Although it has a predominantly male identity, the military has many female characteristics. Being a member of the military requires “collective action, organization, submissiveness, obedience, fidelity, and cooperation” which are all considered to be feminine qualities (Matthews 2009). Women have indirectly been involved in combat for many years as nurses and other medical personnel which are all exposed to combat during war. The Army’s policy definition of direct combat includes “engaging an enemy,” “being exposed to direct enemy fire,” and “closing with the enemy” (Harrell). Women should not be excluded from any aspect, or only restricted to certain aspects of the military when they sign up to join. Women should be allowed to be assigned to military combat roles in active duty.
Not allowing women to participate in active combat duty is discrimination. The definition of discrimination according to Oxford Dictionary online is “The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex” (Oxford Dictionaries). Women are being treated differently because of their gender. People may argue that women are not strong enough to complete the tasks needed to fulfill a military position but females aren’t even given the same training, or even the same amount to time to prepare themselves to be able to keep up with the male units. They do their day to day jobs while the men are out training and preparing, and then are just randomly attached to the male unit sometime during the day for training (McNulty 2012). The men also had new, light weight versions of the necessary equipment to train with while the women were handed older versions of the gear that were heavier. Several...
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...ica, CA: RAND National Defense Research Institute.
Mather, M., Lighthall, N., Nga, L., & Gorlick, M. (2010, July 4). Sex differences in how stress affects brain activity during face viewing. Retrieved March 26, 2014, from http://www-scf.usc.edu/~nlightha/Mather_etal_NeuroReport.pdf
McNulty, S. S. (2012). MYTH BUSTED: WOMEN ARE SERVING IN GROUND COMBAT POSITIONS. Air Force Law Review, 68119-165.
Matthews, M. D., Ender, M. G., Laurence, J. H., & Rohall, D. E. (2009). Role of Group Affiliation and Gender on Attitudes Toward Women in the Military. Military Psychology (Taylor & Francis Ltd), 21(2), 241-251. doi:10.1080/08995600902768750
Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved April 14, 2014, from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/discrimination
U.S Army (n.d.). Army Careers: Ways to Serve in the Army. Retrieved April 12, 2014, from http://goarmy.com
In the Upfront Magazine Article “Women Warriors”, author Rebecca Zissou told the story of two women who recently graduated the Army’s Ranger School, but whether they would be able to serve alongside their fellow male graduates was unknown. Zissou also delved into the issue of whether or not women should be allowed to serve in combat positions. However, I believe that women should be allowed to serve in combat positions in the U.S. armed forces.
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.
Should women serve in combat positions? The Combat Exclusion Law has dealt with this question since the 1940’s. As time continues, the question remains. The military has increased the percentage of females allowed to be enlisted and commissioned in the services as well as increasing the positions allotted to them (Matthews, Ender, Laurence, & Rohall, 2009). Keenan posits “women have served with distinction in … the Revolutionary War…as volunteer nurses and were only occasionally in the direct line of fire…four nurses evacuating 42 patients while the Germans bombed their field hospital…” (the DoD Combat Exclusion Policy) pg. 21.
The readiness and morale of the soldiers in the Middle East were affected by this country's inability to treat women and men as equals. Some radical women's movement groups believe that until...
In the article “All Guts, No Glory” by Molly M. Ginty the author explained the everyday battles women faced in the armed forces. Until recently women were not allowed in the military what so ever, at one point in time they weren’t permitted to have any kind of job at all. Since granted the opportunity to enlist into the armed forces it was still made known that women could not engage in any form of combat operations what so ever. This included special forces, short-rang field artillery, and infantry. Today all combat operations are open to women, for the exception of special forces, do to physical requirements. This action raised the attention of most of the united states population, with the worry that women have no business in the military,
Some people say that women should be in the draft because nowadays, men and women should be considered equal. With the advancement of equality in the American society, these people argue that the armed forces should not be excluded from the growing new reputation America is trying to get. Hence, those who support women being apart of the draft argue this point. According to “Update: Women in the Military”, women have become way more involved in the army (1). From this, supporters of women joining the draft argue that their involvement in the draft should also reflect on their increasing involvement in the army. However, those who are opposed women being apart of the draft argue that equality within men and women is an unrealistic mindset. This is proven in the New York Times with Catherine Rampell’s when she writes “Women earn 92.2 cents on the dollar of what men earn” (1). This is a statistic from 2011 that shows people that complete equality between men and women has still not fully been reached. Furthermore, those opposed women and the draft argue that if America has not completely reached full equality within the genders, then neither should the army. Both of these articles bring up good points about why women should either be in the draft or not in the draft.
Many women around the world have big responsibilities in the military, and although some people may disagree, I believe they can handle anything a man can handle when it comes to being on the battlefield. Some people think that women should not be able to fight in the military, where as other people think they should be able to fight in the military. Each supporter and non-supporter has their own reasons. Some of the reasons for the non-supporters are because of their gender. They think that because they are women, they cannot handle the challenges that being on the battlefield brings. Women are willing to fight, and they know what can happen, they know exactly what can happen. They are willing to fight for their country, and I believe they should be able to. The men that fight for our country are against women fighting in combat. They believe that women are not capable of doing what they do to defend and fight for our country. The men feel that they cannot trust women to help back them up at war simply because of the fact that they are women.
Women have been in the military, or associated with combat for decades. “The most famous example of the ability of a woman to not only be involved in combat but to lead forces is that of Joan of Arc's legendary battles leading the French army when she was just a teenager.”(Gerber 1) Women have been involved in espionage and even posed as male soldiers during the Civil War. Conflicts such as, WWI, WWII, Panama, and as recent as our current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan women have served with distinction in many ways. In our most recent conflict, over 100 military women have given the ultimate sacrifice. Today with changes in our society and the global environment in which we live two controversial arguments arise concerning women in combat. Basically the debate whether or not women should be allowed to participate in direct combat or not. As our society and cultural beliefs change so does what we except as social norms. Both sides of this argument bring many reasons for and against allowing women to participate in direct combat. Taking into account both views of this controversy it will show, that not only a social change has occurred, but the dynamics of the battlefield has in fact already placed female service members into direct combat.
During WWII, the initial acceptance of woman in the military was controversial because they were deciding whether just needed more people, whether they should be an official part of the services, and whether they could perform the jobs. Most people were concerned that women would obstruct the view of American culture because they would be considered “masculine”. By 1944, women proved to be effective in helping during the war. Some were even trained to shoot guns next to the men. In 1994 the DOD (Department of Defense) created a policy that prevented women from combat with their male colleagues. They also could not be assigned to units below the brigade level, whose number one objective is combat on ground. Over the years women have showed that they are physically, mentally, and emotionally able to keep up with men in the military.
Historically, women’s participation in combat roles was limited or hidden, with the exception of a few individuals. Although women had fought unofficially in the U.S army as far back as the Revolutionary War, which they usually disguised themselves as men in order to avoid the rules that excluded them. The gender war and integration in the military has always faced the question of social acceptance, were as society can accept how women will be treated and respected in the military. Throughout the history of the military, our leadership has always sought ways of how to integrate without upsetting the general public to believing that women are capable and created equal as any man.
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 ...
Like with any modern point of contention, it is important to understand the history. Since as early as the revolutionary war, women have been active participants in the U.S. military. From nursing soldiers to cross-dressing and actually fighting, women have played a crucial
Lastly there are some concerns that society has about women in combat. It is implied that men can endure a lot of strenuous physical activities were as a woman may not. For example, there may be an issue were a fellow solider may need to be carried to safety, a woman opposed to a man will probably not be able to handle this strenuous task, and because of that standard may have to be lowered to accommodate female applicants, therefore making it easy for anyone who might not be fit to fight in combat roles accepted into those positions. There is also a fear that women can be captured by the enemy and be tortured. This a fear of both men and women but because women are at risk of encountering a misogynistic enemy the chances of rape goes up.
Many agree, that in certain military occupations, women can function at the same level as men. The controversy about having women fighting with men in wars is the fact that they have a different physical structure, deal with stress and emotions differently , are more susceptible to injury and just don't have the killer instinct necessary to get the job done. Although the last statement might appear to be a stereotype, most women would not be capable of supporting the demanding rigors of war-like situations. It would be a great mistake to allow women in these stressful and dangerous situations.
Should women be allowed in the military? My answer was at first a resounding “no.” However, once I started my research, my opinion changed. In 1948, Congress passed the combat exclusion law that prohibited women in the Air Force, Marines, and Navy to hold combat positions; however, the Army can assign these duties as they see fit (Schroeder). Some people assume that Americans are not ready to see a woman wounded or killed in war; however, there are female police officers that are wounded or killed daily (Schroeder). How can we rationalize that a woman has the right to die protecting our local communities but not our country? If a person chooses to be in a combat field, and can pass the physical demands required, gender should not be an issue. The arguments of physical differences and cohesion among the troops are valid arguments but not substantial enough to prevent women from serving in frontline combat roles within the military.