U.S. Marines lowers fitness requirement for women

[Fjormark]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2530172/Women-U-S-Marines-SPARED-new-physical-fitness-requirement-wont-three-pull-ups-pass-muster.html

The U.S. Marine Corps has quietly walked back a 2012 directive from the service's highest-ranking officer that would have rejected female recruits and officer candidates who can't perform three chin-ups as part of their physical fitness training.
The reason – 55 per cent of the women attempting the test are failing. Just one per cent of men can't complete the exercise.
'Women aren’t able to make the minimum standard of three pull-ups,' Marine spokesman Capt. Eric Flanagan told reporters on Friday.
The startling admission, and the military's course-correction, came after just three out of 15 females successfully graduated from the Marine Corps' enlisted infantry training course in November.

The new rule, set to go into effect on January 1, would have changed the previous requirement – in place for more than a decade – that requires female Marines to execute a 'flexed arm hang', holding on to a pull-up bar with their elbows bent for 70 seconds.
2013 was to be a 'phase one' transitional year, according to a November 2012 directive from Marine Corps commandant Gen. James Amos, with females having a choice of which test to attempt.
'Phase two will commence on 1 January 2014,' Amos had ordered. 'Pull-ups will replace the FAH [flexed arm hang] portion of the PFT [physical fitness test] ... To pass the pull-up portion of this event, females will be required to execute at least three (3) pull-ups.'

What do you think about the lowering of standards required for women to stay within the U.S Marines? I personally think this is dangerous and extremely idiotic, I know that women have the capability to pass the fitness requirements and those standards are there for a reason. If this is really in the name of 'equality', then why do the men have to go through higher standards of fitness and training, whereas women only need to do three pull-ups?

I think this summarises it perfectly:

Robert Maginnis, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, told NPR that 'young women, in spite of all the training and all the best intentions, are not going to be the equal of young men in terms of upper body strength.'
His new book, 'Deadly Consequences: How Cowards are Pushing Women into Combat,' argues that Pentagon gender politics are sacrificing combat readiness on the altar of political correctness.

EDIT:
Yes I know the DailyMail isn't a very good source, so here's others that say the same thing more or less:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/the-hero-project/articles/2014/01/07/lowering-standards-for-female-marines-is-not-gender-equality.html
http://nation.time.com/2014/01/02/marines-postpone-pull-up-requirement-for-female-recruits/
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/female-marines-pullups-2014-1

[Spoder]

I think this is just to appease the feminists complaining about how not a single woman passed the infantry requirements.

But yes, it is fucktarded.

[The Orson Empire]

The quote you used to back up your argument just seems sexist to me.

[The Sotoan Union]

I don't see how this is a good idea. Maybe in the short run it will lead to an increase in recruitment, but I think our military will only suffer in the long run if women aren't as combat ready as men.

[Unggoy Star Empire]

Personally, I think that if the Woman can't do 3 Push Ups, then that's a sign that hey, putting her in the Military isn't a good idea.

[Davinhia]

Oh look, a weakening american army.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Fucking stupid, if you can't even do three pull ups I'm sorry but you shouldn't be serving. They shouldn't be lowered.

[Austington]

Personally, I think that if the Woman can't do 3 Push Ups, then that's a sign that hey, putting her in the Military isn't a good idea.

It's Three Pull-ups, not push-ups.

And It's not lowering the fitness standard, It's just keeping it the same instead of raising it.

[Costa Fierro]

They have fitness tests for a reason. If you can't serve in the Marines, fine. There's plenty of other services that are probably screaming out for recruits that don't have the same stringent requirements where they can serve their country.

[McNernia]

No discrimination.

[Republic of Wreptzle]

I don't see how this is a good idea. Maybe in the short run it will lead to an increase in recruitment, but I think our military will only suffer in the long run if women aren't as combat ready as men.

Not to mention that it'll get them killed. Physical standards exist to ensure that soldiers don't end up dead and that armies operate well. This will only lead to more body-bags coming home.

[Death Metal]

'Women aren’t able to make the minimum standard of three pull-ups,' Marine spokesman Capt. Eric Flanagan told reporters on Friday.
The startling admission, and the military's course-correction, came after just three out of 15 females successfully graduated from the Marine Corps' enlisted infantry training course in November.

So that's at least three who can. Sexist BS is BS.

[Altraxa]

I'm hesitant to take the words of someone with a book title like that as someone who isn't invested in their own agenda here.

[Fjormark]

'Women aren’t able to make the minimum standard of three pull-ups,' Marine spokesman Capt. Eric Flanagan told reporters on Friday.
The startling admission, and the military's course-correction, came after just three out of 15 females successfully graduated from the Marine Corps' enlisted infantry training course in November.

So that's at least three who can. Sexist BS is BS.

That's not the point... Read it again instead of going 'muh sexism!'.

[Saiwania]

Well, it is just a fact that no woman will ever have as much upper body strength as a man of equivalent weight and size. This is merely reflecting that reality, so as to make it sufficiently difficult but not nigh impossible for female recruits.

[Altraxa]

Well, it is just a fact that no women will never have as much upper body strength as a man of equivalent weight and size. This is merely reflecting this reality so as to make it sufficiently difficult but not nigh impossible for female recruits.

You just need to be strong enough.

[The Sotoan Union]

Well, it is just a fact that no women will never have as much upper body strength as a man of equivalent weight and size. This is merely reflecting this reality so as to make it sufficiently difficult but not nigh impossible for female recruits.

The average woman might not be able to do those easily but that doesn't mean that a fit woman couldn't. It's not like men are pushed to the absolute limit when they take the fitness test.

[Kargintina]

Yay! Make our armed forces even weaker!

[Altraxa]

Well, it is just a fact that no women will never have as much upper body strength as a man of equivalent weight and size. This is merely reflecting this reality so as to make it sufficiently difficult but not nigh impossible for female recruits.

The average woman might not be able to do those easily but that doesn't mean that a fit woman couldn't. It's not like men are pushed to the absolute limit when they take the fitness test.

Yeah, that's kinda what I was hinting at. Men and women have more in common than they don't.

[Everia]

Oh look, a weakening american army.

Marine Corps


Not the Army.

[The Sanguinian Islands]

>three pull ups

thats like fat kid's passing tier for high school fitness

[The Sotoan Union]

Oh look, a weakening american army.

Yeah the Marines make a habit of being weak.

[Krontzaika]

Make the USMC extremely hard for Women but a little softer for men (since the USMC is already extremely hard for the men)

[Great Nepal]

I love how atleast two posters have taken a dig at the quote with "sexism!1!!' when its quite obvious given the context that Robert is taking about average not individual cases.
There shouldn't be issue with women in armed forces, assuming they can pass same requirements as male recruits, this new policy is dangerous, sexist and plain wrong implemented just to make the charts look preety.

[Pandeeria]

If you cannot do three pull ups, sorry but you shouldn't be in-combat.

Stop lowering the standards. They're not combat-ready. Stop trying to appease to pseudo-equality by enlisting more females, instead actually appease to reason and the person's physical and mental capabilities.