We asked a group of females if they think they should be held to the same standards as Men. Here are some of their answers…
"No I do not think the physical training should be different. I do however think that the way we prepare ourselves for training is different in the aspects of emotional and mental toughness. I also think we differ in how we supply our bodies with fuel especially because our bodies go through so many changes throughout the month we need to adapt often. Because we are a different gender does not mean we are less capable we just have to take into consideration of the differences and train to become equal. We are only limited by what we believe."
"No, we shouldn't be training differently. Every once in awhile I have to attach to patrols, and I have to keep up wearing the same weight on my IBA. Having a female on a patrol attracts more attention, and that isn't good. But if you mean operator ugly and the max lift standards, those are pretty accurate for me. "
"I honestly think that women and men in the military should train to the same standard. The challenge is that every Soldier has a different specialty--some specialties require a much higher level of fitness than others. For the specialties that require higher levels of fitness, there should be higher standards. But the standard should be the same for men and women. It's really empowering for female Soldiers to participate in very physically demanding workouts and it also builds camaraderie with male Soldiers. As a female Soldier in a predominantly male unit, as well as being a West Point graduate where I was also in the minority, I believe that physical fitness helps to bridge many gaps and diminish many of the stereotypes that male Soldiers hold of female Soldiers. When I was building the Female Engagement Team program for my brigade, my first priority was to get the female Soldiers in top shape. Not only so that they could keep up with their male counterparts on missions, but also to integrate more easily into the combat units. The Soldiers who weren't as fit or strong as the majority were treated differently by the units they were assigned to. The ones who were super fit were more trusted with responsibility and even on patrols they were not treated like they were a liability."
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