In today’s modern age, feminism is more prominent than ever.  From the Women’s March on Washington (January 21, 2017) to women working to earn equal pay as their men co-workers in their professions, feminism is everywhere.  However, some say that if girls want to fight to have equal rights, they should be subject to, in case of war, the greatly dreaded draft, just as men are.

“I think feminism is about women being treated and looked at in the same way as men are, being given equal opportunities, and this can mean that girls could get drafted,” said Lake Mary sophomore Emily Patel, “It’s about women getting the same voice that men do.”  If feminism argues that women are the same as men, have he same capabilities as men, and are no better or worse than men, the movement should fully support the idea of women 18 and older entering the draft if need be.  Sophomore Isabela Schmitt said, “Yes, I think that women should be entered into the draft if they fight for feminism because if they are granted rights it is because it means that they have just as many opportunities as men.”  If women want to fully achieve the point of where they have no difference in level of equality than men, drafting is just a part of that.  Drafting was created around 1940, before the birth of a major feminism movement.  Therefore, the only-men draft should be taken away and replaced with one that fits our more modern day standards.

However, even though this seems like a wise idea as we would never run out of troops and the war would have a far less significant impact of one gender specifically, what would it mean for our fighting capabilities?  To be an American solider, certain requirements must be met, and they do not take these lightly.  A person must meet mental and physical standards, and be able to represent our country well.  Of course, these standards go down when drafting because we are in desperate need, but the basic requirements of health remains the same.  These help eliminate any who may bring down the skill level of the military, and drafting girls into the war may bring the overall level down, as men are naturally physically stronger than girls.

No matter your stance on feminism or equal rights for women, I think everyone can agree that there are both benefits and disadvantages to bringing girls into the draft.  Although drafting women might fit into the feminist agenda, we can’t be 100% sure how it would play out in real life.  Having older senior boys or even teachers pulled out of Lake Mary classes to go fight a war would be quite strange, and missing girls as well would be even weirder.  A draft on both boys and girls would affect hundreds here at Lake Mary, and seems almost like a foreign thought to most of us.  It’s hard to imagine a world where you had to fear being pulled into war, a world hopefully we will never have to experience.