Sexism In Military

In the prime time of equality, what is happening to women serving in the armed forces? Many of us assume that they face the same problems as men in the same line of duty. Their fight is actually much different. They may face discriminatory situations while serving, like sexism. One of the most gruesome parts of some of their hardships is sexual assault. Not all women have had this experience, but some certainly have. “Why should women serve if they undergo these hardships?” you may ask. Because these women want health care, an education, or they simply want to defend their country. In 2013, Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta signed a document to discontinue the Defense Department’s ban on women in ground combat roles. The decision put an end to the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assigment Rule. The rule prevented women from artillery, armor, infantry, and more combat roles

The definition the VA uses comes from the Federal law (Title 38 U.S. Code 1720D) which states the following in it, “psychological trauma, which in the judgment of a VA mental health professional, resulted from a physical assault of a sexual nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harrassment which occurred while the Veteran was serving on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training.” Other experiences that fall in the category of MST are unwanted sexual touching or grabbing; threatening or offensive remarks about someone’s body or sexual activity; and unwelcome sexual advances. The VA has a national screening program, where every veteran will be seen for health care. During the screening they will be asked if they have experienced MST. The VA provides data to the nation which reveals 1 in 4 women and 1 in 100 men have answered yes. These are only the veterans that have chose to come