1918 WWI Sheet MusicOne of the most-asked questions is: Why aren't women required to register for the draft?
Here's why women do not have to register with the Selective Service System.Selective Service law as it's written now refers specifically to "male persons" in stating who must register and who would be drafted. For women to be required to register with Selective Service, Congress would have to amend the law.
The constitutionality of excluding women was tested in the courts. A Supreme Court decision in 1981, Rostker v. Goldberg, held that registering only men did not violate the due process clause of the Constitution.
At President Clinton's request, the Department of Defense reviewed this issue in 1994. DoD noted that America's prior drafts were used to supply adequate numbers of Army ground combat troops. Because women are excluded by policy from front line combat positions, excluding them from the draft process remains justifiable in DoD's view. Although no conclusions were reached, DoD recognized that policies regarding women need to be reviewed periodically because the role of women in the military continues to expand.
The Selective Service System, if given the mission and additional funding, is capable of registering and drafting women with its existing infrastructure.
Source for above: US Selective Service System.
However -
The draft is a dead dinosaur in my opinion. While the Selective Service is equipped to draft women if necessary it is a moot point. The AVF - All Volunteer Force - is working well and has been since the 1970s. And frankly the hardest people to train are the ones who don't want to be there in the first place so a military draft for men and women is not a viable option. I would not want a non volunteer watching my back in any situation and neither would the career military men and women.Young women tell me they would sign up but with the number of folks volunteering it's not likely that there will be a draft.
