By Cheryl Mattox Berry
Being the feminist that I am, it’s great that women can pursue careers that have traditionally been reserved for men. But I’ve got to ask this question: Why would we want to do work that takes a toll on our body? I’m specifically talking about two jobs: a boxer and soldier in direct combat.
Chris, my 24-year-old niece, is a personal trainer. She has the looks to become a spokesmodel and the intellect for medical research (a career choice at one time.) She wants to be a boxer against the wishes of our family. My mother forbids her to bring up the subject in her house, where Chris also lives.
She began seriously considering boxing as a career in college. Her goal: the Olympic team. I told her to find some female boxers and get their advice. They told her to get a degree first, which she did in 2014, and then decide on boxing.
A retired nurse, my mother has explicitly pointed out the side effects of being hit upside the head repeatedly and taking body blows to your girly parts. Chris has won a few bouts and walked away unharmed so none of my mother’s warnings resonates. I’ve decided not to discuss it anymore.
However, I’m concerned about women in the military who can now go into the infantry and artillery fields. Real combat, not serving in combat zones as a supply sergeant, military police, driver or helicopter pilot. Women have held these jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan for several years. Now, they’ll be among those troops on the ground.
Twenty-two female lieutenants will be comissioned into combat roles by the Army in coming weeks. They must receive their commissions as second lieutenants and complete the respective schools for their specialities prior to taking their jobs.
First-hand accounts of women in war zones convinced me that our bodies aren’t built for the rigors of combat, and some jobs should be off-limits to women. A Marine Corps training test that simulated combat demands showed that women were slower on technical and tactical drills, and physically weaker than men. None of which is good if you’re fighting the enemy and have to haul a fellow soldier to safety.
The results don’t come as a surprise because men and women’s bodies are different, and designed for different things. No matter how much we’d like to think women can train to become strong as some men, we still don’t measure up to the strongest man.
Before women are dispatched into the field, there should be more research to determine how their bodies might respond to ground fighting and the long-term physiological and psychological effects. Also, young women considering a combat role should check out personal stories on the Internet.