Since 1901, women have officially served in some form of military service, however, women had an unofficial role dating back to the American Revolution. Traditionally women are not permitted to perform combat occupations, but recently these restrictions have been somewhat lifted, making some combat occupations available to women in most branches of the military. While elevator complications arise from women doing combat work and it's not just about physical differences, there is also the risk of sexual assault. Due to the harmful impact on the military, soldiers and society, women should not be allowed to engage in combat occupations. The Women's Armed Services Integration Act, created in 1948, formed a force of women in all military departments. This was considered a step in the right direction and is also responsible for the current combat restrictions. The law, in addition to integrating women into the military, also controlled the total number of women in service and formally excluded them from combat duties. In the 1980s and 1990s, the number of female soldiers in the US military increased from 8.5% to 11.1%” (Mackenzie). Today, aeronautics is the service most open to women. “Women have been flying fighter aircraft since 1993 and now make up 70 of the 3,700 fighter pilots in service” (Mackenzie). In January 1994, “Secretary of Defense Les Aspin” overturned the “risk rule” by excluding women from any position that might expose them to direct combat, hostile fire, or capture; the rule was replaced by the "land combat direct assignment rule", which more closely tailored the restriction to front-line combat positions. (Mackenzie) The problem with recent political changes is that the dis...... middle of paper ......ed from combat.Works CitedChristina M. Hassija, 1,2 Matthew Jakupcak,1,3 Shira Maguen ,4,5 and Jillian C. Shipherd6,7,8. “The Influence of Combat and Interpersonal Trauma on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, and Alcohol Abuse in U.S. Gulf War and OEF/OIF Female Veterans.” Journal of Traumatic Stress (2012): 216–219. Colonel Clark H. Summers, U.S. Army Reserve. “Women are the combat multiplier of asymmetric warfare.” Military Magazine (2013): 71-78.Heled, Yoram Epstein • Ran Yanovich • Daniel S. Moran • Yuval. “Physiological Norms for Occupation IV: Integration of Women into Combat Units, Physiological and Medical Considerations.” Eur J Appl Physiol (2013): 113:2673–2690. Mackenzie, Megan H. “Let the Women Fight.” Foreign Affairs 91.6 (2012): 32-42.McNulty, Major Shelley S. “Myth Busted: Women Serve in Ground Combat Positions.” The revision volume of the law on military aeronautics 68 (2010): 120-166.