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helicopters into combat zones along with their male counterparts. Although, the women as

a whole did not see much combat, the performance of Russian women prove that they

would be able to handle the stress of air combat. The Israeli experience with women in

combat is much different from the Russian. After the war ended the Israeli military

conducted a survey which determined that the men were adversely affected by seeing

women killed or maimed in combat. In 1948, women all over the world accounted for a

very small percentage of the military. This led to a traditionalist view of the role of women

in the military and many Israeli men shared this view.

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PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF COMBAT FACTS

Serving in a ground combat unit is the most physically demanding job in the

military. To serve with a ground combat unit males have to be in excellent physical

condition. Women as a whole according to Pentagons studies have half the physical

strength as men and only 2/3 the endurance (Congressional Quarterly Researcher, 1992, p.

846). The Canadian military has acknowledged these differences and still allowed women

to serve in direct combat positions. Any female that can pass the 10-week infantry course

can serve in the Canadian infantry. The Canadians have not lowered their standards for

allowing women in combat but set rigorous standards and applied them to both sexes. The

Canadian military has taken the first step toward allowing women to serve in ground

combat. The vast majority of women are unable to handle the physical demands of combat

but there are many that can function in various combat environments (Hamline Journal of

Public Law and Policy, 1991, p.217). To determine if women are suited for ground

combat the military should conduct field testing. Females have to be able to do everything

their male counterparts can do. A female in an infantry unit should not only be able to

carry the standard M16A2 service rifle but every weapon in the company. If the machine

gunner or mortarman is killed a female should be able to carry his weapon. The whole

team concept that is vital to a combat units effectiveness and is called unit-cohesion

(Editorial Research Reports, 1989, p. 582). Maintaining unit cohesion is vital for any

leader to lead his troops into combat (Hamline Journal of Public Law and Policy, 1991, p.

213). If women were unable to meet any of these physical standards then the military’s

exclusion policy should remain in affect.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS OF COMBAT FACTS

There are many psychological differences among men and women that are as

important as the physical ones that separate the genders. The first difference is that men

are more aggressive then women due to testosterone levels (Law and Inequality,1991, p.

21). Under this assumption females would not perform as well in combat because they

lack the aggression that males have (Hamline Journal of Public Law and Policy, 1991,

223). Another psychological factor is that men would feel the need to protect women from

harm similar to the Israeli soldiers in 1948 (Harvard International Review, 1992, p. 58).

The stress in combat is another factor that many people feel women would not be able to

handle. There have been no documented cases among women who served in the Gulf

War that they could not handle the stress (Hypatia, 1995, p. 65). Air Force pilot Rhonda

Cornum who was shot down during the gulf war is an example of women’s ability to cope

with stress (Hamline Journal of Public Law and Policy, 1991, p. 222). As a POW she dealt

with many forms of abuse and still managed to cope with her situation that her fellow male

prisoners did. Almost fifty percent of service members surveyed during the Gulf War said

that fraternization within the unit decreased its morale (Congressional Quarterly

Researcher, 1996, p. 375). The performance of Russian women in W.W.II refutes the

theory that women are less effective in combat then men. German troops were quoted as

saying they were more afraid of the female pilots then the male (The Journal of Military

Affairs, 1993, p. 320) Secondly, the women seeking combat positions will generally be

more aggressive than the majority of females who stay within traditional

roles within the military. Although women performed well in the Gulf War, the 4-day war

was not long to provide empirical evidence as to how women would perform in combat

situations (Congressional Quarterly Weekly, 1992, p. 842). More research has to be

conducted to determine the long-term effects women would have on a combat unit.

Decreasing fraternization within a unit is the commanders responsibility. This relies on

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effective leadership from the bottom all the way to the top ensuring each member within

the chain of command understands the effects of fraternization (Hamline Journal of

Public Law and Policy, 1991, p. 215).

UNIT-COHESION IN A COMBAT UNIT FACTS

When a units moral is lowered this can lead to a decrease of the unit-cohesion that

must take place within a combat unit. No studies have been done to prove or disprove

women in combat would lower a units moral. In the majority of combat units it is effective

leadership and training that results in the unit cohesion. Also many senior military officials

feel that anything feminine destroys male-bonding and units should remain strictly male.

However, a study of

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