PeeEqualsNP

I think more needs to be done to integrate women into the armed forces and expand heir rolls throughout all branches of the military.

Why is this the goal and not:

more needs to be done to base selection of roles purely on performance and ability without regards to gender throughout all branches of the military.

?

Couldn't it also be argued that the problem isn't with the amount of agricultural space but rather distribution. If the UN is accurate and we waste a third of the world's food production [1], what do you think should be the focus of research: Production OR distribution, and why?

[1] - http://www.unep.org/wed/quickfacts/

EDIT: Wanted to see what might be said considering this and your answer to the question below about organic vs conventional farming. If we are wasting 1/3 of our food production, doesn't it seem likely that the 25% yield increases of conventional farming on average (corn at 33% but soy at only 4% [2]) are going to the waste, that we could, theoretically, feed the world with organic farming? What are the biggest obstacles to this that you see? Do you agree with the premise?

[2] - http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/organicag/researchreports/n-kleopold99.pdf

Good point, I hadn't thought of that. The waste according to the UN is only how much food doesn't get consumed. You could also include waste as that food that is consumed but 'unnecessarily' either in portion size or non-nutritious. Thanks for the answer!

Well... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galactorrhea

Obviously some jobs are gender specific, but then those wouldn't be the jobs we are talking about anyway.

gender is a prerequisite for performance and ability in certain rolls

I think this is maybe where the real problem lies. Gender should not lend itself as a prereq to success in any role, rather should only be a trend noticed AFTER role success has been determined based on outcomes. Either 'Gender' is checked on the application and plays a role before your skills are evaluated or its not.