With all this talk about modern warfare not having frontlines, I think it's pointless to argue whether or not women should be allowed on the frontlines, "since their already there." If a woman is willing to enlist in the military then she should have to deploy, just like everyone else.

As far as a woman serving in a infantry battalion, I would say no. Now a lot of people would say that a woman can fire a rifle as well as any man, which is true, but there's so much more to being an infantryman than just being able to fire a weapon. I believe the main reason woman shouldn't be in infantry battalions is because they can't carry the same amount of weight as men on hikes/patrol. An infantryman is expected to carry a combat load of roughly 90lbs. in addition to this your also expected to be able to carry 50lbs of gear and equipment. That alone is 140lbs, this doesn't include light machine guns, grenade launchers, rocket launchers and radios that members of a rifle squad may be required to carry. This also doesn't include the weight of crew served weapons that men in a weapons plt/company are expected to carry, nor does it include the weight of ammunition (which can get very heavy) that needs to be carried in order to use these weapons. As you can see the load of a combat infantry can easily surpass 150lbs. This also doesn't take into account that hikes are done at a fast pace, usually a fast walk or slow jog if your having trouble keeping up and their normally done up and down hills.

I'm sure there's women that are capable of this, but the fact is that they are an extreme minority, so few that it would not be worth the cost to get them there.