Should women be required to register for the draft?

By law, all men in the United States between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register with the Selective Service, which means they could be drafted to serve in the military. Since 2015, when the Obama administration lifted a restriction against women serving in combat roles, some have argued that women should now also be required to register with Selective Service. Is it time for women to get their draft cards, too?

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Additional resources to think about

Selective Service System, Women
The Selective Service System website provides up-to-date information regarding registration policies.

Should women be eligible for the US military draft?
The BBC details the history of women in the military and attitudes toward the draft in general.

Meet women who are taking on coveted combat roles for Marine Corps
This segment from CBS This Morning profiles some trailblazing women in the United States Marine Corps.

Fewer than a third of countries currently have a military draft; most exclude women
See how the United States compares to other countries when it comes to conscription and women in the military in this article from Pew Research.

The Selective Service Act
This clip from PBS's The Draft details the history and origin of the Selective Service Act during World War I.

Women Should Have to Register for Military Draft, Too, Commission Tells Congress
This article from The New York Times talks about the results of a national commission's recommendations for women to register for the draft.

contemplate

Who created this message?

What kind of “text” is it?
How similar or different is it to others of the same genre?
What are the various elements (building blocks) that make up the whole?

What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

What do you notice (about the way the message is constructed)?
What’s the emotional appeal?
What makes it seem “real?”
What's the emotional appeal? Persuasive devices used?

How might different people understand this message differently from me?

How many other interpretations could there be?
How could we hear about them?
How can you explain the different responses?

What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?

What type of person is the reader/watcher/listener invited to identify with?
What ideas or perspectives are left out?
How would you find what’s missing?
What judgments or statements are made about how we treat other people?

Why is this message being sent?

What's being sold in this message? What's being told?
Who is served by or benefits from the message
– the public?
– private interests?
– individuals?
– institutions?

5 Key Questions of Media Literacy used with permission from the Center for Media Literacy.
Copyright 2002-2021, Center for Media Literacy, www.medialit.com

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