Both the Soviet Union (vs. Germany in WW2) and Israel (vs. the entire Arab World in their War of Independence) used women in combat roles (mostly as snipers). In both cases, literal national survival was at stake. While the Soviet Union under Stalin WAS a barbaric nation, this particular fact did not make it so - and Israel was NEVER a barbaric nation.
Now, when you have a nation that does NOT have its continued survival at issue on the battlefield, forcing women into combat roles IS, IMHO, barbaric. Of course, we’re just opening the roles to them, not forcing them to do anything, so we’re not quite there yet (from this perspective).
Personally, I think that it is a HUGE mistake to put women in combat roles outside of literal national survival situations, especially given whom we are fighting right now. The Moslems will not only not treat women better, they will purposely treat them WORSE if they are captured. This is an insane policy, one that will degrade our combat capacity and leave women incredibly vulnerable. Women simply don’t have the strength (with 0.001% being an exception) to cut it in combat. Flying a drone from the middle of Nevada - fine and well. Humping a rifle and an 80-pound pack in the field - not so much.
Of course the problem is that the Romney, Burr, Sununu & Gramm families consider themselves above it all and won’t serve in any capacity in the military. We are a nation of over 300 million people; staffing a few dozen infantry divisions shouldn’t be a problem.