A lift on a law restricting females to fight on the front-lines has been lifted, sparking intense controversy.

On January 24, 2013, history was made for the U.S military force, as well as for the entire United States, as military leaders officially removed the ban on women in front-line combat. U.S Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and the Pentagon formally decided to do so, and as a result, tore down another societal barrier after the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” restriction targeting gays and lesbians was removed. As history has shown, women have persevered through times of limited rights and unjust treatment, and although it is thought that women will finally receive equal rights with the removal of this ban, there are still those who oppose women proudly fighting for their country in the front lines.

These societal changes have opened up the door for women by offering more than 230,000 front-line positions, an opportunity that has already been open to men for decades. Defending one’s country should be seen as an equal opportunity for all citizens, male or female, and should not have been a privilege that all women needed to wait to attain. The unjust treatment of women includes the rejection of formal recognition for their valor and hard work, the restriction on advancements to appropriate higher titles in the military, and the obstacle of receiving equal training and opportunities. Supporting this idea of higher women representation in the military, Panetta also asserts that women have played such an integral part of the military and have definitely demonstrated their desire to scrap any form of combat exclusion.

For the last few decades, women have watched men do what women are fully capable of achieving, partly due to common opinion that women lack the physical abilities that most men have. However, gender does not determine the determination, passion, and perseverance that may or may not be present in each individual, nor does it necessarily determine physical strength. As long as a candidate for a position is capable of carrying out the job and fulfills the physical requirements, he or she should be judged fully on his or her abilities, not on his or her gender. With the restriction of women in front-line combat roles, commanders are then inclined to not look at the most prepared and capable candidate for the job, but the most prepared man. Given the opportunity, women will then be able to take the place of those poorly prepared and improve America’s military by advancing to higher ranks in military instead of being held back.

As a result of the societal change in the military, politicians and doubtful citizens alike have begun to express a common misinterpretation of the law by claiming that with women fighting in the frontline, the military would be more inclined to weakness and failure due to the lack of physical strength. However, these people fail to understand that the women will still need to fulfill the military’s physical capability standards, which will not lower simply because the women are given the opportunity to represent America in the frontlines.

The 1994 law restricting females from the role of combat has now been overturned after 20 years of sexist discrimination and will be fully phased in 2016. Women in the military will be able to fight equally without limitations and be rewarded for their courage and determination that is finally able to be shown in the front lines.