Report: U.S. Military Close to Lifting Ban on Women in Frontline Combat

This is something I talk about every semester in my classes, when we cover gender equality. Students who rarely speak will often pipe up when the debate gets going. And I'm surprised to hear a lot of the guys spout very backward views on the role of women in society. Indeed, it's not unusual to hear some say that women should be wives and mothers exclusively. That said, some of the ladies are frightened to death with the prospects of military service; they like old-fashioned gender roles just fine. As always, it should be a matter of open access: If women want to serve, they should not be prohibited, even in the most sensitive or intimate combat roles.

See the special report at the Christian Science Monitor, "Women in combat: US military on verge of making it official."

RELATED: At the New York Times in April, "Marines Moving Women Toward the Front Lines."