therefore shouldn't be allowed to perform those types of duties. Support positions and even pilots are ok positions however infantry units should never allow women in combat.

Just to respond to the woman who answered this below...I wasn't referring to PMS. I was referring to actual menstration which actually causes animals to come to you as they smell the blood. This would put both you and your fellow snipers at risk of being killed by animals and killed by the enemy trying to escape from being eaten alive. Use some common sense. I said in the body of my inital response that a woman can shoot a weapon as accurately as a man however in combat there are many practical issues to be concerned with. Please pull your head outta your butt for one minute and get off of your liberal feminist agenda...no one said you're not equal to a man just that you shouldn't be in combat. Secondly, don't take killing someone so lightly, it's not as easy as you have been led to believe in the movies.

Answer 6

NO! HELL NO!!! They've already dumbed down the training so they can get through. They even let little girls get through my jump school. It's a crying shame. They should be mail clerks, pay roll clerks, clerk typist, Chaplains assistance, supply room clerks. Theres plenty they can do without trying to be men. If they want to be men they can move to San Francisco.

Answer 7

i know many who would but think of it this way; 1 year in combat, 59 horny males 1 female, spending weeks or even months in a area where she can not perform proper hygiene. now can some females do it physically and mentally yes but it is still unsafe for her and unclean.

Answer 8

It should be at least up to those willing to train for that specific danger, and I agree it should be offered soon, there are a lot of battle-ready chicks out there...

no offence by "chicks" btw.

Answer 9

As long as they are qualified, able and trained to do the job, then yes.

Answer 10

With exceptional individuals yes,,, with the general population no.