Why Aren't Women Drafted? Should They Be?

Anonymous
Should women be drafted?
Should women be drafted?

These are the reasons below given by several people as to why women aren't "drafted" at 18. I say drafted in quotes, because no male in the US has been drafted since January of 1973 and it is now soon to be 2019. The US has a large enough volunteer force as it stands that no draft has been required or needed and one imagines a Vietnam era PR nightmare should it be re-instated to the point of actual use.

Let's talk about this though. Why aren't women "drafted" at 18? These are the reasons given by many people as to why women aren't or should not be drafted or serve in war. Do you agree or disagree?

1. Children/Pregnancy/Breastfeeding

For obvious reasons, a lot of women would be taken out of contingency for a draft due to these three things. You simply cannot have a pregnant woman running around a battlefield or leave young children unattended without their parent. I say parent in this instance to indicate that I am referring to a woman who is a single parent. If you want numbers/facts on this, in the US Approximately 82.2% of custodial single parents are female, and only 17.8% of custodial parents (approximately 1 in 6) are male.

2. Physical Weakness

Why Aren't Women Drafted? Should They Be?

Woman are constantly told BY MEN that they are too weak to do a lot of the work that is required for a solider. This is the same rhetoric used in police work, firefighting, and various other jobs to deny women the same opportunity, but it is also not completely untrue in many cases. Many jobs do in fact require the ability to lift, pull, etc. things that are too heavy for a good majority of women to lift. The average foot soldier has between 87-127lbs of gear. If you're 115lbs soaking wet, and don't lift, you do the math. If one cannot do that job, literally, one cannot do it (this goes for men too) and that can be dangerous in any war situation. No one wants someone on their team who literally cannot pull their weight because that can easily become a deadly situation.

3. The worst people in battle are those that don't want to be there

The last thing you want in a war is someone who really has no investment in it, is frightened of everything, and doesn't care about the person next to them. (Again, this applies to men too, but we're talking about women). This is another reason given as to why women aren't drafted---they are told, they are too emotional or mentally weak to serve.

4. Becoming a specific target

Why Aren't Women Drafted? Should They Be?

This is a fear of women who currently serve in the military in a lot of regions of the world, that they will become targets for rape and other abuses because they are women. Some groups around the world believe women have no place in the wars "of men," or any place in a society of men outside of childcare and would do anything they could to ensure that a woman's place is 'in the home,' including abuse, rape, torture. (Again, not that men aren't captured/tortured in war---making that clear) And it's not just from "the enemy." Just as women are targeted for rape (which could result in a pregnancy) at home by some men, just because its a war situation does not mean rape cannot occur on ones own team.

5. Distraction

Odds are if a female draft occurred, men and women would have to serve in the same places. The argument NOW even without a draft is that women provide a distraction and complicate things on the field. Men are worried if their backs are covered by someone they doubt can actually physically do the job and on another level, there is the age old drama with men and women that happens no matter what the situation. While on active duty in the US about 1.3% of women do become pregnant. That number would definitely increase if there was a draft.

6. Expensive adaptations

Why Aren't Women Drafted? Should They Be?

The military branches have set universal equipment that is generally tailored to the men who serve with the expectation that they can physically handle it. In order to accommodate a larger or equal female force, some equipment, or standards, would have to be adapted or changed so that women could use them. That is an expense as would a needed expense be for "extras" like birth control and female sanitary needs. If one believes no men and women would be having sex out there, they are delusional to the ways of how men and women work.

7. No Baby Boom

Historically, when wars have affected both the female and male population of a country/town, re-population has become an issue afterwards. One man can impregnate a lot of women but a woman can only usually have one child at a time, and that takes 9 months if successful at all. One does not want to create such a deficit that may take a long time to recover from because this affects a lot of industries, the work force, life as we know it, etc.

8. A lot of men don't want women there

Why Aren't Women Drafted? Should They Be?

For as much talk about "why isn't there equality in the draft," there is a HUGE contingent of men, military or otherwise, who for many of the reasons above or just pure sexism, do not want a woman on their 6. It is extremely hard to work with individuals whose constant mission is to see you fail or removed or who want to constantly prove that you cannot do the job as well as them. This does not provide for the crucial team dynamic that is needed to ensure a team is as safe as possible and everyone else is taking care of everyone else on the team so that they all make it home.

So what are your thoughts having read the list of reasons why some people think women have no business being drafted. Fair, not fair, sexist, is there a way to overcome this entire list, should women still be drafted---let me know what you think.

Why Aren't Women Drafted? Should They Be?
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