I totally get what you mean—it’s a good point! I’m just so, so tired of people revealing (through their advice/suggestions) that they honestly think it hasn’t occurred to women to do these things, or that women aren’t already doing them. How can you grow up in this country and not be aware that women are already…

Trust, women do a ton of this. I don’t think your suggestion comes from a bad place, but perhaps it’s worthwhile to examine why it’s the one that came to your mind in the first place.

You actually can’t see why adult human beings having the right to choose/attempt any career they want if they’re qualified (regardless of characteristics they’re born with) is a big deal given, like, our entire foundation as a nation?

Nobody has actually said the ratios need to be equal. You’re the one making that assumption. Stating that the military should allow women to perform roles they prove themselves capable of performing is not the same thing as stating that we should make sure 50% of the people performing that role are women, regardless…

I can see how that would be true for a toddler or older child, but...an infant?

And I can totally respect that concern, as long as you don’t think that women who are willing and capable should a) pay the price for that incompetence, despite having little to no say in it, or b) be blamed for the fact that it happens, if it does.

One could also argue that women have been pretty heavily discouraged from attempting/becoming interested in the military as a career path, and that the military, by and large, has been a fairly inhospitable environment for women to train, grow and progress.

I don’t think people are usually actually denying there will be. I think perhaps it’s important to try to understand for a moment how immensely frustrating it is to be asked pay the entire price for the misbehavior, shortcomings and immaturity of people you can’t fix/control.

Your comment, especially the latter part, makes it sound like you think women are incapable of understanding the issue, taking it seriously or wanting to be effective in combat if they were to be there. Do you think they just want to go, like, play war, but somehow thought everyone would go easy on them because of…

None of these things seem worse or more restrictive than denying them the right to make the choice for themselves in the first place.

So let’s hold leadership accountable for not lowering the standards, in the best interest of all involved. Let’s not deprive women of the opportunity to make the choice for themselves should they be capable. I think guys have a really hard time, in general, imagining what it would be like to be barred from