Selective Service

By Kemper Bogle

The United States has predominantly relied on a volunteer military rather than conscription, yet every year 18-year-old men have to register for the draft. Women have always been exempt from this obligation, although the policy has been contested for reinforcing inequality in the military.

Throughout history women have played major roles in the military, but were often disregarded when it came to combat positions. When World War I started, women began fighting for equal rights and opportunities. This movement was motivated after many women began filling numerous work positions that were left vacate by the soldiers but were not receiving the same pay as the men before them.

The demand for female workers only increased, as the military needed more weapons. When the U.S. made the Selective Service Act of 1917, the need for women workers became more imperative as many men were going to be drafted into the war.

Many women were inclined to help with war efforts. Many joined organizations and volunteered to assist the military. While a majority of the women become nurses, some joined the marines, navy and coast guard in clerical positions.

One hundred years later and conscription remains exclusively male. This technicality is more representative of the culture of the U.S. military rather than a serious exclusion as it would be unlikely for the U.S. to have to use this draft in the foreseeable future,

Women having to register for the draft is a controversial issue. Many people in favor of the change claim it is a win for equality. There are many women that have and are currently serving in the military that are just as capable as their men counterparts. Others simply oppose the draft in general or find it obsolete.

“I think it would be a symbolic gesture right now because we are an all volunteer force but I think it would go a long way towards the way we have equality written into policy,” said Shannon Portillo, associate professor at the KU School of Public Affairs and Administration. 

The selective service system was created after the U.S. entered World War I. The government has amended the Selective Service System many times but it has been in its present form since 1980. The gender-based exclusion was challenged in 1981 but The Supreme Court ruled that women could not be required to register for the draft since they were not allowed to serve in combat. However, in 2015 the defense department opened all combat positions to women.

As far as the draft, the senate voted in 2016 to require women to register for the draft, but the issue did not make it into the final version of the bill. The Selective Service System is capable of registering women if congress decided to make the change.

Founding Director of Center for Military, War, and Society Studies, Beth Bailey said there likely would not be enough attention to force a new decision unless the U.S. reinstated the draft.

“Highly vocal minorities can have a great deal of influence in a partisan climate,” said Bailey. “There’s no incentive for someone to take the political heat, even if it is from a vocal minority, over an issue that doesn’t require action.”