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Integration of women into military
Integration of women into military
Diversity in the military
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Understanding the diversity in the U.S. Military is easiest if the numbers are looked at according to this nation’s population. American women account for fifty-one percent of the U.S. population and yet they only make up about sixteen percent of our uniformed officers throughout each branch of the military. The numbers are even fewer when looking at the number of women who have made a general officer rank. In the Army, only four percent of the generals are female, Navy admirals are seven percent, Air Force numbers are only nine percent, and the lowest number is the Marine Corps with three percent. (Sagalyn, 2011). The graph below shows the disparity in the numbers from each branch of the military and covers both active and reserve officers. (Sagalyn, 2011). There are two main reasons for the lack of females involved in the higher ranks of the U.S. military. (1)- Women are not allowed to participate in combat, which is most often how a promotion is achieved. The reasoning behind this problem is feelings and beliefs about gender integration would harm how effective a combat unit would be. (2)- There is a much higher turnover rate with women than there is with their male colleagues. Women are not as likely to remain in service as long as men and are less likely to view the military as a permanent or long-term career which will affect their chances at a promotion. (Sagalyn, 2011). The problem of women fighting in combat along with their male counterparts is not a one-sided problem. Elizabeth Hoisington has earned the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Army, leads the Women’s Army Corps and believes that women should not serve in combat because they are not as physically, mentally, or emotionally qualified as a male is and that ... ... middle of paper ... ..., which seems to happen all too often when it comes to the treatment of women in the military. Works Cited Bell, D. (2013, May 15). Arguing For and Against Women in Combat, in 1978. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/press-past/2013/05/15/arguing-for-and-against-women-in-combat-in-1978 Kennedy, K. (2013, July 25). Military women say sexual assault and harassment remain. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/07/23/sexual-assaults-continue-to-plague-military/2577995/ Rosenblum, K., & Travis, T. (2012). The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability (6th ed.). New York, NT: McGraw-Hill. Sagalyn, D. (2011, March 11). Report: U.S. Military Leadership Lacks Diversity at Top. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/03/military-report.html
From the end of the draft in 1973 to the military data from 2003, the number of women in service rose from 2 percent to 12 percent. A sample of military women studied in 1991 showed 69 percent to have experienced sexual harassmen...
Within Megan H. Mackenzie’s essay, “Let Women Fight” she points out many facts about women serving in the U.S. military. She emphasizes the three central arguments that people have brought up about women fighting in the military. The arguments she states are that women cannot meet the physical requirements necessary to fight, they simply don’t belong in combat, and that their inclusion in fighting units would disrupt those units’ cohesion and battle readiness. The 1948 Women’s Armed Services Integration Act built a permanent corps of women in all the military departments, which was a big step forward at that time. Although there were many restrictions that were put on women, an increase of women in the U.S. armed forces happened during
Thousands of men enlisted and were sent to fight during World War II. However, many people are unaware of the role that women played in the war, not only in taking over the jobs that would have previously belonged to men at home, but also in combat. D’Ann Campbell’s article “Women in Combat: The World War II Experience in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and the Soviet Union” explores this topic. Campbell argues that the role of women in combat has been overlooked in the study of the Second World War. She states that, in fact, “the history everyone has learned about the greatest and best-known war of all times has airbrushed out the combat roles of women” (323). In the article, Campbell compares the methods of the four major powers involved in the war, the Unites States, Great Britain, Germany, and the Soviet Union, of involving women in combat, and what those methods used say about gender roles in that particular country.
With society’s past and present it is apparent that women are still not equal even if they have the title. Men are observably stronger and have a different mentality in situations than women. This is not to say that women should not be in the military but they should have the choice that way they can accept the responsibility and train themselves mentally and physically to achieve the responsibility and respect needed to fight for our country.
Women are often victims in war in several circumstances. One of the victimizations The more extreme victimization of women occurs through gender violence while in service as a soldier. In the United States, the film The Invisible War recognizes that over one fifth of serving women experienced sexual assault and there is nearly no justice system to combat this. One man had raped several women in the service, but still was able to receive congressional medal of honors for his actions and bravery (The Invisible War).
in the military today. Over 42 percent of all enlisted women say they have sexual harassed by they*re male colleges. There have been major scandals
Towell, Pat. "Women's Combat Role Debated as Chiefs Denounce Sex Bias." Congressional Quarterly 1 Aug. 1992: 2292-93.
..., which includes the front lines. Panetta's statement at a Pentagon news conference defends that women belong in combat:
Viahos, Kelly Beucar. "Women Are Not Prepared to Serve in Combat." Gale Opposing Viewpoints, 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.
Becraft, Carolyn J. “ A Case for Women in Combat.” U.S Army Command and General Staff
Women all around the world who are in the military are constantly getting harassed and raped by the soldiers and there is nothing that anybody is doing about it.
The Marines is a male dominated institution that has had clear-cut gender-roles for it members. The women in the Marine Corps have long battled these general-roles and stereotypes with being seen as inferior to males. When they were first allowed to serve they were relegated to gender specific occupational fields, such as secretaries (Fredriksen, J. C. 2011). These gender stereotypes make it hard for women to succeed due to the fact that the cultural hegemony of the Marines includes purely masculine traits as the basis for leadership and effectiveness. All female Marines, are subjected to their minority status in Marine Corps (Weatherill, Vogt, Taft, King, King, & Shipherd 2011), but it seems that women of color are more often subjected to both race and gender bias within the Marine Corps and overall harassment in the workplace (Foynes, M. M., Shipherd, J. C., & Harrington, E. F. 2013). These inequalities can have a profound effect on the mental and physical health of female Marines (Kessler, Mickelson, & Williams
The US Military has a long history and jaded history of issues with sexual assault. The number of women sexually assaulted in the US Military is 5% higher than that of women in the ficivilian population; there are an estimated 20,000 sexual assaults on women service members each year. This is not, however, a strictly female problem; it is estimated that nearly half of...
Ruby, J. (2005, November 1). Women in Combat Roles: Is That the Question?. Off Our Backs,35, 36.
Landers, Robert K. "Should women be allowed into combat?" Congressional Quarterly Inc. 13 Oct., Vol. 2, No. 14, pp. 570-582