By Megha Poddar’15, Staff Writer

The women’s rights movement has been a contentious and divisive issue throughout American history. From the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, to the 19^th Amendment in 1920, to the Equal Pay Act in 1963 – different interest groups have argued for and against progress for women in countless settings. Now in 2013, the Pentagon’s Chief Leon Panetta has taken another step forward by lifting the military’s ban on women serving in combat.  Even though America has yet again passed a significant milestone in further granting women more rights, many issues have arisen from the repeal of the 1994 Combat Exclusion Policy for Women.

For over a decade many women have been an integral part of the front line combat units in Iraq and Afghanistan despite the 1994 Combat Exclusion Policy. In fact, Mrs. Acquadro, a Newark Academy faculty member whose father is a veteran of World War II, notes, “Women are already in the line of fire; for example, they are driving trucks and those trucks are being attacked.” However, the previous ban, which in the opinion of Mrs. Acquadro did not recognize the reality on the battlefield, “prevented women from receiving equal pay, equal opportunities, and has ultimately led to the military unfairly holding woman back from being recognized for their real service.” According to the Pentagon, women already make up about fifteen percent of the armed forces, and have increasingly found themselves among the same dangers as men have in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

With the vast opening of opportunity set forth by the repeal, women will be potential candidates for thousands of more positions. However, according to the opinions of many, men could be naturally better suited for combat roles. As Humanities teacher Mr. Parlin describes, “the average man has greater upper body strength than the average woman. So, in deciding upon certain jobs such as combat infantry men, where upper body strength is very important, some women would not be qualified, but some men would also not be qualified.”

While most troopers will welcome women, others may react otherwise. Mr. Parlin believes, “some will initially be opposed, but I think that the great majority will find that they would rather have a competent female as an army buddy, than having a male who is less competent.” On the other hand, Willa Schwarz ‘15, whose grandfather Jay Kislack, Class of 1939, fought in the Vietnam War, suspects that her grandfather “would completely disagree with women being able to fight on the same level as men in combat. He always told us, with pride, about the closeness of his infantry and how he fought for his army brothers. He would probably believe that women would completely disturb this environment.”

Another issue that must be solved is the ongoing sexual harassment and assault of women in the military. Alex Mederos ‘13, president of the Support the Troops Club, notes on behalf of the club, “We hope that steps are taken to ensure the security and dignity of our women in combat. Any abuse that takes place needs to be stopped in order to ensure that this legislation remains fair to everyone.” The combat exclusion policy encouraged an environment where women were seen secondary to men, leading to a climate where sexual abuse was tolerated. Many hope that as women become more involved in the army, leaders will do a much better job in protecting women from men.

Although more complicated than just a simple step forward, many see this change as an inclusive, progressive move towards giving women more rights in the future. Nick Williams ’13, who will be attending the United States Military Academy at West Point next year, reasons, “that the repeal of this ban will give my future female classmates an option that they deserve to have. In the future, I believe we will look back at this decision and wonder why, in such a progressive society, did it take us so long to lift the ban.”

When further discussing this issue, Mr. Parlin urges the Newark Academy community to pay attention to the words of Gloria Steinem, a great crusader for woman’s rights, who said, “I don’t like anyone being in the trenches, but if anyone should be in the trenches, women should be there as well as men.”