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Research paper on women in the military
Research paper on women in the military
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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 …show more content…
the 1980s and 1990s, from 8.5 to 11.1 percent.
The military is trying to find new ways to recognize the fact that women now fight in the country’s wars. In 2011 the Military Leadership Diversity Commission recommended that the Department of Defense remove all combat restrictions on women. Although many jobs have been opened for women in the military, there is still 7.3 percent of jobs that are closed to them. On February 9, 2012, George Little announced that the Department of Defense would continue to reduce the restrictions that were put on women’s roles. The argument that “women are not physically fit for combat” is the most common and well-researched justification for their exclusion from fighting units. It has been proven if women go through proper training and necessary adaptations, they can complete the same physical tasks as any man. Though there seem to be many reasons from the exclusion of women in the military, the main ones have appeared to be that they do not have the strength to go through combat, would be a distraction to the men, and that they would interrupt male bonding and group …show more content…
performance. It has been decades since women were first able to join the military. Women still have multiple restrictions on them because they are thought to be more susceptible to the physical and emotional barriers that may be brought up. With additional training and conditioning it would further decline the gap between female and male military members. Performance is not determined by gender, it is determined by the commitment that one has to accomplish the physical requirements that are necessary. The military’s physical standards were fabricated to measure male fitness, not job efficiency. Any women can join the military, as long as they work their hardest to reach the physical and emotional stance that is imperative. My cousin, Amanda, joined the military not to long after completing her college courses. After spending years to accomplish her goal, she recently was ranked as Captain in the U.S Army. Before achieving Captain, she did three tours in Iraq, and was a Drill Sargent. This summer she was deployed to Germany, where her and her family will spend the next three years. Although my family and I will miss them dearly, we know that she has worked her hardest to achieve her goals. Being involved in the military has run through my family for generations; for example, my great-aunt and uncle were both in the Navy, my cousin and great-grandfather and grandpa were all in the Army. An argument that was brought up while campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination, Santorum, the former senator, talked about how instead of men focusing on the mission they would be more concerned about protecting a female soldier in vulnerable situations.
Being female should not impact how a man would react during tough situations, it is their job to protect as many people in the group as they can. Other than the fact that men will feel more worried about protecting the women, they also said, “men will not be able to restrain themselves sexually if forced to fight and work in close proximity to women.” In the military women and men all have the same uniform, which shows minimal skin, and women obligated to have their hair up in a bun, with no makeup on. The excuses they use to keep women out of the military only seem to become more irrational as the years have gone
by. People have argued that “lifting the ban would disrupt male bonding and unit cohesion, which is thought to build soldiers’ confidence and thereby increase combat readiness and effectiveness.” There has been significant evidence that any close relationships throughout combat, even male bonding, could impede group performance, which proves that women in the military will not interrupt the commitment that the men may have during combat. Many believe that women involved in combat will “feminize and therefore reduce the fighting potential of the military.” The reputation that women have been given have highly reduced their likelihood of being involved in combat, and because of this it has lowered their possibilities of fulfilling their goals and being accepted while doing so. If someone is willing to serve our country, I believe they should, no matter if it is a male or female, as long as they have the capabilities and right mind for it. As the years have gone by more women have been involved in the military because of the job opportunities that have been opened up to them. Although many people continue to believe that women are unsuitable for combat and that it is only making their performance as a group weaker, have never seen how strong and dependable women can be in any vulnerable situation. Being involved in the military gives a feeling of pride and sacrifice that many people will never be able to experience, and keeping women from this sort of fulfillment is not only unjust but also discriminatory. Women have come a long way and will continue to make more progress towards their full potential, and hopefully will begin to receive the same recognition and appreciation that men obtain.
Since people who have different identities view the American Dream in a variety of perspectives, individuals need to find identities in order to have a deep understanding of obstacles they will face and voices they want. In The Woman Warrior, Maxing Hong Kingston, a Chinese American, struggles to find her identity which both the traditional Chinese culture and the American culture have effects on. However, in The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros clearly identifies herself as a Hispanic woman, and pivots to move up economically and socially to speak for her race. Even though both Kingston and Cisneros look for meanings of their identities, they have different approaches of reaching the full understanding.
Men have always been looked upon as the leading sex. Looking back through history women have been the ones who take care of the home and children, while men are the ones who work and go to war. However in recent years there’s no doubt that women have become much more equal in the work force. Nevertheless men are still the ones who are forced to fight our wars when the time calls for it. Many think that women should be entirely equal to men having their choice to be drafted taken away but the fact is that they are physically at a disadvantage, too emotionally oriented, and the increase of female presence would have a more negative impact in the military in the way of social interactions.
Since the resolution of World War II, the United States has been involved in over fifteen extensive military wars. Recent wars between Iraq and Afghanistan are being fought over several issues which affect women in both the United States and the other nations. While the military is often thought of a male dominated institution, women are present and affected all throughout the system as soldiers, caretakers, partners, and victims. Transnational feminists often fight against war due to the vulnerability that is placed on women during times of war. Despite often being overlooked, there is no doubt that women are heavily included in the devastating consequences of war.
In a 1944 magazine article, Eleanor Roosevelt claimed that American “women are serving actively in many ways in this war [World War II], and they are doing a grand job on both the fighting front and the home front.”1 While many women did indeed join the workforce in the 1940s, the extent and effects of their involvement were as contested during that time as they are today. Eleanor Roosevelt was correct, however, in her evaluation of the women who served on the fighting front. Although small in number due to inadequate recruitment, the women who left behind their homes and loved ones in order to enlist in the newly established Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp (WAAC), and later the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), were deemed invaluable to the war effort.
In 1973, women began to grow in numbers in the All-Volunteer Force implemented under President Nixon. “In February 1988, Department of Defense (DoD) codified the Combat Exclusion Policy by adopting the ‘Risk Rule’”, (the DoD Combat Exclusion Policy) pg. 21, 22. The change of the feminine role in the civilian population has forced a review of their presence in the Armed Forces. These roles reviewed after the onset of the Exclusion Law in “1967 when the statutory strengths and grade limitations were lifted” (…GOA, pg 4) as well as in 1978 when positions available to women were expanded (…GOA). In 1992 and 1993 when the “Defense Authorization Acts were implemented, congress revoked the prohibition of women’s assignments to combat aircraft… and in January 1994 the ‘Risk Rule’ was rescinded” (the DoD Combat Exclusion Policy) pg 22. With the 1994 change in the “Risk Rule”, assignments were available for females in all services to participate in all available positions. Exceptions of “assignments to units below the brigade level whose primary mission is direct ground combat” (the DoD Combat Exclusion Policy) pg 22(ibid) were put in place.
There was a time when women were unable to enlist and thought of as one who maintains her home and keeps her husband happy. That has changed along with the growth of our nation. Women are now able to join the military as well as serving in jobs of combat. Our servicewomen have gone through plenty and fought for where they are within our military ranks. So why are they feeling punished for being a female in the military?
With the advent of the 1920s and the signing of the Nineteenth Amendment came a rapid movement toward women’s rights. It sped up with the beginning of World War II where six million women went to work in military factories, producing ammunition and other military goods for the sixteen million troops fighting abroad. The end of the war brought the realization that American women could work just as hard and efficiently as American men. Thus the idea of feminism was born. From here, the momentum continued before taking a hit with the loss of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1980s. This only caused women to fight harder and soon a new generation of independent women arose in the early 1990s. Nowadays, self-sufficient women can be found everywhere as CEOs in companies like PepsiCo and Kraft Foods or as associate justices on the Supreme Court. However, all the strides taken thus far had its origins not in businesses or the government but in the military. Since Joan of Arc first picked up a sword to fight for the French, women have disguised themselves as men in order to fight for their country and for their own personal independence. For example, during the Civil War (1860-1865), nearly three hundred women fought bravely in support of both the Northern and Southern cause (Weiser). Yet despite their bravery, three hundred seems trivial next to the approximately three million male soldiers that fought next to them (Weiser). The majority of contributions came from the women who stayed within the societal boundaries of the time. Unfortunately, most accounts of women in the Civil War focus on the hidden soldiers and not the supporting housewives. With such a small amount of women defying the norm, one has to wonder to what extent did women ...
When it comes to combat assignments and the needs of the military, men take precedence over all other considerations, including career prospects of female service members. Female military members have been encouraged to pursue opportunities and career enhancement within the armed forces, which limit them only to the needs and good of the service due to women being not as “similarly situated” as their male counterparts when it comes to strength or aggressiveness, and are not able to handle combat situations.
...nto a situation of high testosterone, women are not considered to be a threat. Military research now however, has shown that women have the physical stamina to endure battle and do not disrupt the cohesion in the male units and can also be mentally tough without breaking when under fire. Women are not only discriminated against in the military, they are also discriminated against in Philosophy, religion, and Popular Culture.
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.
The story of America’s military woman can be traced to the birth of our nation. During the American Revolutionary War, the 18th and 19th centuries, where women served informally as nurses, seamstresses, cooks, and even as spies and were subject to Army’s rules of Conduct. Though not in uniform, these women shared soldier’s hardships including inadequate housing and little compensation. Women have formally been part of the U.S Armed Forces since the Inception of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901. In 1973 the transition to the All-Volunteer Force marked a dramatic increase in the opportunities available for women to serve in the military. As of September 30, 2009, the total number of active duty women in the U.S was 203, 375, and women made up 14.3 percent of the U.s armed forces (Robinson). Women are a crucial role in c...
While women are integrated into boot camps, they are not allowed to serve front line combat roles. Opponents argue that women should not be allowed in combat roles because they are not subject to the same physical training standard as men, and women do not possess the physical strength to be effective in combat roles. Based on these assumptions, opponents claim that women are unable to enhance their units and this ineffectiveness endangers national security. Furthermore, opponents argue that the public is not ready to accept women in combat and if women were allowed, it would promote the idea that violence against women is acceptable. However, the overall issue of allowing women into combat roles should be based on equality.
More able-bodied soldiers were called to leave the militia and join Washington’s army. As more and more men were leaving, the implementation of women soldiers became more crucial. “Keeping women out of combat, like keeping them from full participation in the labor force, is feasible only when there is no shortage of manpower.” Because of the never-ending call for men to leave their units, women had no choice but to join in the fighting in order to be successful in the
Now women are allowed to be in armed forces as we know with the most recent news of the first women to graduate from ranger class, Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver however, women are not allowed on front line duty and why is that? Many people say that women are not emotionally or physically capable. Few bigger reasons is that they believe that the male soldiers will do foolish things for our women, the other is that they will pamper with the mission's effectiveness. There has been a lot of conflict with if women are as effective as men and or as useful.
Wojack, Adam N. “Women Can Be Integrated Into Ground Combat Units.” Integrating Women into the Infantry (2002). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. University of South Alabama Library. 13 July 2006 .