Pitt researchers are looking further into doubts that women can join men with their boots on the ground.

Researchers from Pitt’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) began collecting data this month for a study to evaluate how female U.S. Marines measure up to male Marines physically in field performance, according to lead researcher Katelyn Allison.

“The data obtained from the collective effort will help the USMC Commandant make a decision on whether or not the ground combat [occupation] should be open to females,” Allison said.

On Jan. 24, 2013, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey lifted a ban on women serving in direct ground combat positions in the military, sparking debate about whether or not women have the physical capabilities to become U.S. combat Marines. Before Panetta and Dempsey lifted the 1994 Pentagon prohibition on women serving in direct combat positions, women were only allowed to work in military branches such as intelligence, finance and communications.

The end goal of the experiments is to establish gender-neutral characteristics that can predict safe and successful completion of ground combat tactical training and tasks.

With the help of male and female participants, researchers will implement measurements of data on subjects like physical, physiological and field performances that may be predictors of injury or attrition during training for the ground combat Military Occupational Specialties (MOS), Allison said. The research data won’t be available until its completion next summer.

As required by Panetta and Dempsey, the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines are on a three-year deadline to determine how to integrate women into all military jobs, including the previously closed positions. Allison said the research study also aims to conduct support for a Marine task force established as a result of the deadline and is working to integrate women into combat units and military occupational specialties. 

Potential combat Marines are required to pass the same combat fitness test for men or women despite their physiological differences. 

Despite these differences, one member of Pitt’s ROTC, Brianne Benton, said women should have the same chance to prove their tenacity in ground combat.

“I believe women should be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities to work in combat roles and go through the same demanding physical training and work currently completed by the males in those roles,” said Benton, a senior nursing major.

Benton understands where the speculation is coming from but attributes it to the relatively new admission of women into combat roles.

“I can only speak for myself when I say I am not completely surprised their capability is being questioned,” Benton said. “Not because they are women but because it is change.”

Like Benton, Lt. Col. David Frakt of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, a former visiting professor at Pitt School of Law, said women deserve the same chance to prove themselves .

“I believe that women have proven themselves to be capable of doing anything a man can do,” Frakt said. “Not every woman will have the physical strength required for every job specialty but there are many women who can meet even the most demanding physical standards and they should be given the opportunity to try.”

But Christiana Bentz, a member of the ROTC program and a senior majoring in natural science at Pitt, said she already knows women are capable of holding positions in the Marine Corps. However, she also realizes the importance of being able to face strenuous challenges in combat.

“Capability is being questioned not about the jobs they already hold, but about increasing roles into combat arms branches,” Bentz said. “There is a difference between women being part of an operation within a forward operating base and women being outside the wire, pulling a 200-pound man with 60 pounds of equipment on him to safety a mile away.”

Allison said this is an exciting time for everyone participating in the research.

“We are extremely excited and honored to be a part of this monumental research effort, as this is a historical moment for our nation,” Allison said. “We are thrilled to work with these brave men and women who serve our country.”

Being a woman in Pitt’s ROTC program, Benton understands the importance of filling combat roles with capable people, whether they are male or female.

“In the end, I believe the most capable soldiers should be given the slots in combat units,” Benton said. “Because there is one thing more important than gender equality — and that is the safety of those serving this nation.”