Stereotypes are everywhere and can be about anyone. Generalized remarks about gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity or age are common forms of stereotyping. Any time someone makes hasty groupings whether by race, gender or an individual and makes a blanket judgment about them is stereotyping. Military members are no different than society. One of the military's greatest assets is its diverse workforce but with diversity comes stereotypes. As a woman in the military, I frequently encounter stereotypes and have made hasty conclusions about others. This paper will discuss a few stereotypes that I have faced in the military.
Women have been serving honorably in the military for centuries; yet, the some of the stereotypes still exist. There are still men who make blanket assumptions or hasty generalizations about women in the military. According to Mosser (2011), "Often the fallacy of hasty generalization can lead to damaging stereotypes made on the basis of just a few examples" (Sec 4.1). A common stereotype that still exists is that women in the military are not as committed to the mission as their male counterparts. He used to say that only the men in Air Force truly followed the second core value of "Service before Self." He would tell us that women subscribe to "Family before Service." He made this connection because two of his previous female airmen did not complete their fair share of work and often found ways to get out of deploying. My supervisor's stereotype of military women infuriated me but also motivated me to prove him wrong. I garnered more than 100 Letters of Appreciations from General Officers, Senators, Congressmen, and the Secretary of State for my outstanding work. Generalized judgments lik...
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... by the women who worked with my previous supervisor. Also, stereotypes can cause broken communication and also breed distrust within an organization. In a military where diversity is an asset, stereotypes can halt synergy. This paper covered some of the stereotypes I have seen in the military and the fallacies of those arguments.
Works Cited
Ditto, P. (2011). How Pre-existing Beliefs Distort Logical Reasoning. Retrieved from http://searchcenter.intelecomonline.net/playClipDirect.aspx?id=E22DB555B562B463C0F5EE35DE315BCB5CA9621ED0132E1823264876125E799D1789474455514F32C8FEA4B7688954B4.
Kemick, A. (2010, August 12). Stereotyping Has Lasting Negative Impact. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2010/08/12/stereotyping-has-lasting-negative-impact.
Mosser, K. (2011). An introduction to logic. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
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
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.
... The General Accounting Office concluded in a hearing on May 8th 1999 that combat inclusion is the greatest impediment to women attaining higher military rank. Until qualified women are given access to assignments that are central to the militaries mission, they will be marginalized. Sexual harassment is a huge problem
RaStereotyping is a way of thinking about groups of people. It ignores the differences of the group, while emphasizing its similarity. One belief, that is a stereotype, is that red-haired people are hot tempered. Another belief is that Scottish people are stingy. Such thinking ignores many even-tempered redheads and generous Scottish people. Stereotyping emphasizes many differences between groups while ignoring their similarities to other people. It ignores that many blond and brown-haired people also lose their tempers. Stereotyping overlooks the fact that many American, Brazilians and French people are stingy.
"Update: Women in the Military." Issues and Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 29 May 2007. Web.
The military has become the epicenter for rape and abuse of women, all of which military officials have swept aside with all too little concern. Case after case of rape and sexual harassment are dismissed with little to no investigation made. The women of the military live scared of their male superiors and colleagues, and what they might do. Victims of sexual harassment or rape often see their pursuers honorably discharged and returned to society with no criminal record.
The US Military has a long history and jaded history of issues with sexual assault. The number of women sexually assaulted in the US Military is 5% higher than that of women in the ficivilian population; there are an estimated 20,000 sexual assaults on women service members each year. This is not, however, a strictly female problem; it is estimated that nearly half of...
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.
In the modern era, stereotypes seem to be the ways people justify and simplify the society. Actually, “[s]tereotypes are one way in which we ‘define’ the world in order to see it” (Heilbroner 373). People often prejudge people or objects with grouping them into the categories or styles they know, and then treat the types with their experiences or just follow what other people usually do, without truly understand what and why. Thus, all that caused miscommunication, argument or losing opportunities to broaden the life experience. Stereotypes are usually formed based on an individual’s appearance, race, and gender that would put labels on people.
Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” deals with the reader's perspective on stereotypes. It allows the reader’s mind to be creative and question who is the African American women and who is the Caucasian women. The short fiction is based on two main characters; Roberta and Twyla. Neither women’s race is discussed in the story but they are, in fact, different. The setting took place in St. Bonny's shelter where both had no other choice but to be placed together. Roberta and Twyla were not fully considered “orphans” because their parents were not dead; one was sick and one was a dancer. Being that they are not actual orphans, many of the others did not want to hangout with them. “Recitatif” was also filled with stereotypical references to
Race comes in various forms however; it is a topic of concern because no matter if a person claims that they are anti-prejudiced, it is impossible for this world to be free from stereotyping them. A stereotype per dictionary.com is a, “set of inaccurate generalizations about a group/race that allows others, outside the group, to categorize them and treat them according to their group/race”, (SITE DICTIONARY.COM). In the story, Recitatif, readers will come across prejudice acts or stereotypes; however, people tend to realize their own stereotypes as they read or learn about someone else’s, hence making it comfortable throughout the story for themselves.
Gender integration in the military has always faced the question of social acceptance, whether society can accept how women will be treated and respected in the military. Throughout the history of the military, our leadership has always sought ways in how to integrate without upsetting the general public if our females were captured as prisoners of war, raped, discriminated or even blown up in combat. My paper will discuss three situations pertaining to the first female submariner, fighter pilot and infantry graduate. I will also discuss some of the arguments that male military leaders and lawmakers opposed the integration of women: lack of strength, endurance, and the disruption of unit cohesion. I will end this paper with my personnel experience as a female NCO responsible for other female subordinates within my command and share some of their experiences while deployed in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The military has rules against women serving in roles with a high probability of direct combat. The problem is women are assigned to the support units which are deployed along with the combat units ...
Patten, Eileen, and Kim Parker. "Women in the U.S. Military: Growing Share, Distinctive Profile." Pew Research Centers Social Demographic Trends Project RSS. N.p., 22 Dec. 2001. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. .
With the United States military being a largely male dominated field, my ability to lead and prove myself as a female officer is a certain obstacle within the coming years. There will be judgement; both up and down my future chain of command. However, this future dilemma can be counteracted. The information found within this article allows for women to start finding their leadership style now, not when it is too late. By understanding these fundamental challenges of the future, experiences and application of lessons can be taken on in the present to further prepare for the future. The “double blind” that women are subject to was a topic that I found extremely interesting. In both articles, from The Wall Street Journal and The Huffington Post, the authors hit on this delicate balance that is required to be a successful female leader. When considering this idea in the present, I can completely understand this concept through the analysis of female leaders in our unit. Those who are more gentle, or feminine, in their approach with leadership dilemmas are viewed as “weak”; on the other hand, those who tackle the problem aggressively are seen as “power hungry.” I think that in addition to this article identifying these issues to help women, it also allows for male counterparts to become more understanding of this situation. By