While the concept of being drafted and serving in wartime is unfamiliar to this generation, the idea of a draft continues to prevent full gender equality in the United States military and society.
The draft has been in place since 1940 after the Burke-Wadsworth Act was passed by congress. The objective of the act was to draft enough physically and mentally eligible men for service in order to have enough citizens serving in war-time if the military was to run low on personnel.
Only requiring male citizens to register for selective service was passable at the time. There were were limited roles available to women in the military and women were also expected to strictly follow the status quo.
Women can now serve in all combat roles and make up nearly 20 percent of the United States armed forces.
Social studies teacher, Sara Russell, expressed how the concept of only requiring men to register for selective service is completely outdated in a time when women now have the opportunity to serve in all military roles. “As long as women are being treated as equal to men in the military and can serve in the same capacity, including women would be a step towards gender equality,” she said.
Senior, Grace Theilen, emphasized Russell’s point that if women are to be treated as true equals in American society, then they must not only be given the same opportunities and freedoms, but be given the same responsibilities that have been traditionally held by men.
“I believe that while men were given the role of the ‘protector’ for so long, it is no longer just their role to fulfill. It is up to anyone who has the ability and the will to serve and protect their country to do so, regardless of gender,” she said.
Though the act that put the draft in place was created by men and at a time when women could serve in very few military roles, let alone combat roles, it is not just men who oppose the concept of making women register for the draft.
In fact, a greater percentage of women than men oppose equality of selective service. A survey by Rasmussen Reports found that, “while 61% of male voters believe women should be required to register for the draft, only 38% of female voters agree. Most women (52%) oppose such a requirement.”
While it is understandable that there are women who don’t want to put themselves in the position to be drafted, if men must put themselves in that position, then women should be required to as well. There is a staunch difference between not wanting to be drafted or just opposing the draft in general and believing that women shouldn’t be drafted merely because they are women.
The New York Times quoted Richard H. Kohn, a professor of military history at the University of North Carolina, saying making women register for selective service would represent a shift in the military’s views surrounding the ability of women to serve at the same level as their male counterparts.
“If you are going to levy that on men, you better levy it on women. Every occupation in the military is open to women, so they should have equal obligation to serve,” he said.
Though mandating that women register for selective service would be a mostly symbolic move at a time in which the United States hasn’t activated the draft in decades, its impact on the battle for gender equality would be immense.
Mandating selective service equality would empower women by affirming that women are just as capable as their male counterparts and also upholding the conviction that for proper gender equality both genders must not only have equal freedoms but equal civic duties.
