Would you advocate women on the front line in army?

Would you advocate women on the front line in army?

Earlier in this month, the defense minister Mr. Manohar Parrikar disclosed the latest figures on permanent commission. The report stated that the army has granted permanent commission to as many as 340 lady officers till now. The figure is miniscule considering there are more than 60,000 lady officers in the vast 1.3 million armed forces.

The country's military brass and civilian leadership, still state combat roles for lady officers as a strictly no-go area due to cultural, operational and practical problems. So, even if some lady officers have managed to get Permanent Commission, they cannot serve on warships or fly fighters. In present world, when women and men have equal opportunities, why it is that lady officers’ are still technically banned for combat roles. Should Women Be Permitted On The Front Line In Army?

Yes

- Women are just as strong, intelligent and as capable as their male counterparts. Therefore, gender factor should be excluded from the deciding factors.

- Although there are some major differences between genders, like men have more physical strength than women, strength alone cannot be deciding a factor. As a matter of fact, the strength that really matters is strength of heart and mind. Lady Officers can be as physically fit as the men with the help of training.

- Not only women, but there could be many men who may not be emotionally resilient enough or physically strong enough to combat on the front line. To discount on basis of gender is to lose a potential candidate.

- Men and women work together in several other areas without adversely affecting their judgment. It is even true in stressful work areas like paramedics and police officers. There are defined guidelines in every work space for personal associations and other aspects of non-professional life.

No

- It is believed that it is natural tendency of men to become protective for women in tough conditions. If women are allowed to combat on the front line then probably men would get busier in protecting their female colleagues at the cost of their own life.

- The emotions can cloud male officials’ judgment. If lady officers are permitted on the front line, the relationships would be established. This could result in increased problems as male soldiers will be more concerned about the safety of their female partner than on the main job. Also, if a relationship ends badly, it can affect officers working lives.

- Another problem is the issue of hostages. There is no doubt that women can be mentally strong like their male counterparts. However, if they are taken as hostage they could be subjected to many other problems like rape and physical torture. Such incidences can leave the lady officials with more physical and emotional wounds which may never heal in life.

- In the army, the priority should be more on security. If a matter like inclusion of women in combat roles can create the differences, it should be left apart. It is a known fact that a major percentage of the junior commission officers are not willing to accept woman officer as their leader.

Conclusion

The very fact that government is trying to get women on front line is noteworthy and appreciable. It is also true that time is changing as women are working at par with men in various sectors. However, advocating for women equality in all the sectors is not a fair idea. The admission of women in combat roles will create problems. Just for the sake of satisfaction of one sector of society, the security of country cannot be compromised.