Women To Be In All Combat Units In 2016

The majority of the world would claim that there is equality among the sexes, but we women sure do know better. There’s the increasingly obvious fact that we don’t get paid nearly as much as men do (in most instances) and the exclusion from many job choices women would love to have.

Specifically, being in the military. There are countless women who would love to serve in our country’s military, but are unable to do so. Yes, a woman can be a nurse in the military, or even a mechanic, but when it comes to combat fighting, women have been denied the chance to actually fight for their country, even if they wanted to.

However, this past week the Pentagon released a surprising new initiative to stop this ban. The Pentagon is now planning on integrating women into front-line and special combat roles, including elite forces, such as Army Rangers and Navy SEALs.

While Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine and special forces commanders detailed steps they will take, not all shared the same comfort level with the initiative, raising potential real-world scenarios that must be addresses before moving too far forward.

There has always been some concern for how women might handle some of the more taxing physical demands of combat across the board and for how men might view the presence of female troops in tight-knit, elite units.

The goal of completing this change in our country’s military is set for January 2016.

"The department remains committed to removing all gender barriers wherever possible and meeting our missions with the best qualified and most capable personnel," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a May 21 memo to individual service leaders that was released on Tuesday.

What do you think? Are women ready to take on combat fighting? Are men ready to accept them?

Photo Courtesy: Getty Images