Women and the Draft

Washington, D.C.

Last week the U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act that included an amendment calling for women to register for selective service. The legislation would impact all women who will turn 18 years of age on or after January 1, 2018. If signed into law, women who do not register for the draft could be subject to the same penalties as men including the loss of federal aid such as Pell Grants, etc. Although the Supreme Court excluded women from having to register for the draft in 1981 because they were excluded from serving on the front lines; all of that changed recently when the military opened all combat jobs to women.