Abstract

Achieving gender equality in the workplace is one of the key issues in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Both men and women then should have equal opportunity in their workplace. Soldier has been seen as a man’s job. The right to fight and lead wars then always belongs to men. This article aims to describe recent changes in women’s role performing ground combat in the United States Armed Forces and to discuss whether these changes reduce gender discrimination in the workplace. To answer this question, documentary research method has been used in this paper. This research found that woman militants are not allowed to work in ground combat before Iraq and Afghanistan wars while some countries allow women working in ground combat. Women who served the military then faced gender discrimination at this time. However, after these two wars, the US Armed Forces allow women to work in ground combat because both men and women must be combat-ready for all times as there was the absence of a clear line between enemy and friendly territory in these two wars. Both men and women then have equal opportunity to work in all units. Nevertheless, the role of women working in ground combat would be different from now if the US Armed Forces do not have the war with Iraq and Afghanistan. The armed forces should not allow women working in combat as there is a strong belief in the military that women are not suited to work in combat and this idea is hard to change.