I'm All For Equality But...

[ChillDoubt]

this is a step too far IMHO:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27331365

Females can carry out just about every job there is in HM Forces but infantry soldier/Special Forces is not and should not be one of them.
Maybe a handful would be up to the physical and mental challenge but there are extremes of situation and circumstance that females are just not suited for.

Opinions?

[emmie]

they already do, combat pilots, and serve in the Navy, Army, its only about being on the frontline, i think if its what they want then there should be nothing stopping them.

[youngmafbog]

Just wait for the howls on the first rape and beheading published on the internet.

If women want to do it fine
1) So long as they meet the tough criteria currently in place.
2) There is no bleating when the above happens.

I wonder what the male soldiers wives will make of this ?

[emmie]

sorry why should the wives be bothered, women already comprise a fair percentage of the armed forces, as to being raped, suggest more likely to happen from our own troops than any rebels, insurgent, terrorists.
if a woman soldier was captured and beheaded is that any worse than a male soldier, of course not.

[youngmafbog]

Sorry emmie but I disagree.

1) when on front line duties the soldiers will be away from home for long periods of time often away from preying eyes if on special duties.

2) If on the front line, insurgents will go out of their way to capture them. Rape will happen, these people we fight these day's are real animals and consider us infidels at teh best of times. They think a woman should be covered from head to toe or stoned. Just what action do you think they would take then?

Like I say though. I am not against it per se.

[emmie]

the military know it goes on, see how few were convicted, it would perhaps be a difficult thing to prove, seeing as how they are such a closed shop, closing ranks as it were. This may not be part of the question
however the idea that they are totally at risk on the frontline, all soldiers are who go and fight.

http://www.theguardian.com/global/2014/mar/03/rape-sexual-assault-military-kangaroo-court-justice

[emmie]

rape as i have pointed out is happening in our armed forces, and i doubt its only females who are being raped, so what is your point, that its different if done by an Afghan fighter? that is surely patent nonsense. The women who serve know the risks, the job is one that comes with many risks if they are asked to fight for their country, nurses get killed, as they did in both world wars,
they could be captured and tortured, sorry don't see how you can't see that.

[TheOtherHalf]

I think if women want to and are capable of doing the same job as men, then they should be allowed to. As for HM forces, everyone who joins up know the risks and its their decision whether they go or not

[emmie]

with the kit they wear you can't tell women from men, they might be as stocky, well built as a man, they may not be as strong overall, but they have suitable training in weaponry, armed combat, and hand to hand fighting, but modern warfare doesn't seem to be like that, not like WW1, WW2. the men that have been killed in Afghanistan were from IED's, and shot by snipers, but the insurgent doesn't go in for hand to hand combat, they are into stealth, plant a bomb where it can't be seen, which kills or maims - which also means the women soldiers are still at risk sitting in a
tank, or army vehicle out on patrol

[dunnitall]

Surely if you go in for a job or career you should be expected to do all aspects of it. IMO no exceptions for gender, culture or religion as you know what the job entails so I imagine they no what would be expected of them, can't see why the powers to be would have thought any differently for the armed forces.

[naomi24]

Fine for those women who are truly as capable of doing the job as well as men, but if this is equality count me out. Women and men are different. I’m happy with that.

[emmie]

they are trained to do the job, that should be the end of the story, women fought in wars before, and not just WW1, WW2, they flew planes to and from air bases, as replacement planes for the RAF, many were killed, no one could tell they were women pilots.

[youngmafbog]

Rapes, which I dont dispute currently probably occur, in the current setup are not generally put across the Internet and the poor soul be-headed afterwards.

And if wont be done by an Afghan fighter will it? It will by a group of Islamic fundamentalist and their way of thinking is way off ours.

If you dont think that will happen. OK. I hope you are right.

[youngmafbog]

Emmie, that is the point. They flew between bases - not in the front line! You appear to have argued against your own case?

[emmie]

its not about doing the job, don't you think there are discrepancies in the men's ranks, some are not cut out for the job, as i have already pointed out that some on returning home can't cope, war of any kind is brutal,
its not a game, and those trained to fight, men and women know the pitfalls.

[emmie]

i made the point that they flew between bases, i didn't say they didn't want to fight and some did, it was senior RAF men who stopped them from doing so

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14183763

[emmie]

i haven't argued against myself, women will fight if they want to, but mostly its men who have argued against it, sorry you don't get that bit at all.

[dunnitall]

I agree with you Naomi but if women sign up for jobs they should expect to do all aspects of them and I assume they expect it too else why sign up.

[emmie]

I wasn't sure if it was Dowding who didn't want women pilots to go into combat, it might even have been Churchill, but they flew any type of aircraft that was needed across the breadth of Britain, as replacements for those aircraft that were lost, and many of the women did lose their lives, and they weren't playing a full military role, as the RAF flyboys did.
its been largely senior male military personnel who have stopped women going into combat, women who want to serve on the front line should do so. i feel sorry for any of our service personnel when they are injured, killed, they get paid for the job, they want to do it, let they get on with it.

[emmie]

dunnitall, exactly, no one signs up with the idea that they can pick and choose, if called on to fight they would

[emmie]

as i have repeatedly pointed out the ugly truth is that rape occurs in our military, male on female, male on male, that is the fault of all the services for not handing out tough sentences when it happens, and having better procedures where the victim can go to and the matter be dealt with as they should be in civvy street.