Women should be required a Part of the Selective Service System

        Today in America women are not included in the Selective Service System. Many people in the United States believe that woman should be required to be involved in the draft system.  The fact that Selective Service applies to only men in the United States could be viewed as disrespectful, it also seems inconsistent with the idea of equality between the sexes, which is an important goal of many other areas of American society today.

        

The Selective Service System has existed in the United States in some form since World War I.  There have been many changes in the way Selective Service has worked over the years.  During times of war, young men have been required to register for the draft and in some cases serve a term of service in the military.  During times of peace, young men have only been required to register for the draft.  Today male citizens and male immigrants living in the United States who are between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register for military service with the Selective Service.   

        Today in America in many areas of our society there is a push for equality between men and women.  Women have entered the workforce in many professions that used to be dominated by men.  Professions like doctors, lawyers, business executives and teachers are not much more balanced between the sexes.  This equality has also started to enter the sports world where professional leagues for women exist in many sports including basketball and soccer.   However this sense of equality has not become a part of the Selective Service process.

        Some people believe that only men are allowed in the Selective Service System because of their masculinity and manpower.  However it makes more sense in American society today to include women in the Selective Service System because of the idea of equal treatment between the sexes. In one of its other directives, the Selective Service requires “full civic participation from both women and men.” (Article, Selective Service Is an Obligation of Citizenship, they including Women.) Based upon this directive, there does not seem to be any reason why women should not be required to be a part of Selective Service. 

  
Although today only men are required to participate in the Selective Service System, this policy no longer makes sense.  Women have equal rights in so many other areas of American society including; voting, in the workplace, in the professional sports world and in many other areas.  It would make sense for the American government to re-think this process and start to include women in the Selective Service System in order to bring a sense of fairness and equality to this system.
Sources: 1. "Selective Service System: Registration Information." Selective Service System: Registration Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
2.  "Selective Service System: Fast Facts." Selective Service System: Fast Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.