Women around the world today opportunities that did not exist for them previously. Many of these women have found the calling for a livelihood in physical careers such the the Unites States military, police and fire services that have normally been male dominated. In these jobs, men and women are conventionally required to undergo customary fitness testing that will determine whether they are fit enough for the tasks associated with these jobs. In many cases, the standards are different for the women than they are for the men. Critics of these standards claim that men and women need to work under the same conditions and be required to reach the same minimum fitness level. Due to the physiological evolution of the human species, women generally have lower physical …show more content…
Physical fitness tests are commonly used in job fields that rely on the physical fitness as an integral part of the job’s duties. These duties are common with most military, police and fire work. The United States Army's physical fitness test is a three-event physical performance test that will assess endurance. It is used to measure a the applicant’s physical strengths, abilities, and cardio fitness. All applicants are required to pass the basic training physical fitness test to graduate from boot camp. The three physical fitness test events are two minutes of push-ups, two minutes of sit-ups, and a timed 2-mile run. The results from each event are assigned a score. Age, gender and the amount of repetitions or time elapsed for each event determines the score. Unlike other military endurance tests, the Army’s physical fitness test is normally performed in normal workout gear. To graduate boot camp, the applicant must score 150 points or higher with at least 50 points in each event. Male and female applicants have different scoring minimums that are based on their age groups.