In the present day, with the growing popularity of the ideas of feminism and gender equality, the question related to whether women should be allowed to serve in the army and take part in military campaigns becomes more and more disputable. It goes without saying that there are both advantages and disadvantages of women’s involvement in the military system. However, from a personal perspective, their joining military forces is not recommendable.
First of all, only a woman can give birth, and her presence is essential for a newborn child. Participation in military campaigns or long-lasting army service will not let women have children and stay at home in order to provide them with the necessary love and care. As a result, women will postpone childbirth, and this tendency will have a highly negative impact on the country’s demographical situation.
In addition, equal rights for men and women do not eliminate their physiological differences. In other words, males are predominantly stronger and more resilient in comparison to females. In addition, in basic combat training, women experience twice as many injuries as men (Anderson et al., 2017).
Finally, it is impossible to deny the existence of such a disturbing issue like sexual harassment. Unfortunately, even in the stressful environment of a battlefield, women may experience prejudiced attitudes and even forcible sexual intercourse. According to the interview of 12 US Army combat women veterans of the Iraq War, all of them reported “experiencing some form of sexual harassment” and victim-blaming (Crowley & Sandhoff, 2017, p. 221).
To conclude, it is necessary to say that women should not be excluded from the army under any circumstances. However, their service should not be obligatory, and any woman should have an opportunity to choose. Moreover, women may be involved in military service intellectually without direct participation in military campaigns on the battlefield. And it goes without saying that the division of male and female units is required.
References
Anderson, M. K., Grier, T., Dada, E. O., Canham-Chervak, M., & Jones, B. H. (2017). The role of gender and physical performance on injuries: An army study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 52(5), 131-138. Web.
Crowley, K., & Sandhoff, M. (2017). Just a girl in the army: U.S. Iraq War veterans negotiating femininity in a culture of masculinity. Armed Forces & Society, 43(2), 221-237. Web.