First let me just say, I am not one to scream “GENDER INEQUALITY” if a dude gets hired for a job I really wanted. I’m not into making excuses for my downfalls in life. He was probably just more qualified than I was. Also, new wave feminism is the bane of my existance. (See a previously published The Odyssey article written by me for further explanation: Why I Hate New Wave Feminism.
Okay, let’s get to the point already.
The last few days an amazing feat for gender equality happened and no one is talking about it. The House Armed Services committee voted (and passed) an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would require women to register for the draft.
Don’t get your panties in a wad just yet about this. You don’t have to register for the draft yet. The NDAA is scheduled to go to the House in May and then sent to the Senate later on in the year.
The NDAA does a lot for women in the military, the main thing being allowing all women into all roles of the military. Now my thoughts on this part are a little different, but that discussion is for another day. However, if women are allowed into all roles in the military, why shouldn’t we all be required to sign up for the draft?!
I recently saw an argument against this saying, “well we needed women on the Homefront. If the women go, who will stay here?” This amendment to the NDAA doesn’t change how many people are drafted. It just changes who is in the pool to be drafted.
Let me explain this another way. Theoretically speaking, let’s say we need 100 people to go overseas. (Yes, obviously I know they would never enact the draft for 100 people). Before they would stick the names of the 500 men available into a hat and call up whoever needs to show up for basic training on Monday. Now they are just adding in the 500 women available as well and still pulling the same number from before.
Obviously that was a very simple example. There are far more than 500 men in selective service and far more than 500 women available for selective service. And it’s a little more than just sticking their names in a hat and calling them up. “Hey, bro. Your name was pulled from a hat. Show up for basic training on Monday. Sucks to suck. Bye.” But you get the idea.
Besides the fact, why can’t men stay on the Homefront too and help out here? Women filled many positions in the factories and other work that men had to leave in order to go to war. Those who didn’t do that, often volunteered their time to contribute in other ways and still help the men overseas. Why can’t the men also do this for the women potentially drafted?
“Well what about the kids? Who will take care of them?”
This is just another one of those examples of people seeing a mother is more fit to parent than the father. Trust me, I know a lot of mothers that shouldn’t have full custody of their children but they do because gender inequality is a thing.
There’s a small stipulation concerning families in the military that people don’t seem to know about. If both parents are in the military, it is literally impossible for both parents to be deployed at one time. Someone will always be home to take care of the kids, I promise. It’s just a matter of who.
Don’t worry, this version of the NDAA still has to go to the House, Senate and the President. With the number of people who oppose women in all roles of the military, it could be shot down. And in all honesty, if you have to sign up for the draft, the odds of them having to use it are slim.
At least we are making headway on equality. Up next, how about we tackle those PT standards? The fact a woman can max out in push-ups at the same number a man of the same age barely passes AIT infuriates me.
Dream Big and Achieve 