General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Should women be drafted into the military? [View all]kcr
(15,484 posts)I'm not surprised at the lopsided results because of the tendency to want to be fair. It does seem fair on the face of it. Well, women want equality, right? So, doesn't that then mean they should be drafted, too, in the event of one?
No, and here's why. For one thing, it assumes that equality has been reached and men and women are the same. There are all kinds of reasonable arguments to be made how this isn't so. The fact that women overwhelmingly still tend to be the primary caregivers in their families for childcare. They tend to be the caregivers when a family member falls ill as well. Aside from the issues with dependency, this tends to take a toll financially. I'm not saying men never act in this capacity, but as a group women are still overwhelmingly affected more. These are burdens that significantly impact women far more than men and a draft would further burden women and their dependents. Women are also not as physically strong. This is simply a fact. And then there are the issues of rape in the military. No way it's right to add to those numbers by force.
I'm against the draft in either case, but it is simply not factual to claim it would be equitable and fair to enact a draft on both men and women. A draft would not impact both men and women the same.