Women in Combat
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Women in Combat
In the text “Co-Ed Combat Units” by Owens, he argues that it is a bad idea to involve women in combat (Ramage, Bean & Johnson, 2003). His claims about women in combat include;
- The physical differences between men and women, whereby he argues that women are at a disadvantage. A female soldier is five inches shorter than a male, meaning that there are some roles they cannot accomplish due to their height. Additionally, women have less body strength than men, which means that they cannot lift heavy weights that are likely to damage their bodies permanently.
- Women get treated differently by their male counterparts meaning that they are undermined. That means that they do not share similar values and experiences based on gender, thus bringing misunderstandings. In that case, women’s capability in their assigned roles becomes affected because the men treat them with uncertainty and doubt, thus affecting their performance and that of everyone else involved.
- There is a belief that the presence of women in combat leads to a compromise that interferes with everyone’s drive and performance in the service. In some cases, there are issues of favoritism whereby women get favored, which could result from their physical differences from men. Either way, everyone expects to be treated fairly in the service, which seems impossible as women can use pregnancy conditions to evade duty, which men cannot.
The claim concerning physical differences and how they interfere with women’s performance compared to their male counterparts is biased. Regarding this argument, it appears like women are limited by their appearance to deliver on their responsibilities, which is not fair. That is considering that they follow the same instructions and code of ethics outlined in the workplace and do not overlook them due to their gender. In that case, the assumption that women are weak affects their existence in the service. According to Adyt (2008), there are various military positions, and combat being one of them, women can fit in without being discriminated against due to their physical differences. For example, they can play the role of nursing and administration, which does not necessarily require the lifting of heavy loads. Once they are offered responsibilities that fit their physical appearance, everyone gets to respect their presence as they understand their contribution to the service.
References
Aydt, H. K. (2008). The Social Construction of Gender in the Military and Resistance to the Integration of Women. Honors Theses, 212.
Ramage, J. D., Bean, J. C., & Johnson, J. (2003). The Allyn & Bacon guide to writing. Longman.