Реферат: Women In Combat Essay Research Paper The

from serving in positions that require them to engage in direct

combat. Women in the Air Force and Navy are barred from aircraft and

vessels that have a chance to be exposed to combat. The official,

established policies of the Army and Marine Corps exclude women from

combat (Snyder, pg. 75-76). These policies prohibit women, on the

basis of gender only, from over twelve percent of the skill positions

and thirty-nine percent of the total positions offered by the

Department of Defense. Such policies excluding women from combat need

to be repealed by Congress. The Fourteenth Amendment’s “Equal

Protection Clause” insures every citizen “the equal protection of the

laws.” Although the clause is not applicable to Federal government,

the Supreme Court said the Due Process Clause in the Fifth Amendment

prohibits the federal government from making unreasonable

classifications. Therefore the set laws and policies that exclude

women from combat not only violate the Fifth Amendment, but also deny

women their fundamental right to engage and excel in their chosen

occupation.

There have been many court cases involving women in combat

over the years, although there has never been a case directly

challenging the constitutionality laws and regulations banning women

from combat. In the case of Frontiero vs. Richardson, the court

rejected the idea that “man is, or should be, woman’s protector or

defender,” which in actuality, put women not on a pedestal, but in

a cage. In Satty vs. Nashville Gas Co., the decision stated that

gender does not determine who is able to perform capably as a soldier.

In the case of Schlesinger vs. Ballard, it was realized by the Supreme

Court that the combat exclusion hinders the abilities of women to gain

the experience needed for promotion within the military. The combat

exclusion puts women wishing to obtain qualification for high-level