whats being done to end discrimination against women in govt

[TheBuddha]

Presently as many of you probably know already the US Govt, local govts, etc treat men and women differently

for instance in the army PFT (assuming site is accurate)

http://www.apft-standards.com/pushup.html

to score 100, a guy must do 71, while a woman must do 42 or so- in the 17-21 age bracket

why do they treat women as weak? in demanding equal treatment, pay, etc should we actually be equal to our male counterparts?

Im all for women doing whatever job they want- from mechanics, to infantry, to firewomen..... but, why do folk so easily attack me, when im simply asking that we all have the same standards? why is there still the perception that women cant do______ to the same standard?

IF a house is burning down and 2 fire-putter-outers run in, they should know that their partner is capable of meeting at least the same baseline, or "minimum" of physical capabilities correct?

[deelaem]

I do see your point, but I can show you where the inequities come in.

The physical tests for the armed forces, etc. use a standard based on the male type of strength. Men tend to have more immediate strength, i.e. brute strength, whereas female strength is more endurance oriented. So rather than tailor the tests based on this, they just reduce the pass threshold for women. Not a very practical or efficient way to measure physical performance. And of course there are variances within each gender as well, some women have more brute strength than men, etc. What would be ideal is if people were measured in both categories and assigned jobs based on their overall scores. But one can't expect our patriarchal government agencies to have the kind of insight needed to make these changes.

Both kinds of strengths are necessary in an urgent situation. I want personnel that is strong and can endure if I'm ever in a life-threatening situation.

[JesusFightClub]

There's also another aspect to it though I agree with Deelaem. I have been in police custody and as a woman, unless you present a threat they prefer two officers who are female to arrest women. You will certainly be searched by a woman on arrival. This is to prevent allegations of abuse (yes abuse still happens...)

The army at least would find this useful as a CYA, I would think.

[Kaylee]

People like to point out the gender discrepancies, but there are also decreased standards by age. I took ROTC in college, and the physical standards I had to meet for PT were higher than the ones my dad had to while he was still enlisted in the Army, because they were lowered so much due to his age. There are also exceptions made to weight and fitness standards for people who are already in, but would not have been able to enlist in their present condition.

I think that the fitness tests should be dependent on MOS (the job/position a soldier holds), and should be the same for any man or woman who wants that MOS. For instance, infantry positions would probably require higher overall fitness than combat service/support positions. Somebody lugging around an M-60 would need more strength & endurance that someone in supply or in the motor pool would need in most situations. These would also help if/when the military decides to open all positions to women - it would eliminate the argument that women are not physically capable, and would assure the other soldiers that any woman fighting beside them would be strong enough to carry them out if wounded and/or carry her own gear.

[JesusFightClub]

People like to point out the gender discrepancies, but there are also decreased standards by age. I took ROTC in college, and the physical standards I had to meet for PT were higher than the ones my dad had to while he was still enlisted in the Army, because they were lowered so much due to his age. There are also exceptions made to weight and fitness standards for people who are already in, but would not have been able to enlist in their present condition.

I think that the fitness tests should be dependent on MOS (the job/position a soldier holds), and should be the same for any man or woman who wants that MOS. For instance, infantry positions would probably require higher overall fitness than combat service/support positions. Somebody lugging around an M-60 would need more strength & endurance that someone in supply or in the motor pool would need in most situations. These would also help if/when the military decides to open all positions to women - it would eliminate the argument that women are not physically capable, and would assure the other soldiers that any woman fighting beside them would be strong enough to carry them out if wounded and/or carry her own gear.

This makes total sense to me. The male/female balance wouldn't be exact and would vary from job to job but such is nature.