Women in the Military More Likely to Be Traumatized by Sexual Assault Than Combat

[Anomalocaris]

The military exploits macho strains in society. Is built on teenagers, and provides an outlet for instincts not well received in civilian society. Why would one expect sexual assault not to be common?

Because it is illegal and it is assault? It should be handled, discouraged and interactions monitored enough that it doesn't occur? When they know rapes are occurring when women try to use the bathroom in the desert, commanding officers monitor those moves and make it explicitly clear that people who assault other soldiers will be court martialed?

Why the tone of acceptance in this thread? I'm a little sketched out by it. So far, I get the sense that people expect it and don't see a lot of women in combat, so it's acceptable?

You are telling me what you want, I am telling what is reasonable to expect. I don't disagree with you about the desirability of what you want or that efforts should me be made to attain it. But efforts take time, and must be balanced with a host of other equally important priorities, like not abruptly tempering with the system in place before sexual desegregation to promote combat aggressiveness and cohesion and eprit de corp of what remains a primarily male, and fundamentally risk seeking world.

The truth is progress on equality that also protects desirable virtues of exiating system take sacrifice, it takes more effort than what might be expected along a linear path to the goal, including putting up with injustices along the way, to achieve.