Women Soldiers: Treated as Equals?

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A person who serves in an army; a person engaged in military service. (Dictionary.com) That is the definition of soldier, and yet in present day America women are not treated as equals, not treated as soldiers, in the U.S. Military branches. On June 12, 1948 women were allowed to enlist in the military as part of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act (Army). However, it was soon found that women could not meet certain physical requirements. Different dress codes also had to be created for women, as the current dress code was not tailored for a woman’s figure. There are also many liability issues associated with a woman in the armed service as well as current American cultural values being against women in the military.

On June 12, 1948 the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act was created, allowing women to enlist in the military. However, most women could not follow certain aspects of the physical regimen; their bones and joints were being severely damaged during their physical training. It was soon discovered that woman’s bodies had not been built to sustain all the punishments of physical training that male bodies could. Carrying backpacks with sand during runs had caused many hairline fractures, which is a crucial part of the infantry's role as they often carry anywhere from fifty to one hundred pounds of gear. Shortly after this discovery, the military’s physical requirements were changed, and now there are separate requirements for males and females.

This change was a change for the worse. A soldier should be a soldier, if a woman cannot live up to the expectations that being a soldier has, then they should not be allowed to be a soldier. Just because people cannot make it through boot camp, does not mean that the ...

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...iers. Women dismissed from the military will have something to strive for in the future, or they can attempt to progress through another corporations career ladder. When a company fires an employee for not performing as well as his peers that is not discrimination, it is simply improving the company. So if the Military fires female soldiers who are not performing, or are not as physically fit, as male soldiers, then that is not discrimination; it is simply improving the company.

Works Cited

"A New Era." ARMY.MIL. U.S. Army, n.d. Web. 28 Nov 2011. .

Chavis, Jason. "Why Women Should Be in the Military." eHow. Demand Media Inc., n.d. Web. 28 Nov 2011. .

"soldier." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 28 Nov 2011. .

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