Posted on Jul 7, 2016
Why the Marines decided to allow heavier women (and men in some cases) to serve
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The Marine Corps announced major changes over the Fourth of July holiday weekend regarding how much it will allow service members to weigh — and the biggest shift comes for women.
Female Marines will be allowed to weigh five to seven pounds more than before for each inch of their height, according to new guidelines published by the service. A 5-foot-6 woman, for example, was previously allowed to weigh up to 155 pounds, but can now be 161. A 5-foot-9 woman was allowed to be up to 169 pounds, but can now be 176.
Female Marines will be allowed to weigh five to seven pounds more than before for each inch of their height, according to new guidelines published by the service. A 5-foot-6 woman, for example, was previously allowed to weigh up to 155 pounds, but can now be 161. A 5-foot-9 woman was allowed to be up to 169 pounds, but can now be 176.
Why the Marines decided to allow heavier women (and men in some cases) to serve
Posted from washingtonpost.com
Marines
Enlisted
Height and Weight
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 7
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SGT (Join to see)
Only if it's that delicious chocolate milk, they served when I was in, CSM (Join to see).
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Lt Col (Join to see)
SGT (Join to see) - equality over effectiveness...sorry it my be the cynic in me :-)
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SGT (Join to see)
I enjoy cynicism. Especially coming from a high ranking officer. Thank you Sir for making me smile.
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1LT Susan Bailey
If I remember correctly, the weight tables (and BMI) were designed by actuaries back in the 40's and 50's for insurance companies. These tables were never intended for use as they have been generalized. In fact, I don't know anyone who ever wore a 1 inch heel or had 1 inch added to their height ( a necessary component for measurement under the original process of determining BMI) so the numbers being used are probably not even accurate. That being said, how does adding 5lbs to a person's allowable weight affect anything? Women in the 40's and 50's may not have necessarily possessed the muscle mass at those original weights that they might require as AD members now, in the Marines. So this is probably a good thing, and will cut down on the binging, and purging of some women to meet an arbitrary number that has no meaning anyhow, really.
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SGT (Join to see)
1LT Susan Bailey, Thank you ma'am for your explanation. It sounds logical and makes sense to me.
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Wow!!! Now we will have overweight personnel who may be unable to do their job due to their weight. The injuries for the back, knees and feet will rise!!!
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SGT (Join to see)
MSgt Gloria Vance, Why would any military member want to be overweight? The standards in all of the services are going down rediculously. I don't understand why all of these changes are necessary. Is it pressure from the outside making these changes? I wish I knew. I just don't get it.
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MSgt Gloria Vance
I'm with you. When the start of the second Gulf War, the standards started to drop. The personnel recruited would not have been allowed in the door, let alone serve. The weight standards give us a healthy weight, for any strenuous task required. I don't agree with the transgender inclusion either. These individuals are usually very confused and have serious mental health issues ( look at Bruce Jenner). The military lifestyle is hard enough let alone the stress of being transgender. How is all that going to play out in wartime? Surprisingly, the govt did the same loosening of standards during the Vietnam Nam War and even allowed some mentally challenged fellows in. So the precedence was set. I feel for our current Active Duty, they must be wondering what the heck is going on??
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