Women need to be respected as equal members of Army, society

One of the most prominent societal issues at hand today is the constant battle for gender fairness and equality. An example of this has been gender inequality in the military, not only in status but in respect.

In World War I women were hired only as nurses and support staff. It wasn’t until 2013 that women were allowed to fight alongside men on the battlefield.

Fast forward to 2015, in which women are now equal in status and treated respectively in the military. For the University of South Dakota Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, it’s no different.

Out of the 27 students in the USD program, five of them are women, and Captain Jerry Zevecke believes there are more to come in the future.

Women in the ROTC program are not only accepted, but are respected and challenged by their peers to push themselves, to be the best they can be — not to necessarily prove they are equal in gender status, but because they, as a person, are good enough.

In relation to the military and society, we are making great strides for gender equality. As a modern society, more institutions and people alike should model their mindset like the U.S. military’s to continue fighting the inequalities that exist between genders.

Not only does our society need to accept both genders for what their talents and skills are, but we also need to respect each other for them.

The USD ROTC program is among many great organizations pushing for a continued gender acceptance movement, and this should encourage USD students to adopt the same mindset.

With a campus that is almost two thirds women to men, we must keep in mind how sensitive and important this issue is on campus and beyond.

Take for instance some of the fields our university trains its students in, like nursing. The majority gender of this major is women, and men are succeeding in this field, too.

At the end of the day, this all comes down to skill. If a person has the skills to achieve something, they should do it, regardless of their gender. As a society, we need to be less focused on gender and more focused on skill.

As students on a college campus, we must change our mindset and standards from gender discrimination to what a person has to offer to their future profession.