By Olivia FelizArt by Catherine Ferguson  Over winter break, the possible threat of World War III hit Generation Z hard. From Twitter to TikTok, the memes were running rampant through the feeds of boomers and meme-lords alike. Though the fear of war is now long gone, the conversation of women being entered into the draft is still heard in the St. Mary’s halls today. Historically, men have always been drafted. The debate about conscription of women has become much more prevalent since 2015 when the Pentagon allowed women the right to serve in all combat jobs. Many would agree that conscription is a necessary step towards gender equality, and to reach equality, women and men must be equal in all aspects. On the topic, Claire Lee (12) says, “I wholly and unequivocally believe that women should be added to the draft. We can't pick and choose what types of equality we want . . . Besides, I think women being a part of this would do a lot of good for the feminist movement.” Jessica Joshi (11), who considers her a feminist, has different opinions about female conscription. She says ,“I feel ashamed to admit that I am reluctant to be drafted. It's always been a given that boys will be, so it's hard to imagine a world where that expectation has been set for women. But, I can't support equality of the sexes without supporting equality in every aspect.” Women being drafted may be what will rid gender-given stereotypes and show the strength of woman-kind. Anna Douglas Piper (9) says, “Men have been historically considered cowards if they are afraid to fight … they must display honor [by serving in the war]. I value this virtue just as much as the next woman, but men aren't the only ones with honor.” Hannah Chancellor (10) agrees that women’s conscription would be a success towards equality, but she also says that “Being drafted has to do with the woman herself ... if a woman has a family at home, both parents cannot go to war and leave their children behind. Then, it really depends on which parent is the main caregiver, which in many households happens to be the mother.” The National Commission on Military, National and Public Service is considering whether to add women to the draft, and their final report is expected to be released in March.
1 Comment
Ginny Bratton
2/6/2020 08:01:40 am
I read in a book by retired USMC General Mattis, former Secretary of Defense, that the real question should be- will this make our military more lethal? If we draft women, will we have a greater ability to win wars? He argues (and I would tend to agree) that because the military’s purpose is to protect the States and our allies through force, by winning wars, policy (which ultimately comes from civilians) for the military should not be used to push a social agenda, unless that agenda will increase military lethality, like it did when it allowed African-Americans to serve without segregation. Leave a Reply. |