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New Zealand, Canada,Israel, Norway, denamark, Sweden, Spain all have functioning Female Infantry.
The Tamil Tigers have women in there ranks too and dont seem to do too badly

Iran,Korea both have female Units.
We have females working in the combat Arms already. Female Pilots both fast jet and Apache helicopters.

Few woman I have met would be able to have kept up with the Para’s and Marines in the Falklands, that’s just a fact. Without talking about aggression and fixing bayonets.

Most of the Countries you have quoted how little current military conflicts.
Jets etc is irrelevant as we are talking about Infantry.


You had female members in the IRA and Vietnam , that’s not conventional front line Infantry deployment. Like I said I don’t care, as long as they can reach the same standards. I met very few.
I don’t know why it’s a problem just to accept that both men and woman have limitations. Are we going to carry less ammo now or give more to the male members.

Just another thought.

How many of the 204 of the soldiers killed in Afghanistan are woman?

This country or America has not the stomach for dozens and dozens of woman to be killed and sent home.

Found this
I cannot find a precise measures of women’s service in US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The best is a this from the August 15 article above:


Of the two million Americans who have fought in these wars since 2001, more than 220,000 of them, or 11%, have been women.

Men still make up the vast majority of the 5,000 war deaths since 2001; nearly 4,000 have been killed by enemy action But 121 women have also died, 66 killed in combat. The rest died in nonhostile action, which includes accidents, illness, suicide and friendly fire. And 620 women have been wounded.

Icasualties gives the total killed in Iraq and Afghanistan as 5,129. Women represent 2.4% of the casualties and 11% of the troops. If these numbers are accurate, men are 5.1 times more likely to be killed than women. Including mercs, tens of thousands — mostly men — probably raises the ratio even higher. This ratio might have changed during the past 8 years, as the role of women has changed. If so, has the ratio increased or decreased?

Women’s fraction of the total wounded is even smaller. I don’t have data for Afghanistan, but 620 women wounded in both wars is only 2% of the 31,156 total wounded in Iraq.

OK I will elaborate on my previous comment about it not being practical for women to join the infantry.

Of course the obvious argument that women are generally not as strong or robust as men, so they might not cope quite as easily with the physical side of it (especially paras of course)

But the question is this -

1 - Would having women in the infantry actually benefit the functions of the infantry/army as a whole?
2 -What is the infantry lacking that a woman could possibly bring?

The answer has to be no, and nothing.

And even if having women in the infantry did not turn out to have a negative effect, I am pretty sure it would have no benefit or positive effect.

And how would you test having women in the infantry without the possibility risking lives? I think that common sense and the safety of our infantry soldiers has to override equal opportunities in this matter.

Also, I did read once that a male's instinct to protect the female could be a potential for issues about fair cover or treatment of casulaties

How true or not all this would turn out to be of course I don't know..

By the way I'm not trying to be controversial or offensive, I am a girl, but I am more of a realist than a feminist

OK I will elaborate on my previous comment about it not being practical for women to join the infantry.

Of course the obvious argument that women are generally not as strong or robust as men, so they might not cope quite as easily with the physical side of it (especially paras of course)

But the question is this -

1 - Would having women in the infantry actually benefit the functions of the infantry/army as a whole?
2 -What is the infantry lacking that a woman could possibly bring?

The answer has to be no, and nothing.

And even if having women in the infantry did not turn out to have a negative effect, I am pretty sure it would have no benefit or positive effect.

And how would you test having women in the infantry without the possibility risking lives? I think that common sense and the safety of our infantry soldiers has to override equal opportunities in this matter.

Also, I did read once that a male's instinct to protect the female could be a potential for issues about fair cover or treatment of casulaties

How true or not all this would turn out to be of course I don't know..

By the way I'm not trying to be controversial or offensive, I am a girl, but I am more of a realist than a feminist

Well said. hels!!

I couldnt agree with that more,
No matter what, the majority of women will never be as physicly strong as men,.. no girl/woman sould have a problem with excepting that. Its better to be realistic about it now rather than later on the frontline.

Get over it girls!!!

I completely agree with everything HRH just said.

Has anyone ever thought that maybe most women simply don't want to be in a dangerous battle situation? I know of many women that wouldn't want to.

Also, mens brains are a bit different to womens. When the sh*t hits the fan, a primevil instinct kicks in with most men. Men usually act with rationaliy, logic, brutality, agression ect. While women have a more emotional, caring, loving and motherly side... Which isn't a criticism, humans need that nurturing side because we're sociable animals. Basically a women may very well be as fast, fit and tough as a man but probably hasn't got that raw agression and testosterone that men have in a dangerous situation, which definitely counts for something.

And what if a woman was on a month long op in a challenging environment such as a desert or a jungle where it's dirty, hot and has lots of beasties that want to suck your blood and eat you while she has her period? Her vagina would be filthy and eventually become infected (because she can't wash) which would make her a casualty, right?

I personally wouldn't like to be an infantry soldier serving alongside infantry women. I'd feel like I'd be taking on more of a work load, I'd feel more vulnerable. In my opinion they would be a liability in a combat situation...and a distraction lol. But that's just my opinion, you can't discriminate me for that can you?

People need to accept that although men and women can do a lot of things the same, we're also very different in many ways and have different roles. Men are good at fighting and women are good at patching up the men after they've been fighting... and that's why we love you .

I'm not sexist by the way. My mother is a woman so how can I be?

I think its strange that women arn't allowed in the infantry, i mean they're allowed to join the SAS, some may dispute that and say they're not but I saw it in a documentry called Ultimate Force and there where females

confused_bolton_boy wrote:I completely agree with everything HRH just said.

Has anyone ever thought that maybe most women simply don't want to be in a dangerous battle situation? I know of many women that wouldn't want to.

Also, mens brains are a bit different to womens. When the sh*t hits the fan, a primevil instinct kicks in with most men. Men usually act with rationaliy, logic, brutality, agression ect. While women have a more emotional, caring, loving and motherly side... Which isn't a criticism, humans need that nurturing side because we're sociable animals. Basically a women may very well be as fast, fit and tough as a man but probably hasn't got that raw agression and testosterone that men have in a dangerous situation, which definitely counts for something.

And what if a woman was on a month long op in a challenging environment such as a desert or a jungle where it's dirty, hot and has lots of beasties that want to suck your blood and eat you while she has her period? Her vagina would be filthy and eventually become infected (because she can't wash) which would make her a casualty, right?

I personally wouldn't like to be an infantry soldier serving alongside infantry women. I'd feel like I'd be taking on more of a work load, I'd feel more vulnerable. In my opinion they would be a liability in a combat situation...and a distraction lol. But that's just my opinion, you can't discriminate me for that can you?

People need to accept that although men and women can do a lot of things the same, we're also very different in many ways and have different roles. Men are good at fighting and women are good at patching up the men after they've been fighting... and that's why we love you .

I'm not sexist by the way. My mother is a woman so how can I be?

Utter non realistic rubbish!!!

Personal hygiene in the field is exactly that, PERSONAL the individual can function any where aslong as they apply themselves

Women not as strong as guys???? again this must depend on the women?
(Had a female recruit who was a female bodybuilder)

Not all women are nuturing and gentile???? Perhaps some women WANT to do the Infantry thing?

A liabilty in a Combat situation is also a kind of sweeping statement, please look up some of the girls who have medals for courage under fire.
and if a woman is a distraction to you then its your problem surely

I know a lot of guys who if put under extreme pressure would fold like a wet envelope.

After seeing Danish and Norwegian females in Iraq I certainly wouldnt want to mess with them.

Yeah, women are allowed to join the SAS but I don't think any have completed training. It's weird that they can join SAS and not regular infantry. Maybe it's because SAS do more specialized missions? Like sabotage, hostage rescue, kidnap ect. But even so, the SAS still require very high physical standards. Maybe women are able to blend in more effectively into enemy territory rather than men?

Beats me ...

Had a female recruit who was a female bodybuilder

I have never rated bodybuilding with fitness needed for the Army. How many woman you met happy to do a few minutes milling?

MSI64 wrote:Utter non realistic rubbish!!!

Personal hygiene in the field is exactly that, PERSONAL the individual can function any where aslong as they apply themselves

Women not as strong as guys???? again this must depend on the women?
(Had a female recruit who was a female bodybuilder)

Not all women are nuturing and gentile???? Perhaps some women WANT to do the Infantry thing?

I know a lot of guys who if put under extreme pressure would fold like a wet envelope.

First of all MSI64, calm down. You're going to burst a blood vessel. This isn't an argument. It's just my personal opinion, got it?

I never said women aren't as strong as men (although MOST aren't, and that's a fact).

How can you expect a women to clean her bloody vagina everyday whilst in combat in a desert? That's just like having an open wound on your arm or leg. Now, the reason why someone with a skin problem can't join the army is because it may bleed and become infected, right? The same would happen to a woman whilst on her period. It's probably more likely to happen actually.

I also know some men that are cowardly. I don't think I said in any way that men are better than women, I was just pointing out some key differences in regards to joining the infantry. Differences, that in my personal opinion, would negatively affect women. And I believe that there's probably a lot of women that would agree with me. As for the ones that don't, that's their choice and they're entitled to it.

Sick of the gender debate now. Cheerio!

Fusilier wrote:

Had a female recruit who was a female bodybuilder

I have never rated bodybuilding with fitness needed for the Army. How many woman you met happy to do a few minutes milling?

99% of males in the army will never do milling.

Oh well just as the debate/arguement gets fun.

Simple really and I know it was said ages ago. If a woman can complete the test, make the grade and do the job then she should be allowed to serve in that job. the only problem we have is to prove the thoery we would have to field test it and we are not prepared if it doesnt quite meet the mark.

Its a point about woman and aggression which very few woman have. Men have the ability to turn it on which most woman do not.

Milling is unique to Para’s in the Army I agree. A clerk has no need for it and most of the men I served with would not have though twice about it.