This thesis discusses the continuing struggle for women's parity in American society. While women continue to gain parity in the civilian sector, equality in the military continues to elude them. This thesis exemplifies women's struggle for gender parity by examining the role of women in the U.S. military, contrasting their direct ground combat experiences with Department of Defense (DoD) policy which excludes women from ground combat. Beginning with a historical review of the role of women in the Revolutionary War through the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, this study reviews DoD regulations barring women from ground combat. The documents used to examine the role of women in combat include books, journal articles, DoD regulations and Congressional hearings. This study confirms that the Combat Exclusion Policy is no longer relevant on the modern battlefield, as evidenced by the commendable ground combat performance of women in the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars.