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Although the prospect of a military draft is abhorrent to many, IF a country imposes a military draft on its citizens, all citizens should be required to serve, women included.

A military draft is a serious situation that likely involves a substantial threat to homeland security, necessitating the involvement of all citizens. Military drafts generally only occur during crises, and everyone who loves their country must defend it during a crisis by performing their civic duty.

During a crisis, the military needs the assistance, cooperation, skill, fighting power, intelligence and versatility of as many citizens as possible. A country should not automatically have to discard 50% of its potential draft population simply because they are women.

In the 21st century, women actively participate alongside men in all other activities, in the workforce, in property ownership, in athletic competition, so why not war?

Women have vied for equal citizenship rights in North America, so let them now assume the responsibilities that accompany that citizenship. In North America at least, the female gender is no longer regarded as the weaker sex in any sense of the word, intellectually, emotionally or financially, and although most women are biologically physically weaker than men, there is absolutely no reason to assume that women are incapable of performing formidably in armed combat with appropriate training. Military women currently enrolled in the armed forces continue to demonstrate that women are physically capable of participating in war.

Plus, women do not necessarily have to fight on the battlefield. There are many other roles during wartime that women could participate in, outside of armed combat, that are less physically demanding, so the pretext that women should not participate in a military draft because they are weaker than men is just that, an excuse.

If women are health care practitioners and assist in hospitals during peace time, then why can they not fulfill such roles in a military draft situation?

If women act as competent managers, planners and strategists during peace time, then why can they not fulfill such roles in a military draft situation?

If women are professional engineers, technical personnel and law enforcement officers during peace time, why can they not perform similar roles in a military draft situation?

Obstructing women from serving in a military draft perpetuates the misogynist stereotype that women are the weaker of the two genders and subordinates women by putting them constantly under the physical and emotional protection of men.

Furthermore, absolving women from military drafts puts the military successes (and failures) and the state of a country exclusively into the hands of men, which is clearly unfair. Civilian men are no more trained for the military than are women. Men should not have to shoulder the burden of defending the state on their own. War is not a 'man's affair', so women, just like men, can and should play key roles in both combat and peace keeping.

The only possible (and acceptable) reason why an individual woman may not be forced to serve is because of a familial obligation that requires her to nurture children. Children are the future of any population, so a mother with small children is the exception to the military levy rule. However, the ranks of childless and single women, lacking a legitimate restriction, should be forced to serve a draft.

Bravery, courage and patriotism are not values unique to men; they are also values that are shared by women, and, especially in precarious times of war, these values should be demonstrated by all citizens, men and women accordingly.

Learn more about this author, Paola Fanutti.
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