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Essays on being women in the military
Essays on being women in the military
Essays on being women in the military
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Gender Discrimination: A Woman’s Fight In life, we are all told we can do what we set our minds to and become what we want. We have been told that we are all equals and have equal chances, but what about women in the military? Not only have women have to deal with no being able to hold certain positions in the army, but they also have to deal with cruelty and harassment from fellow veterans due to their gender. Even though women can do the job just as well as men, it is not realized that veteran is not a gender-specific word for just men (Arntz). Along with not being able to hold certain positions and being harassed, they also have to deal with the after effects that come along with what they have suffered through. Women in the military constantly face a battle. Not only are they fighting outside forces, but they are also fighting inside forces. They have to fight the discrimination that comes along with being a female in serving in the military. For years, women have served and sacrificed for our country. Women, however, do not receive the same rights as men. “....About ten percent of Marine Corps and Army occupational specialities are closed to women...” (Elayne). Just because you are a woman, that does not mean you are incapable. One of the restrictions for women in the military is that they are banned from serving in ground combat jobs. These restrictions make women unable to receive job assignments that could lead them to advancements in their careers. As said in New York Times, “Many women can do combat jobs just as well as men, if not better, but none have the chance to prove it.” Women have worked hard to get through the military, yet they are still limited as to what they are allowed to do. As said by Chamberlain, “... ... middle of paper ... ... unconstitutional act. We are all equals, and we should be treated as such. Women have to face the discrimination, the harassment, the cruelty, all because of the job interest they have decided to pursue. They have to face unequal job opportunities, sexual assault by fellow soldiers, and the after effects of their experiences. Men are not the only ones able to protect our country, women can too. A woman can be or do anything she sets her mind to. It’s a matter of hard work and dedication that determines if you can be successful in the military, not whether or not you are a male. The percentage of women joining the army is increasing, and the available opportunities should increase as well. Women can do anything they set their minds to, and not be discriminated for it. It is time for a change. A change for women, a change for the military, and a change for humanity.
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
Women should be allowed in combat roles in the armed forces because they are just as capable as men. To begin, women such as Shaye Haver and Kristen Griest, graduates of the Fort Benning Ranger School, have shown that they can meet the same physical requirements as men. Nevertheless, these women still weren’t allowed to serve in combat positions despite the rigorous training they completed that involved grueling obstacles they had to complete all while carrying 100-pound gear. Does that make any sense to you? It didn’t to me and it certainly didn’t to women like Sgt. Patricia A. Bradford who said “If you have to be able to lift a certain amount of weight in order to do a certain job, then the weight is not going to know whether you’re male or female.” (Women at Arms: On the Ground.). In fact, in some instances women have proved to be even more
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.
H.R. 1928 sought to title their bill “Women’s Fair and Equal right to Military Service Act” (HR. 1928), as greater than 250,000 females had already been deployed to combat zones in the Middle East and at that time 137 females had lost their lives while in combat (HR 1928).
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?
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?
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.
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.
...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.
women in the military and found that 51.8 % of men and 74.6% of women
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.
Since the creation of the Selective Service Act of 1917, the role of a woman has evolved from the common role of a housewife, teacher or nurse. Now women have access to and are equally able to join many different career fields that were once gender based. The case Rostker v Goldberg 1981 debated whether or not women should be excluded from the Selective Service Act. Congress came to determine that “since women are excluded from combat roles in the Armed Forces, then they are not similarly situated for the purpose of the draft (Rostker, 1981)”. According to the Army Times in 2012, “The Army will start placing women in as many as 14,000 combat related jobs (Tan, 2012)”. So now, women are able to pursue combative careers in the military.
Fog covered forests, heat blasted deserts, mortar destroyed landscapes. These are just a few of the scenarios encountered on the modern day battlefield. The present day warrior needs to be decisive, emotionally stable, physically immovable and a natural born killer. Do women fit any of these descriptions? Should a woman be permitted to enter into combat situations? Some argue that it is a woman's right to be fighting along side other men. Others agree that by not letting women in ground troops her rights are being taken away. A woman can be anything that she wants but when she tries to prove that she is just as good as a man in combat she could be putting herself in very dangerous situations that could effect her and her unit.
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...
Schroeder, Patricia. “The Combat Exclusion Law Should Be Repealed.” Women in the Military (1991). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. University of South Alabama Library. 13 July 2006 .