Last week, an end to the military’s ban on women serving in combat positions was announced. "Treating this as if it's 'no big deal' is the wrong approach," said Beth Bailey, a professor of history at Temple who studies gender and military institutions. "Women have certainly served in roles where they were shot at and killed in action, but we are talking about women joining small combat units. Treating these as the same thing undermines what women are trying to do and the challenges the military will face."