Recently, an issue has been brought to light once again on whether or not women should be required to register in the Selective Service. Ever since Defense Secretary Ashton Carter officially declared that all combat positions in the army would be open to women in 2015, this issue has once again been put to the test on whether women should be mandated to enlist for the Selective Service, the program that issues a draft when soldiers are needed in wartime.However, in the name of equality, women should be required to register for the draft alongside men.

The Selective Service Act was first established during the Civil War in 1865, before it was discontinued during peacetime. Later, it was used in both World Wars in order to gather enough people together to fight since there was a shortage of soldiers. In 1975, President Ford signed Proclamation 4360, which no longer required males 18 to 25 to register because there was no need for a military draft since an all-volunteer army was established in 1973. The Selective Service Act was re-established in 1985 and has been requiring men to enlist since then. Currently, the Selective Service requires all males 18 to 25 to register for the draft within 30 days of turning 18. However, there are no requirements for females to enlist in the Selective Service.

Women are just as qualified to be soldiers as men, and this would prove to be a large step in gender equality if women were to be required to enlist in the draft. Previously, women were only able to work in minor jobs and were excluded from combat. However, as the Defense Secretary announced on Dec. 3, 2015, all gender based combat roles that were closed to women are now open. This includes, but is not limited to, Navy SEALS, Army Rangers, Green Berets, and other positions that involve direct combat. Before, women were only able to assist in more passive roles that did not involve direct combat, such as assisting in the medical field, clerical work, flight testing, and more. Since women are now allowed to fill direct combat positions, they should also be required to enlist in the draft as well.

Women are just as qualified as men to be required to enlist in the draft. In 1981, the Supreme Court exempted women from being required to register for the military draft because they were not allowed to hold combat positions. Now that women are able to fill in direct combat roles, it makes sense that women should also be required to register for the draft as well.

In very recent history, women were considered to be solely homemakers while men could be soldiers. However, today, women have a variety of jobs that they are capable of excelling in but did not have access to before. Traditional gender roles no longer define positions in society; women have branched out and have finally been acknowledged as independent beings that are capable of sustaining themselves and others. The draft may not be currently functioning, but it should still require women to enlist for the Selective Service.