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?

[anotheoldgit]

Major Webb does not agree that women should be exposed to all the sh*t but then goes on to say " there should be more women in senior ranks,"

Perhaps they are not suited in Senior rank roles either, since one is exposed to plenty of sh*t in these roles also.

But nice she has got her priorities right on behalf of the 'weaker sex'.

[emmie]

but in the military they should be treated equally, whatever Major Webb says,

[kvalidir]

Not quite sure why chilldoubt dismisses the all female WWII Russian units or indeed the WWI Russian Colonels that were women. Russia had it right 100 years ago and it's embarrassing that it's taken us so long to catch up. Those theatres were far more hand to hand and please don't try to tell me that those women were not subjected to every bit of horror that they could be now, because they were. There are also many female terrorists and freedom fighters throughout the world who are pretty effective at what they do. Times change and I think this is far more about male ego being threatened than any justifiable objection.

[emmie]

i think Chill was in the military.

[catsrcool]

Some of the best ww2 snipers were women
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyudmila_Pavlichenko

[emmie]

they were, and the British women who flew planes in WW2 did a sterling job, the documentary i watched a while ago showed the women looking at the handbooks as to how to fly whichever plane, as they may have flown say a Hurricane but not a Spit, so read up on it literally on the move, they were remarkably brave women

[emmie]

kvalidir, that last part i think is the whole point, largely senior male personnel and probably ordinary squaddies as well
a old friend was in REME, and would occasionally tell me of his and others sexual liaisons with women soldiers, he was married as well, and flings with other women on the military bases, it goes on, no matter how one likes to think it doesn't

[jackthehat]

It is 'common knowledge' that male soldiers are completely unable to control themselves when in close proximity to any female however un/attractive she may be, or whatever combat situation they may be in at the time.

It would be unfair to expect the men to behave in a professional manner and keep their minds on their operational tasks when they are distracted by these women; and how much mental energy would be expended in their constructing schemes to get inside the body-armour of their female counterparts?

No.....for the sake of these delicate little flowers, I suggest that women should be confined to cooking and deskwork only.

[gness]

Oh, Jack...not cooking please..... :-(

[emmie]

i think, and am wondering if that wasn't a little tongue firmly in cheek,
you were in the military i believe, am i correct?

[jackthehat]

LoL.....ok, gness......erm, deskwork and...the laundry; is that better? :o)

I'm not ex-military myself but Mrs JTH is, and my son is a serving soldier.

[emmie]

ok, so you know more about this than most,
do you think they should be not just on the frontline, but take an active role
as per the post.

[emmie]

total baloney ^

[jackthehat]

I believe that women should be allowed to serve wherever and however they want providing there has been full consideration given to how their strengths can be best utilised and any 'weaknesses' can be mitigated.

In the same way that any 'soldier' understands the risks they face by signing up in the first place, any women considering taking on more frontline operational tasks will have weighed the pros and cons in doing so.

To deny them the opportunity because they are merely women is wrong.

[jackthehat]

You must have a pretty low opinion of the professionalism and restraint of male soldiers, divebuddy.

[emmie]

agree ^^

[emmie]

JTH, to both responses, and i am pretty sure that Chill is or was in the services

[andy-hughes]

Call me a dreamer, but I think we should be aiming towards having no soliders at all, of either gender.

People at the top of the military have a vested interest in nudging governments towards conflicts, it gives their troops something to do which they have been trained for, which is killing people.

Maybe we should be putting that time and energy into diplomacy, and reaching a situation where we don't send people to other countries to kill people because it is a fundamentally wrong and dsetructive way to behave.

I say this with no realistic hope of it ever happening - but if no-one wished for the right thing to happen, it's never going to happen, and we have to start somewhere.

[gness]

Ironing and sewing please, Jack.....☺