U.S ban lifted for women on front lines

The ban of women on the front lines has been lifted in the U.S. by the Obama administration.

On Jan. 25, U.S. Secretary of Defense announced that women troops are allowed to serve combat on the front lines. The ban had been in effect since 1994. Over decades of wars, female troops have gained recognition for their successes in combat. There is a current debate over whether or not there is a difference between male and female troops and their physical and emotional achievements.

Brian Homick, enrolled in police foundations at St. Clair College, said one in five students in his classes are female.

“I think that everyone is different emotionally,” said Homick. “You can’t really separate it into men and women. The stress caused when someone is at war is going to affect you no matter what your gender.”

The Canadian military has been recruiting women in combat since 1989. According to the Canadian Forces website, the military is currently 12 per cent women.

Tyler Thibert, a student at Lambton College, said the female students in the pre-service fire fighting program are required to perform the same physical requirements as the males.

“Women should be treated with equal rights but at the same time should be expected to perform the same job and meet the same requirements,” said Thibert. “Times have changed and now women aren’t at home wives anymore. They can hold their own and they are doing so by doing jobs that aren’t in the stereotype.”

The Canadian Forces has a no exclusion policy which enables women to work any job within the forces.