Some of this stuff is being considered out of context. As someone pointed out in another thread, there's overall fitness standards and then there's job-specific standards. The job-specific stuff is what you want to watch. If, by the end of your training, you can't throw 60 lbs on your back and hump 12 miles without stopping to take a knee more than a few times, you have no business being in the infantry. That's an objective standard.
The overall fitness stuff is different. These tests are meant to test a person's level of fitness relative to what is achievable for that person. Of course there are going to be different standards. Even among men the standards are different. What it takes for an 18 yr old to max out the Army Physical Fitness Test is different than what it takes for a 30 yr old. Does that mean the standards have been lowered? No, it's just a recognition of different physiology. So, at 18 you're expected to be able to run faster than at 30, but at 30 you're expected to do more push ups.
The overall fitness stuff is different. These tests are meant to test a person's level of fitness relative to what is achievable for that person. Of course there are going to be different standards. Even among men the standards are different. What it takes for an 18 yr old to max out the Army Physical Fitness Test is different than what it takes for a 30 yr old. Does that mean the standards have been lowered? No, it's just a recognition of different physiology. So, at 18 you're expected to be able to run faster than at 30, but at 30 you're expected to do more push ups.