
Gender equality has always been a heavily debated topic, but has gained more relevance throughout the years. Concerns on gender equality have been voiced in regards to pay, rights, and opportunity. One of the more overlooked campaigns for equal rights among genders is in the military. Women have for a long time been involved in the military in various roles, but they have always been seen and treated differently in the military. Kate Germano, a woman Marine, has had many experiences in the military. She was a woman commanding officer, but when she treated the women under her authority like men of the same rankings, she was asked to leave. Her story is a true testament to gender inequality in the military today (Germano). It was not until recently that all combat roles were opened for women. The question of if women should be included in the draft has come up due to the opening of combat roles and increased interest of gender equality. Gender equality in the military is something that will take various steps to achieve and many years to develop. The government should propose legislation requiring women to register for the draft in order to expand gender equality in the military. I will define gender equality in the military and provide evidence on how requiring women to register for the draft will change the status of gender equality. 

Achieving gender equality in the United States, and in other countries as well first requires the understanding of what gender equality is. I am going to find a scholarly definition and add it here, but I haven't found one that I like yet. Smilowitz develops the idea that gender equality takes many forms and is not a simple "one shoes fits all" deal. Kathleen Gerson in "Where do American Women Stand in Gender Equality", explains that the popular Nordic Model is the approach that most Scandinavian countries have taken to achieve their gender equality. The Nordic Model is not only about taking women and changing their roles, but also integrating more men into "women's" roles. That is just one thought on how gender equality might be achieved. Gender Mainstreaming in the United States is something that the courts are doing to move more towards gender equality. Gender Mainstreaming is basically looking at the possible effects on both genders before passing new legislation. I think that a big step towards gender equality in the United States would be requiring women to register for the draft. 

Looking at different ways to achieve gender equality will help make the long journey better. There are many steps that must be taken to bring equality to all. It is especially important to bring equality to the military. Our armed forces risk their lives for the country no matter what gender they are. Equality is deserved and should expected. The quickest solution to gender inequality in the military is by leveling the "burden" of registering for the draft. Even though the Selective Service System has not been used in many years the draft system is still requiring men to register. The military is already changing due to the increased number of women joining, so might as well include women in the draft to bring more equality (Duncanson). 

All combat roles are now open to women in the military. This huge decision has now allowed women to move up in the ranks at a faster rate. Before all combat roles were open women were not allowed to gain certain ranks in the military. Also, women are now more respected and seen as equals. But, equality in the military is still far off. Bringing legislation forward requiring women to register for the draft is the next step. Sally Kohn, a feminist who is in support of women being drafted, explains that if women are demanding "good" things like equal wages and opportunities, they should welcome "bad" things like registering for the draft. Giacomo thinks that, "I am going to add a quote here but I haven't found a good summarizing one from this article yet but it will talk about how she thinks the draft is the next step and why equality is necessary in the military" It is not just women in the military and extreme feminists who want the draft, but two generals in the military believe that it is time for women to be included in the draft. Schmidt backs up their claim by appealing to the logic of the debate. If women are striving towards equality, and are now open to all combat roles, being required to register for the draft is the only logical next step (Schmidt). The question of why women were not included in the Selective Service Act when it was passed comes up. It was under both the Equal Protection clause and the Military Selective Service act that in a Supreme Court case ruled that women should not be required to register for the draft. McGuire claims that if another Supreme Court case involving women in the draft were to come up, it would be ruled differently (McGuire). 

The military already includes more women than it has ever had. The composition is changing and therefore, the logistics behind the military needs to change. The possibility of using conscription in the future is very far off, but it is simply the moral and symbolic ideas behind equality that drive women towards the draft. As Kate Germano said, "I am going to add another good quote here but I haven't found it yet but it will describe how the draft will bring equality in the military" 

Introducing legislation in congress is one of the best ways to get more people invested in this issue. It has been introduced before, but not recently. (I am going to explain here about the first time it was introduced, but I haven't done that yet). This topic has never been more relevant. Especially with the Presidential debates many topics have been discussed and many stances have been made. Browne followed the many debates among the candidates and decided that the consensus is that either women should be included in the draft, or that the Selective Service System should disappear altogether. Another way to change the system is to have a court case on this topic brought all the way up to the Supreme Court. A Supreme Court decision would, depending on the case, add women to the Selective Service Act, or abolish it altogether. A Court decision on such a big gender equality case like this would set precedent on the ease of changing legislation to become more equal. 

Not many truly opposition arguments were found, but Ewing explains how unlikely it is that women will be required to register for the draft. If any legislation were to pass regarding the issue it would be "largely symbolic". Unlike Ewing, I think that even if legislation was only symbolic, it would still change the status of gender equality in the military and in the country. Having the same duties and obligations to serve in the military will help get more people involved in the debates of gender equality. 

Legislation to amend the Selective service Act to include women has a few minor risks that mostly include the possibility that nothing will get done and women will never be incluced in the draft. Failure is nota reason to not try. If gender eqwuality can be pushed a step forward with a simple action then it is worth taking the risk. The government, whether it be congress or the court system, should require women to register for the draft to expand gender equality in the military.

