Should women be drafted into the army in countries around the world?

[Noblejanobii]

This came up in my AP US History class today and I was kind of curious what the opinions of people across the world might be.

The overall majority in my class was no but only because we have a male majority in the class and they're all sexist idiots.

Personally, I believe that it depends. In cultures that are mainly Islamic, I don't think it will ever happen due to the beliefs of that religion. However, in other places, where woman are constantly rising up for equality such as equal pay in the United States, I think if we women truly want to be equal, we should at least get a draft card. However, as a woman myself, I can see where women (and nonsexist men) would come from when they would say no women shouldn't. I have always been terrified of going to war. The thought scares me and when I hear the stories of my cousins who come back from war, the stuff they talk about makes me want to vomit. I can barely survive watching a let's play of outlast without vomiting (the graphics are so good my stomach can't take it XD). How on earth would I survive shooting someone? I am scared of cockroaches. How could I survive a war zone without freaking out? It's one of those things that I would personally never want to experience and I'm terrified of experiencing it. On top of that, if women did get draft cards, I'm probably eligible to be drafted if they needed to. Sure I can't see worth a flip, I'm out of shape, and have knee problems, but I think they could fix all of that with surgery and training. So my opinion is no, I don't think we should but that's just me being selfish.

Another thing is though, you think about what all people see out there and women (not being sexist or anything but let's be realistic about this) have a much higher emotional level than men. If men come back from war completely insane, imagine how it would be for some women. Now I'm not trying to say all the women that have been to war are crazies because they're not. One of my female cousins is awesome and she served in the army for a few years. However, the women that go into the army are brave souls and usually know what they're getting into. They are built for it in my opinion and people like me aren't. I'd probably commit suicide on the battlefield if I saw some of the things my cousins talked about.

So I personally think no. But realistically if you want women to be equal in all ways, they should be signed up for the draft.

[Rival Max]

Yes, they should. We need to move past treating women as fragile beings that need to be "protected". Equality in all aspects is the only way everyone will feel they are on the same round.

[Suicune's Fire]

I don't know how the whole drafting thing works, but if a woman wants to go to war, let her. That should be fine.


Psst. You wrote "woman" in the title instead of "women." XD So you're asking if one single woman should be drafted. lel.

[Noblejanobii]

Shadow Tracker Max that's what I'm saying!

Suicine's Fire well I don't know how to fix it so. *shrug* And the way the draft works is that every male gets what's called a draft card when he turns 18. This means that if the United States goes to war and they don't have enough soldiers (like in the world wars) they can call a draft which forces all men between the ages of 18-25(I think) to go to war unless they have a medical condition that prevents it. A woman can volunteer to join the army but women as a whole cannot be drafted. We do not receive draft cards so unless they are issued to women, we cannot be drafted legally.

[Rival Max]

Shadow Tracker Max that's what I'm saying!

Suicine's Fire well I don't know how to fix it so. *shrug* And the way the draft works is that every male gets what's called a draft card when he turns 18. This means that if the United States goes to war and they don't have enough soldiers (like in the world wars) they can call a draft which forces all men between the ages of 18-25(I think) to go to war unless they have a medical condition that prevents it. A woman can volunteer to join the army but women as a whole cannot be drafted. We do not receive draft cards so unless they are issued to women, we cannot be drafted legally.

I changed it for you ;)

[Noblejanobii]

I changed it for you ;)

Thank you

[Suicune's Fire]

Noblejanobii Oh geez. O_o Well then. xD I'm glad we don't have that here. And I see...well I don't know. I suppose they should be drafted but there isn't exactly a large "market" for female soldiers yet, is there? I think that needs to happen before drafting equality is set in motion.

I think it's also based on the whole "women need to stay home to look after children" thing, especially if they're pregnant (which would count as a medical condition and therefore she wouldn't have to go anyway). But I dunno.

By the way, you change it by viewing the forum and then double clicking on the space beside your thread's name and it becomes changeable.

[Noblejanobii]

Suicune's Fire Yeah I guess. The draft wasn't instated until after WW1 started but it's become a hot topic since the State of Union address because President Obama brought up women's rights and such.

[Ganyu]

(This thread looks like it'll go well in the Discussion and Debate forum; need to give that a lil more love xD)

I would say no because I dislike the idea of drafting. I think if a person wants to protect their country, they shouldn't have to be forced to do so. Both women and men alike should not be drafted; anyone who values individual liberty and gender equality cannot argue otherwise. There shouldn't be double standards for both sexes.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I agree with Ghostwriter. I didn't know the US had that draft system. I'm glad they don't do it here. I don't think anyone should be forced to go to war, man or woman. But if a woman wants to, she should be able to, of course.

So in this case, I would say women should just be happy they don't have to go unless they want to. But if males have to go, there's no reason why women shouldn't have to.

[Braixen]

I would say.. no! And why do I say this? It's not because I think women need to be protected, and it's not because I think they won't contribute in times of war..

It's because I don't think that anyone should be drafted - man or women. I won't expand much further because this is an entirely different discussion beyond this haha. <3

[Lovecraft]

No because men shouldn't either. That's my stance on it.
In times of war where a draft is absolutely necessary (which shouldn't happen to begin with), yes, women too should be drafted.
But in other times - like here on Brazil where men are forced to enlist at age 18 but woman aren't - nobody should be forced to join.

[Rival Max]

I think this thread was questioning equality. I was trying to avoid the draft aspect because I dont really agree with that either ;)

[Noblejanobii]

I made a popular thread? Yeah! Ok anyway.

Thank you for all your feedback guys, it's cool to see people from around the world discussing this topic!

In response to all of our topics, I'd like to say that yeah I kind of agree that the draft overall is an odd thing. Unlike Israel where people (both men and women) have to serve 3 years in the army, America just kinda hands men a draft card and says "if we need you we'll call you." The draft is somewhat outdated but it's not like people are going to get rid of it anytime soon. Like many other people I kind of agree that we really shouldn't be drafted at all but if forced to… yeah I think women should be drafted as well as men if we want to be truly equal. As much as I don't want to go to war, if we want to have things like equal pay we should have equal rights.

[Rival Max]

I made a popular thread? Yeah! Ok anyway.

Thank you for all your feedback guys, it's cool to see people from around the world discussing this topic!

In response to all of our topics, I'd like to say that yeah I kind of agree that the draft overall is an odd thing. Unlike Israel where people (both men and women) have to serve 3 years in the army, America just kinda hands men a draft card and says "if we need you we'll call you." The draft is somewhat outdated but it's not like people are going to get rid of it anytime soon. Like many other people I kind of agree that we really shouldn't be drafted at all but if forced to… yeah I think women should be drafted as well as men if we want to be truly equal. As much as I don't want to go to war, if we want to have things like equal pay we should have equal rights.

Not exactly..;) The draft has been gone for many many years. Many nations have mandatory service duty. My buddy Traienr17 had to do something like that. Citizens required to work in some part of the goverment for a certain amount of time. Do you think having these mandatory jobs creates unity.

[Ganyu]

Yup, countries like South Korea and Singapre (where Sam and I are from) conduct enlistment for all able-bodied men.

I do think a sense of camaraderie is achieved though that may only be the majority opinion. I'm sure there will be a minority who dislike to be forced into the army (like me xD).

[Noblejanobii]

It does create unity but it could also create exploitation. Not to be rude or anything but such jobs could cause a sort of loyalty to the government that could be used and abused in many ways.

I don't want to go into the army either Ghostwriter it's ok.

[HKim]

Well, as much as most people (I think) don't like the draft or want to be drafted, I think it's a civic duty, like voting or attending jury duty. It's a part of being a good citizen.

There is great evil in the world and sometimes that requires good people and good nations to stand up to said evil. That we sometimes have to sacrifice in order to save the lives of the innocent and the lives of our friends and allies. To larger extent, this can also be viewed as self-preservation, for the more we stand with people in their time of need, the more likely they will stand with us later.

The reason our grandparents (or great grandparents in some cases) are called the Greatest Generation is because they went through many hardships and sacrifices (sometimes the greatest sacrifice) in order to stop those that would hurt others for their own ends. They worked in factories and plants, conducted difficult research, conserved materials, and traveled across continents and oceans to fight enemies that had committed heinous acts against humanity. I'm sure many of them didn't want their lives disrupted or changed. I'm sure many of them didn't want to die. But they sacrificed anyway because, as Tom Brokaw said, it was the right thing to do.

The draft shouldn't be used in all cases. I agree with that. But in certain times of need, a good nation might call upon the good men and women within it to help save the world.

[Dragon Master Mike]

Personally, I am against all drafting. I don't care what anyone might say about me for this but if I was drafted, I would break my leg so I couldn't go. I just don't believe anyone should be forced to go to war. Still though, if there must be a draft, I do believe women should be a part of it.

[Corey]

In some countries, citizens are required to serve in the military for a set amount of time, as a civil service duty. I'm glad we don't do that in America...but I agree with Harry that it's a civic responsibility, in a way. i dont want to go tho

I don't really like the idea of drafting, or war, for that matter, but I suppose if there's a need for soldiers than a draft would be necessary...If the time ever comes I'll either pretend to be female or shoot for being a for being an infirmary worker. xD

[Shroomish]

I'm against the draft system entirely. I think military service should be a person's choice, not forced upon them.

That being said, in countries where the draft system is still in place ... no, I don't think women should be drafted.

You see, this new-aged "politically correct" way of thinking has made this generation quite delusional in many ways. While gender equality is wonderful, you can't deny the facts that we are not physically equal.

Men are (generally) stronger, faster, and more able for combat than women. Yes, there are always exceptions to the rule, but this statement is true for the vast majority. Women have equal intelligence and (possibly greater) endurance to men, but all other "warrior" attributes are weaker. Thus, you can logically come to the conclusion that men are going to outperform women in a battlefield setting.

There is actually a rank in the Navy that no woman has ever reached due to this. I want to say it's the rank of Navy SEAL, but I can't be 100% certain. I just remember my nephew doing research when he was thinking about joining, and the test for that certain role was so insane that very few men could do it, and certainly no women.

Following this logic, it stands to reason that women would be better suited staying at home and maintaining their family / job / structured society.

However, if a woman choose to follower a military path, I think she has every right to do so. Everyone has a choice, and if that's something she wants, then that's fine. But forcing women into such a position is just wrong.

I also think if a draft for women did come into play, then they should be limited to less physically-demanding roles. The military has quite a few research positions, as well as strategists and general desk-duty jobs. In those areas women would not be at a disadvantage, and could perform as well as any man.

Anyway, that's about it. I could speak about how devastating it could be for children to lose their mothers and all that, but I'll just drop it here.


***Note: I'm not trying to be a backwoods sexist here - in fact I am a woman. I just think it's stilly to refuse to admit facts in these "equality" cases.***