women participation in armed forces

military needs women on the battlefield. We need their creativity, insight and empathy, qualities
often lacking in male-dominated units.
group intelligence of an organization rises when women are on teams. Women bring a unique
level of social sensitivity, the ability to read the emotions of other people. On todays complex
battlefields, social sensitivity is a crucial skill for military professionals.
Since 2011, U.S. Special Operations forces in Afghanistan have embedded all-female cultural
support teams in their units. The program has been lauded by commanders for gaining access to the
50 percent of the Afghan population who have previously been inaccessible.
Including women in front-line units would be more than an exercise in social equality; it would be a
valuable enhancement of military effectiveness and national security.

It is our culture to give more protection and respect to women who are always considered in our societies as backbone of
Families

The military is not a social experiment,The purpose is to protect America.

Excerpts from Essays.

She was the only man among the rebels. So spoke General Hugh Rose of East India Company about the valor of Rani
Laxmi Bai in the Revolt of 1857. More than 150 years have passed since that fateful year, and we are still engaged in a debate
whether women should be allowed to participate in a combat role or not.

In a position submitted to the Supreme Court, Indian Army said that women were not suitable candidates in the leadership
role because most of the soldiers who come from the rustic village backgrounds may not see them fit to be their role models.
Other issues include frontline trauma and war hazards. Another significant problem is what if women are taken as prisoners
of war. Indian Army may have to look after the requests of choice postings for the women officers, which adversely affects
the morale of the male officers who have to serve in difficult terrains compulsorily. Women also have specific anatomical
issues including pregnancy and menstruation periods when they are not in a position to actively pursue a combat role.
Physical strength and stamina are other gender related issues.

Although the above arguments sound rational and based on sound logics, they reflect the patriarchal mindset of our society
in general. The discrimination against women in Permanent Commission in Armed Forces is just an extension of the general
discrimination prevailing against them in the Indian society at large. The above arguments assume that combat skills are the
result of physical strength. In an increasingly mechanized warfare, physical strength has been left redundant. Women being
unable to cope with frontline stresses, is a position not rooted in scientific facts. The soldiers not enthusiastic about the
women leadership is also a flawed argument since in armed forces the only thing that matters in the rank. The chain of
command is absolute and discipline is the hallmark of forces. Hence the question of male soldiers not obeying the commands
of their female officers is untenable at best. The issues medical condition are genuine but they can be looked with a
sympathetic outlook, rather than down rightly rejecting women for such roles.

Also we have examples of Rani Laxmi Bai and Rani Chenamma in the past where they led their men diligently and
inspirationally. In the recent times we can see the example of Captain Laxmi Sahgal of the Azaad Hind Fauz that shows that
merit alone mattered in the past as well when it comes to leading of men.

And the nation also stands to gain by awarding the equality of status to women in the armed forces as they bring a lot of
general as well as gender specific advantages to the armed forces. At a time when Indian forces are plagued with the
shortage of officers, leaving a large pool of women candidate outside the selection criteria is not a wise proposition. Women
are arguably better adept in soft power which can come in handy in the border areas to diffuse tensions among our own
populations. They can also extract critical intelligence from the interaction with the local women of border areas which a
male officer cannot do for the sensitivity reasons.

At a time when nations such as US are already allowing their women to engage in active combat duty, we should also
recognize the right to equality of our women and allow them to pursue a career of their choice. Tides of change are already

visible. Indian Air Force has started to recruit women as fighter aircrafts recently. The judicial activism shown by Supreme
Court in the issue of Permanent Commission in the army is expected to bring positive developments in future.

Girl child has more resilience since childhood which comes with the birth, they come into this world with ingrained
resilience and resistance against diseases then how can they be considered as a weaker gender on the basis of anatomy ?
Most of the girls too think themselves to be weaker than boys because of the values which are inculcated in their minds
during childhood by the families. The first school any child has, is the family. family values and teachings can bring
incredible changes in the society by removing the prejudices and discrimination.

The pride of family lies in the Integrity of body of women therefore they are kept within the home and are not allowed to go
outside as per their wish.Women is considered as the pride of the nation as well . As the patriarchal mindset, India could not
afford to have a situation where a woman soldier is held as a prisoner of war by any enemy country.

The values which are inculcated in the boys regarding girls, do not allow them to work under women chief or senior.

The fashion industry too has an adverse impact on strengthening of women because of which women try to be thin and
delicate which results in easy exploitation of them. Many women players and wrestlers are examples of beauty with physical
strength which shows that beauty does not mean becoming thin and weak but ability to safe one's self respect and help
others too in adverse situation without depending upon then opposite gender.

Armed forces by giving chance to women in combat and infantry can become a tool of "social change". Military is a culture
product, not unlike art or music. The particular way in which civilization wages war reveals a lot about how that society is
structured. It makes sense to put the most qualified, willing people in the positions that theyre most likely to succeed in, and
thats not a social experiment its simple pragmatism.

Examples of such experiments are there in the world such as women defended the Soviet Union in combat during the Second
World War. Israel gave women full combat status in 1948 and still requires mandatory military service of them. More recently
the women of the Kurdish PKK have been hailed as fierce for taking the fight to the Islamic State.

Motivated, well trained female soldiers will be far more better than the unmotivated and incompetent male soldiers who have

this shallow idea of being superior to opposite gender. Military must change itself as per the need of the society.
If women can get a terrorist trainings and become suicide bomb attackers to kill the innocent citizens, then should our women
not be allowed to help out the men in combatting enemy forces.
-Women of kalinga all stood jointly against Ashoka in the frontline & that appealed to the head and heart of
Ashoka so much that he gave up the policy of violence
it won't be wise to place the women in infantry.Reasons are many:-Physical concerns-Women,on an average, has lesser BMI, easy fatiguibility, less stamina, lesser muscle strength. Though
exceptions are always there, the effects of estrogen still can't be denied.
-Women , in India, after the age of 35 are most often prone to menopausal symptoms. The bones get weakened and chances of
fracture are always there. Their ligaments are not that strong and supple so as to efficiently overcome every obstacle
-Experts argue that if a woman gets wounded during war, attention of most of army personnel is diverted to attending the
woman, rather than focussing on what they are meant to do.
-And Indian societal stigma-For a women being in infantry , it's hard for her to lead a family life. Staying apart from family can
lead to familial disharmony, often culminating in divorces.
Balance has to be maintained always and all the aspects to be taken into account. It will be therefore better to ATTACH, AND
NOT ASSIGN women to combat units. Like other female personnels e.g. doctors, nurses etc. , these women should be trained
enough in the lines of infantry. But still, they should not be placed in the forefronts. Only when they are surrounded by the fog of
war should they fight to secure them and their nation.
Being passionate and trained is good, it's better to be safe than sorry. Finally, considering all aspects, i'll say- women should not
be allowed in infantry