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Integration of females into the military
Integration of females into the military
Essays on women in combat
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Should Women Be Able to Join the Front Line? The US constitution states that every man is equal regardless of their race and gender. The ban from 1994 -that prevented women from joining the front line-was lifted on January 24th, 2013 (Harris 1). The recommendation came from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and unanimously won (Roulo 1). Even though 14 percent of the military`s 1.4 million are women, they are still asking to fight on the front line (Harris 1). Women should fight in combat situations because they have changed people`s mind about war and everyone is given an equal chance; however many women cannot meet requirements set by men. Women have changed people`s ideas on war for the past two centuries of American history. “People are realizing females have contributed to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan,” stated Professor Megan Mackenzie (Harris 2). Although women are not fighting on the front lines, they help in many different ways in the military such as being nurses and women Air force Service Pilots. In his career, General Martin Dempsey has noticed an improvement in the culture, discipline, and physical prowess since women first joined the military (Harris 2). Leon E. Panetta once stated that women are willing to fight and die alongside men, proving that everyone is committed to the job (Roulo 2). In November of 2012, four female soldiers planned to sue the Department of Defense because the “brass ceiling” was stopping them from proving they could fight (Harris 1). The American Civil Liberties Union and others supported them because they thought the military was discriminating against women (Harris 1). Women have shown that they are committed to helping though their contributions to past wars and battles in American history. ... ... middle of paper ... ...mmitting to that principle, we are committing to the American values that men and women fight or die for (Roulo 3). Although the ban is lifted on women in war, one can still sign petitions and support others against discrimination and inequality. Work Cited Carberry, Sean. ”Women in Combat: What do Troops in Afghanistan Think.” npr.org. NPR, 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. Harris, Paul. “Women in Combat: US Military Officially Lifts Ban on Female Soldiers.” the guardian.com. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. Roulo, Claudette. “Defense Department Expands Women`s Combat Role.” defense.gov. U.S. department, 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014 Thompson, mark. “Women in Combat: Shattering the Brass Ceiling.” nationtime.com. Time, 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. Vanden brook, tom and Jim Michaels. “Officials: Panetta opens combat roles to women.” armytimes.com. Army Times, 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
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
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
Women in the US Military - Civil War Era. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
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.
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.
"From Home Front to Front Line." Women in War. Ed. Cecilia Lee and Paul Edward Strong. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. The Churchill Centre. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
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 proven that they belong and the ban on them being in combat has been lifted because they have shown that they meet not only the minimum requirements but go above and beyond.
"Update: Women in the Military." Issues and Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 29 May 2007. Web.
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 ...
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.
Burke, Colleen. "Women and Militarism." Women and Militarism. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Web. 05 May 2012. .
Ruby, J. (2005, November 1). Women in Combat Roles: Is That the Question?. Off Our Backs,35, 36.
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.
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.