Dorit Geva
Central European University
Although there was brief consideration of drafting women nurses during WWII, women have never been required to register with the Selective Service System, and have never been drafted. However, women have been actively recruited into the All Volunteer Force (AVF) since the mid-1970s.
Commitment to maintaining a male-only draft system was reaffirmed in 1981 when the Supreme Court determined that women cannot register with Selective Service. President Jimmy Carter had requested in 1980 to renew draft registration, and to incorporate women’s registration. Continue reading “Why have women been barred from registering with the Selective Service System, and why is this issue being reexamined now?”