Women in the military? But they can't handle it?!

If you have seen any war movie set before the 21st century or read historical accounts of conflicts, you'd be hard pressed to find female soldiers anywhere near the action.Female members of an armed force are a rarity in movies and other media, aside from women involved in non-combat roles such as nurses and clerks and the such.

In films depicting conflicts from before the 21st century, let's take Saving Private Ryan for example. It's a film set during the Invasion of Normandy in World War 2, we get to witness hundreds of soldiers on both sides in combat. Notice something? Not a single female combatant in sight. It wasn't just Normandy either, or even World War 2 in general, but women have not really had a role in warfare since the beginning of recorded history. Of course there are always exceptions, accounts of tribes of warrior women in ancient times, the female Soviet Snipers of the second world war, so on and so forth. But this doesn't discount the fact that it has been men who have been doing most of the fighting, why is that?

Well we must remember how women were viewed back then, they were seen as property, possessions. They were seen as weak, and frail, and not up to the same physical standards of men. While there is some truth to that, on average men are larger and stronger than women, that doesn't mean the the women who can pass the same physical requirements as their male counterparts shouldn't be able to serve. This was the case for the militaries of many countries. For many years women around the world were not allowed to serve in combat roles. It also wasn't just because of their physical make up, but it was also feared that men would not give them the same amount of trust or respect as they would fellow male soldiers, it was also feared that they would become distractions. This inequality between men and women in the military is has just started to be amended in recent years.

Nichola Goddard, first Canadian female combat soldier
killed in Afghanistan

Slowly as the fight for women's rights progressed, so did their roles in world militaries, Canada, Israel, and various European countries have allowed women to serve and fight alongside men. Israel is unique in that it is the only country in the world that has mandatory conscription for women, as opposed to just men. The United States was kind of slow to the catch, with women being given the right to serve in Combat Roles just this year, in 2013. Previously, even if women met all the standards, physical and otherwise, as their male counterparts, they were still denied combat roles.

In retrospect the fight for equality between the sexes in all facets of society is noticeably progressing, it's hard to get rid of the tradition of males seen as the ones to carry all the burden of fighting for ones country when the need arises, but it's moving forward.

Articles:
http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-women-serve-in-the-military
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/2013/10/11/challenges-faced-by-women-in-military-discussed-/2969357/

Questions to consider:

1. Do you think that most women would be able to handle military life?
2. How do you think the stereotypes surrounding women would change once they become more accepted in worldwide military communities?
3. What challenges could an aspiring female soldier face from her family, peers?