The Selective Service Act was created in 1917 and as of today only men are allowed to sign up for the draft until this act is revised. In the years that the act has been present, women have fought for and won many rights, but have not yet been fully accepted into the military like men. Although all combat jobs are now open to women they are still not included in the Selective Service Act which would require them to sign up for the draft. Argument against the idea of including women in the draft suggest that the military is for men and women should only show support by following the traditional ways of thinking, meaning that they should not be in combat. However, women should be included into the Selective Service Act to prove that women are just as equal as men.

Keeping women out of the selective service will harm society, as it encourages the idea that men and women should be treated differently separate in certain areas, such as the military.

 "In keeping with the long-standing gendered dimension of citizenship, draft officials drew prescriptive, ideological distinctions between the roles of men and women within families, distinctions that cast men as wage earners and providers and assigned women to a separate domestic sphere." (Walter 750).

By keeping women out of the draft we also keep a line that separates the roles of men and women, many would argue that this is not fair, as women and men should be treated equally.

Many women in the military believe that women should be included in the Selective Service Act. Now that women are allowed into combat they should also be required to register for the draft at 18 years old, just as men are and "it implies that in the most dire of national emergencies requiring the institution of a draft, women's military service is not valuable." (Granville). It is explained, "reviewing the law would also be an opportunity to address other ways that people can serve beyond the military" (Granville). Overall requiring women to sign up for the draft would give a chance for all citizens to help the nation. Women, such as Tia Rinehart and Dorothy White, who are not a part of the military, also support the idea of creating equality in the military. There are many responses that people give toward the issue of allowing women into the draft. In 2013 a Mason Dixon poll was used to find that "59 percent of Americans said women should be eligible for the draft, including 61 percent of women and 57 percent of men" (Staff). A PhD student named Dorothy White states, "It's not my dream to do it, but I know for some women it is  --  and if giving women that opportunity means I have to sign up, then I will" (Staff). 

The View discuses the issue of the inclusion of women in the draft with varying view points. One of the hosts on The View replies to the question, "probably, if they wanna be considered full-fledged soldiers" (Fast News). Another points out that "as women want equal pay, equal job opportunities, and equal rights and things in that nature you can't be selective what you want to be equal with, that is not fair" (Fast News). Continuing the discussion the question is brought up "what if a woman has children? Is there an exception? Who stays home and raises the kids?" to which this case is compared to Israel where "women have had to fight along side men as equals." (Fast News).

There are reasons why women were not originally included in the draft: "five more specific governmental objectives that underlie the current draft registration system do not provide constitutionally acceptable justifications for excluding women." (Women and the Draft 413). Currently some of these reasons no long apply, meaning there are even less governmental objectives that block women from being included in the draft. A law review explains, "the exclusion of women from draft registration should therefore receive the level of judicial scrutiny applied to other sex-related distinctions" (Women and the Draft 410). The fact that it is military rights that women are fighting for in this case should be overlooked by the equality that is trying to be reached by including women in the draft.

Oscar Torres-Reyna and Robert Y. Shapiro bring together polls to represent the opinion that Americans have about including women in the military. The polls give evidence that the opinions of allowing women into the military and even including them in the draft have changed since the Selective Service Act was created. They explain, "since the 1980s the gap between those who think that women should be permitted to play a part has narrowed significantly" (Torres-Reyna and Shapiro 618). Therefore the same reasons that women were not included in the draft no longer apply to today's society, as women have been allowed into all combat jobs and have almost all the same equal rights as men. There are beliefs that "women have historically been ineligible for both the draft and combat positions, but minds are shifting," as women are now allowed in all combat jobs and the draft is around the corner (Staff). However, "military leaders estimate it will take years before the integration is complete" (Staff). Not everyone is on board for including women into the draft, but as more people get used to the idea that women are allowed into the military, the more comfortable they get with the idea that women could be drafted into the military, not just men. The change in opinion over the years with the Mason Dixon poll and Gallop polls, proving that there are factors "shifting national opinion on women's role in the military" (Staff). Opinions from women and military officials support that women should be allowed in the draft. General Milley and General Neller made comments at a recent hearing that, for the first time, showed military support for including women in the Selective Service Act. Four military officials are feature in a video where they respond to the question "whether or not Congress should look at requiring selective service registration for all Americans?" (Tea Partier). All four of the officials responded yes, in one-way or another, and General Mark Milley simply responds, "I think that all eligible and qualified men and women should register for the draft" (Tea Partier). Opinions of the military have changed, but it is not up to the officials to change the law. The responsibility lies with Congress and whether or not they choose to review the Selective Service Act to include women.

There are arguments against the idea that women should be included in the draft. One such argument begins with the idea of chivalry that women should not have to fight because men will. Another point is that including women in the military would not advance women's rights and that "women, on average, have only 60 percent of the physical strength of men" (Schlafy). Also that including women in the military will cause problems in American culture, which is assumed to be women at home, watching the children while men are out working. In the past women take up the jobs of men while they are away at war, but now that women are also allowed in combat jobs it should not be just the women that stay behind to fill in the spots of missing men. When women are off to war there are men that can work and stay to help. This opposing argument ignores the fact that not including women in the military is an example of denying women their rights. The argument shows support for the conservative, biblical, and traditional side of the issue. The "American culture" is a conservative way of thinking that not every family follows. If a woman leaves to go to war the husband will be left to care for the children, and unless it is believed that a man cannot care for his children then there is nothing wrong with this situation.

Women are pushing for equality in the selective service act. Keith Rogers gives information on the Supreme Court's point of view on why women were not originally included in the Military Selective Service Act. "First the Constitution stipulates that Congress has authority over military matters when it comes to augmenting force levels through conscription. Second, since women were precluded from combat at the time and the draft was geared toward combat replacements." (Keith Rogers). The five reasons for women not originally being included in the draft are as follows. "First, many Members of Congress were concerned that women would not be used in combat" meaning that Congress was more willing to protect women than to allow them the opportunity of equality, which should not be the issue that Congress should be concerned about (Women and the Draft 413). "The second suggested congressional motivation for registering only men is that women should not be registered in the absence of military necessity", saying that it is not necessary for women to be included as there are enough men to fill up the spots, but there should always be room for citizens to show support to their county (Women and the Draft 414-415). "The third motivation for excluding women focuses on the undeniably important goal of military flexibility" which refers to the ease of moving around soldiers from units of combat to other units, this reason should not be affected by the inclusion of women in the military (Women and the Draft 415). "Fourth, because women are generally prohibited from serving in combat, there was some concern in Congress that their registration might have the undesirable effect of dividing the military into two groups: a combat force and a noncombat group" although this reason is impossible as Congress discussed taking in a set amount of women, so there would be more men in the military (Women and the Draft 416). This reason also no longer applies, as all combat jobs are open to women. "The fifth motivation for excluding women from the draft registration was to avoid the administrative inconvenience of registering and drafting women", this reason is simply negligence where Congress is ignoring the efforts of women to gain equality (Women and the Draft 417). The reasons for not including women in the selective service only apply to the traditional ways of thinking, but now that women have gained more rights they should also be allowed to gain full equality in the military. There has been a change in opinion since the traditional "American culture" as shown by the polls studied by Oscar Torres-Reyna and Robert Y. Shapiro. The big points of the argument come from the idea that women are weaker than men and need to only show support by playing their part in non combat positions. However now that all combat jobs are open to women there is no reason to prohibit women from at least being able to register for the draft in order to show support for their country.

It is not just women that fight for equality; in the time that the Selective Service Act was proposed African Americans were fighting to gain their rights. African Americans males were included in the Selective Service Act of 1917. The effects and the history of including African-Americans into the selective service act changed the relationship between whites and blacks. Segregation and racism were prevalent in 1917, passing the act allowed whites and blacks to have equal opportunity in the military. Three reasons that explains why including African Americans in the Act provided benefits, these reasons can also apply to women if they were also included in the draft:

"First, they could encourage in whites an even stronger respect for the outstanding record of black soldiers in Americas wars ...  Second, a loyal, cooperative attitude ...  And third, if significant numbers of African-Americans served their country in time of war, through this legislation, it was bound to raise African-American estimates of their own value to the nation and encourage them to demand more of American society" (Mennell 275).

Past experiences with the draft include that "the first draft in American history was a result of the 1863 Conscription Act during the Civil War," and explains that since then it has been modified, but has yet to include women (Rinehart). African Americans deserve the same opportunity as whites, just as women deserve the same opportunity as men. There is also the history of women in the United Kingdom's military includes women volunteering to help, which were due to "a widespread desire to serve the country in its hour of need, do one's bit for the war effort, and contribute to hitting back at the enemy"(Crang 383). This patriotism can be felt in the United States during war, which would result in little need for the draft to ever be used.

The decision is left to Congress, but the military and citizens of the United States have shown support for changing the Selective Service Act. Once new members of Congress that approve of including women in the Selective Service Act are set into seats it will be possible to amend this act. Whether or not this newly proposed act would pass also depends on the president in office at the time. If the president is a republican it will likely not be passed as they take the Traditional view on issues such as this argument. If the majority of seats in Congress belong to democrats and the president is also a democrat then the act could possible pass without issue and women will be included in the Selective Service Act.

Many articles, videos, and scholar journals have been created because of this issue of women equality in the military. Views on this issue range from prohibiting women from being in the military to making the military 50-50 female to male ratio. Today women are only allowed to volunteer into the military, while men are legally obliged to sign up for the draft. Women should fight for equality in all areas to receive identical civil rights as men. Women that have gained the right to fight in the military should not have their efforts wasted by not being fully integrated into the military.

