Why don't the women try out for the AFL or Rugby Super 14's. Oh I see we are going to lower standards again to accomodate feminist dogma for the Defence Forces but not where the general population can see the stupidity openly. Have not we learned by the lower standards in Police forces yet. Look what Nixon did in Victoria. The trend has been well and truely set by the most incompetent Government in this country's history including Gough.

Dear rehctub,

I've got to admit that I also can't understand women who want to be in the front-lines fighting in foreign lands. However as another poster said - you can't raise your children to believe that they can do anything and then pull the rug out from under them and say, "No -
you can't do that - because you're a female!" Should we draw the line for women at certain jobs? I guess if the Defence Forces accept women - and are prepared to fully train them as equals with men then they should also be eligible for doing the same jobs as the men.

Just think of governments losing the PR for their war cause. People can except male soldiers being killed, but once the media gets hold of a captured woman soldier being raped, or mothers being killed, how long do you think the wars will last? Pull the troops out!

Any governmnet would be stupid to let women see too much action. No PR/spin department is that good!

Houellebecq makes an excellent point. All this fuss may just be an attempt to divert media attention from the negative publicity surrounding the ADF's current problems concerning women. Allowing women to see actual action would not make for good PR and as Houellebecq points out the Defence Forces would not take that risk.

Maybe we should not be telling our children, boys and girls, that they can do anything. This a myth that educators started spruiking in the 80s and it has continued. It just sets people up for disappointment when they get out into the real world. Teach kids to do their best, utilise their talents and work towards their goals, but sometimes things happen that are out of our control. Don't set them up for failure but don't paint a perfect picture of the world that just does not exist. I've interviewed too many young people with unreasonable expectations because they have been fed that lie for years.

I am not sure what I think about women on the frontline. Whether we want to admit it or not men will react differently towards women in the frontline. They might perhaps feel a greater burden to protect the women at their side over and above the normal feelings of camerarderie towards their fellow soldier. It is what it is.

Perhaps all-female units would be the answer in that scenario.

Many soldiers returning from war in Afghanistan and Iraq are protesting in the US over the continuation of the war, so I am not sure why anyone would want to fight in the frontline unless they are defending their territory. I would also fight to keep my children safe if need be, but it would not be a high priority career aspiration.

Houellebecq, it's funny (as in odd) how everyone is 'concerned' at women being raped for their God Queen and country but seem quite happy when this goes on in jails.

'They'll soon sort him out' say the pundits when a child rapist goes to clink.

Odd sort of thinking, OK for blokes but no good for Sheila's.

But that sorta fits in with a misogynist world view anyway, which is why men do so well in the armed forces.