North Central College political science professor quoted in The 19th

Suzanne Chod shared insights on new legislation opting for women to qualify for the draft

As the law currently stands, every “male citizen” and immigrant — regardless of legal status — between the ages of 18 and 26 must register with the Selective Service System, the agency responsible for running a draft. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, a Democrat and former U.S. Air Force officer, wants to strike the word “male” from the bill and expand the registration to all Americans, regardless of race, color, sex or gender.

Houlahan introduced an amendment to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)  this year that would require women to register for the first time in U.S. history. The bill passed in the House in September and continues to be negotiated in the Senate.

Suzanne Chod, professor of political science at North Central College, interviewed with The 19th and shared that there is not strong public support for women registering for the draft.

“This overall lack of strong support, though, illustrates what we call benevolent sexism, which is a sexism that rests on paternalistic beliefs: ‘Women need protection, and their skills are nurturers, not fighters. We need to protect them from war so as to not corrupt their virtue and purity and inhibit them from fulfilling their duties as wives and mothers,’” Chod said. “This was the same argument made in the 19th and early-20th centuries to bar women from voting.”

Click here to read the full article on The 19th.