The U.S. Senate is deciding whether women should register for Selective Service. (Photo by Stephen … [+]
The Senate is currently considering whether women should have to register for the Selective Service. Despite the fact that the U.S. has not drafted anyone for military service since the 1970s, men ages 18 to 26 are currently required to register. Until now, women have been exempt.
In September, the House of Representatives passed the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that included an amendment that would require women to register for the draft. The Senate voted to start debating the NDAA yesterday.
Some proponents of adding women to the draft are motivated by their desire for equality between the sexes. Others point to the benefits of millions more prospective draftees in the case of war. On the other side, some opponents to the move, just don’t think anyone should be drafted—regardless of their sex. Other opponents believe they need to protect women from the draft. Psychologists call this suggestion that women need to be protected, benevolent sexism, and it adds to the problem of gender inequality.
Proponents of adding women to the Select Service registration come from all different perspectives including both Republicans like Mitch McConnell and left-leaning groups like the ACLU. A March 2020 study by the National Commission on Military, National and Public Service recommended including women stating, “The next time America must turn to a draft, it will need to include everyone who is capable and qualified. It would be harmful to the Nation’s security to leave out the skills and talents of half of the U.S. population.” Other proponents of the ammendment see it as an important step toward equality. The ACLU calls out the sexism of a male-only draft, calling the current system, “one of the last examples of overt sex discrimination written into our federal law.”
But, not everyone is in favor of adding women to the draft. As for the general public, polls reveal that about half of those surveyed (more men than women) support adding women to the draft. Some senators who will be reviewing the issue have tweeted a commitment to protect women from the draft. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) tweeted, “It’s one thing to allow American women to choose this service, but it’s quite another to force it upon our daughters, sisters, and wives. Missourians feel strongly that compelling women to fight our wars is wrong and so do I.”
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Similarly, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) tweeted, “Our military has welcomed women for decades and are stronger for it. But America’s daughters shouldn’t be drafted against their will. I opposed this amendment in committee, and I’ll work to remove it before the defense bill passes.” Neither senator clarified why America’s daughters shouldn’t be drafted, but it’s OK for America’s sons to be drafted. It’s clearly a case of benevolent sexism.
Benevolent sexists frame there message so it seems like they are helping women, but, in reality, they are also suggesting that women need their help. It’s similar to how a father treats a daughter. Benevolent sexism is the paternalistic notion that women should be adored and cherished and that they deserve men’s protection. It reinforces stereotypes that women are fragile, and that they need men’s help.
Gender inequality and benevolent sexism go hand in hand. Countries that rank high on benevolent sexism also rank high on gender inequality. Benevolent sexism also impacts women directly. Researchers found women who were exposed to benevolent sexism during a mock job interview performed worse on tasks. The benevolent sexism had a more damaging impact on their performance than did blatant, outright discrimination.
Benevolent sexism is particularly tricky to eliminate because it’s typically associated with benefits to women, like not having to pay for dates, open doors or register for the draft. Benevolent sexism makes people think that there are advantages of being a woman, and therefore they become less concerned about inequalities in society. It makes them happy to maintain the status quo. That’s likely why women are less vocal about this issue compared to some others.
One final argument that has been proposed for keeping women from Selective Service registration is that women are generally not as strong as men and therefore not able to handle physical tasks as well. It’s true that biological differences typically give more strength, on average, to men. But the truth is that all men must register for the draft—strong ones, weak ones and those with physical disabilities that may make it difficult or impossible for them to participate in combat. Therefore, the strength issues are not relevant. If the time comes to draft individuals, the military can decide how to best use each individual’s strengths.
Nobody wants to see America’s sons or daughters in combat. But if we want equality for our daughters, and our sons are registering for the draft, then it’s only fair that our daughters register as well. Telling women they aren’t needed sends a message that they are not as valued to our nation.
