
The breaking down of gender roles has sparked many questions on gender equality and how to create a more evolved society. Gender equality is defined as, "the state of having the same rights, status, and opportunities as others, regardless of one's gender". Equality of the sexes has started many national debates whether it be concerning equal pay, job opportunities, or military service. Women's involvement in the military has already made huge strides like the Pentagon opening all combat roles to women, but with these improvements comes the question of the women's obligation to serve. The Selective Service System in America has not be used since the Vietnam War, but men are still required to register from ages 18-26. While the Pentagon has control over the military in regards to women's job opportunities, the federal government will have to make the final decision on the constitutionality of requiring women to register along with the men. If women are truly seen as equal in the eyes of the government and the military in particular, some people believe that the draft is the next step. If women were required to register for the draft gender equality would be more attainable in the military and in general.

Most men in the more physically demanding combat roles in the special operations divisions of the military believe that women simply do not have the physically or mental capabilities that are required for certain roles. Rand corp. conducted a voluntary survey of almost 2,000 of special operation forces about women and their possible involvement in their jobs. The results of the survey were overwhelmingly similar in that men do not think that their team would work so cohesively if women were included. One surveyor explained that if he or another soldier was wounded and bleeding out, a woman could not drag the soldier to safety (Baldor). Men in these special operation teams are not concerned with gender equality, "Gender equality is not a question when the bullets are flying." (Baldor). When asked if women would be treated the same if they earned a spot onto a special operations force, 60% of the men surveyed said that the women would be treated unfairly still. The results of the Rand survey develops the idea that including women in the draft does not ensure equality like it is thought to. Other viewpoints were expressed through the survey. Some saw the inclusion of women in the draft and in special operations forces to be inevitable. The idea of inevitability allows men in these military jobs to embrace the transition. If women were to be included in the draft there is no guarantee that they would even serve. 

Government officials and military generals say that since the Pentagon opened up all the combat roles to women, requiring women to register for the draft is the next step to equality. Opening up the Selective Service System to include women, "would represent another step in the military's shift toward viewing men and women as equals." (Schmidt). Military generals also want women to register for the draft to get more women to think about military as a possible path in their life. In regards to the Military Selective Service System, Richard H. Kohn, professor of military history at the University of North Carolina said that, "If you are going to levy that on men, you better levy it on women," and "Every occupation in the military is open to women, so they should have equal obligation to serve." (Schmidt). There are some concerns on how to carry out the draft if women were to be included in the future, but as of now there is no final decisions being made by military officials or government officials. In this case only Congress or the Supreme Court can make a change to include women in the draft. The fight for gender equality needs a push like this to get moving forward, starting with equality in the military. 

The constitutionality of excluding women from registering though the Selective Service System was upheld in the Supreme Court case Rostker v. Goldberg. The case was brought up to the Supreme Court because it questioned if the exclusion of women from the Military Selective Service Act was in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the constitution. The Supreme Court decided that excluding women from the Military Selective Service Act was not in violation of the Equal Protection Clause due to the fact that in 1981 not all combat roles were open to women. But with recent changes through the Pentagon, the Supreme Court's decision is in need of review. The Alabama Law Review believes that if the case were to be revisited, "the MSSA's exclusion of women from the draft to be unconstitutional" (McGuire). The reasoning behind the decision, "was not based on traditional notions of the proper role of women ...  The problem with this rationale is that the Court did not consider that the exclusion of women from combat was itself due to the traditional roles of women in society." (McGuire). Breaking gender stereotypes is one of the first steps to reforming gender equality. Using the same rationale as the Supreme Court in 1981, including women in the draft would push towards gender equality in just the military but in other places as well. 

The question of whether to include women in the Selective Service System has become a commonly debated topic. Gender roles are being broken in multiple ways and many believe that it is time for the military to observe them. Gender equality took a huge leap when the Pentagon opened up the military jobs to women that had been traditionally held by only men. Men in some of the more dangerous and hands-on jobs pay no regard to gender equality in the military and focus solely on the individual's ability to perform the job. High up military officials want to see change in the draft system to include women. Jurisdiction falls into the hands of Congress on this issue. 

