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Women in the united states military gender equality
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On Thursday December 3rd, 2015, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter made the announcement that all combat positions would be opened to women (Brook). Taking effect next year, women will be able to join our military’s most elite and battle hardened divisions such as the Navy Seals, Marine Corps Infantry, and Army Special Forces (Brook) -- making a total of 213,600 positions throughout 52 specialties available (Brook). In the President’s words:
The Defense Department is taking another historic step forward by opening up the remaining 10 percent of military positions, including combat roles, to women. As Commander in Chief, I know that this change, like others before it, will again make our military even stronger. (Rhodan)
So why, if our president says this decision is so beneficial, have so many people acted so adversely? Why has there been so much backlash towards this decision? Was it justified?
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
Presented by retired U.S. Army Ranger Jeff Struecker in a CNN Interview; “I think what we’ve just done is open the door to the expectation that women will now serve in the most violent, dangerous roles in the military (Stuecker),” the argument states that if women are allowed into the military, the future will bring their expectation to serve. It states that in the future, women and men will be drafted and the army will be made up of an equal number of men and women. This fifty-fifty makeup, says Struecker, is not beneficial due to the fact that the average male far outperforms the average female in battle training
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
This is because women have proved themselves to be of equal capability as men, and they have already been serving in combat positions alongside men, though not legally. Fortunately, the Pentagon was able to see this and on December 3, 2015 Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter announced that they would be officially allowing women to serve in all combat positions in the U.S. armed forces. This change in military policy will allow more representation for women in the armed forces but it also represents a major leap towards gender equality, further closing the gap between men and
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.
The most recent debate questions a women’s engagement in combat. What distinguishes some positions as being acceptable while others are not? Who has the authority to approve exceptions, and what exceptions have been made? On May 13, 2011, a bill placed before the House of Representatives addressed the issues to “repeal the ground combat exclusion policy for female members” (HR 1928).
Women have shown great courage and sacrifice on and off the battlefield, contributed in unprecedented ways to the military's mission and proven their ability to serve in an expanding number of role... The department's goal in rescinding the rule is to ensure that the mission is met with the best-qualified and most capable people, regardless of gender.
excluded from a number of jobs for no other reason than stereotyping, ideas of the inferiority of women in combat, and the chauvinistic thought of if their not there it wont happen. Remember none of the reason that I listed above would be sufficient for a government employer to legally close jobs to women so why is it different in our Armed Service?
"Update: Women in the Military." Issues and Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 29 May 2007. Web.
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.
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution guaranteed women the right to vote marking what was to become the beginning of the equality movement for women in our nation. Gender equality in the military is a recurring debate. This issue is to much debate and disagreement, it is my opinion that women should be allowed the opportunity to compete for the elite positions available in our nation’s Special Forces. In addition, women should be allowed to be on the front line serving as combat soldiers provided that they satisfy the same requirements as set forth for their male counterparts. The pursuit of equal rights for women began long before this current issue of the right of women to fight in combat zones or the opportunity to compete a position on our nation’s most elite fighting force. With ongoing wars in the Middle East, many have began to question whether a double standard exists for women in the military versus women in the private sector. Are women equal or not?
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.
Therefore the women commissioned into the army in 1943, the women that wanted to make a difference and give their life to the war effort, finally got the equality and empowerment that they had been longing for. Nurses wanting to help the war effort were not only able to officially join the army, but they were finally able to be on the front lines of battle (Appendix C). This made all the women in the World War II workforce proud and patriotic, and as a result women were more willing to join the war effort in any way that they could. This spirit has carried on into the twenty first century. On December 3, 2015, the Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, announced that by 2016 all combat jobs in the United States military will be open to women (Rosenberg). This means that now, seventy-two years after women were commissioned into the Army in 1943, qualified women will finally be able to apply for any military job and will be able to reap the same military benefits that their male counterparts
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...
To start off, citizens believe that having women in our Armed Forces creates an even better force. Having women does not only give more help to the forces but it also gives better talent and an even stronger army. In the article, “Get Women Ready for Combat” by CNN it summarizes how women will make the forces stronger and essentially many women have applied as a total of 205,000 women are occupied in the army today. Even if people don’t women in harm’s way they are still pertaining or having a harm introduced to them either way in the military. Secretary Ash Carter has also already directed the military to open
Skaine, Rosemarie. “Properly Trained Servicewomen Can Overcome Physical Shortcomings.” Women at War: Gender Issues of Americans in Combat (1999). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. University of South Alabama Library. 15 July 2006 .