The root of the problem was that she couldn't physically do the job required of her. In her mind the reason she couldn't do the job was because this evil male wouldn't let her.
Ok, well, I think "wrong and slightly loony" is on the charitable side.
It is a verifiable fact that men are generally on average larger and stronger than women.
Yep. I'm stronger than most women, and I'm less strong than most men. But I'm as strong as a man who is deemed capable of serving in the US military.
Men under thirty are generally stronger than men over thirty. Do you advocate cutting off enlistment age at 26? That's where the physical fitness standards start relaxing. Obviously there's an investment-in-training issue in terms of keeping people on past their optimal strength--but for how long?
It is also a fact that there are jobs that require a certain level of physical strength to perform.
Yes. And there are women that can perform those jobs better than some military men. It's just not about sex.
When a minimum physical standard is determined to be a requirement for a given job then it doesn't matter what the persons gender is so long as they can perform to that minimum standard.
I think just about everybody who has commented here has said that.
The problems arise when in the name of fairness and political correctness and gender equality those physical standards are "adjusted" only for women so that women can also do the same job as men.
That too. I am in agreement.
If we as a country and culture decided that we are indeed going to treat men and women equally in the armed forces then certain cultural things will have to change.
That too. I think everyone here agrees that things like the "flexed arm hang" are stupid and cause problems. It seems to me the only military advantage in being able to dangle helplessly in the air for a period of time is if there's a shortage of convenient targets.
My military experience was 20 years ago so things may have changed some since then but as women generally expect/demand some deference to their gender from men in civilian life, military women do as well, it is a cultural bias. If that deference isn't given then things like harassment, discrimination, hostile work environment, and other nasty things start flying around and peoples careers go down in flames.
I've only worked where I've worked, and it may be that those areas are not average, but this has not been my current experience. Not remotely. Example: Last week, my employer wanted 10+ hour days. I have to pick up kids from daycare before it closes, so I can't ordinarily work more than 8-1/2 hours or so. I did not get a pass on working the extra hours because I'm a woman/mother. I got in at 8:30, left at 3:30 to spend close to two hours picking up kids and shuttling them across town to relatives and driving back to work so I could work until 9 or 10 to try to get to twelve hours on the clock.
While we're validating gender stereotypes, there's this notion that men are more competitive than women. Yeah, well, I'm a lawyer...there's some competitiveness. I've never had a classmate or colleague back down from getting an edge over me because I'm a woman. I've sure as hell never attempted to suggest it, not only because it would be stupid, but because I'd be laughed out of the office. I was bumped from a competition to alternate because I am not a man--more women than men placed high in the competition, and we decided to go for gender-balanced teams to get an edge in competing. The mix of campuses and sexes was such that I got bumped.
I had a kid the last week of the term. Yes, my male teammates were generous and agreed to come to my house to prep for our mock trial the night I got home from the hospital, which was the following morning. And yeah, I showed up in heels and a suit. Because that's what you do. Some chick in California took the bar exam while she was in labor, had the kid an hour after she'd finished. Pretty much, my experience has been that women had better make damn sure that they work as long if not longer than men, as hard if not harder, etc.
But if some people want to get all butt hurt when those of us with actual experience in the area of how women in the military actually works out tell it like is well that's to bad. Sometimes life isn't fair or politically correct.
Yeah, y'know, I noticed that. A lot. I also haven't noticed anyone disagreeing with you on the problems with current policy. But I also noticed that it's the misogynists here who are showing signs of butthurtedness, as expressed by increasingly circular logic, restatement of fallacy, and generalized snark.
