The Role of Women in the Military
explanatory Essay
909 words
The Role of Women in the Military
Women have always played significant parts in the United States military throughout the years; even though in the early years they where not allowed to enlist, they still performed certain duties that was vital to the military. However the roles that women have played have often been limited to certain duties. Women in the past where limited in what they where allowed to do, but more and more opportunities are opening for them as times change and women continue to fight for equal rights.
Women over the years have had to overcome a lot of the cultural views on the roles women are expected to play, in order for them to be an accepted part of the military. Women have often been stereotyped as being weaker than their male peers and in earlier years the duties women where expected to play, where that of a homemaker. Serving in the military was not culturally acceptable, even though women still played very important roles that where vital to the military. During the Revolutionary War women often had to take on the duties of there husbands. They often had to run there husbands businesses and do many other duties that where considered a mans work. The increasing responsibilities women had to perform helped pave the way for acceptance in the military. Women proved they where able to perform the duties of there male peers and this helped open the doors to serving in the military.
Women began to be an accepted part of the military after the Army Nurse Corps was established in 1901, but they often played important roles all the way back to the American Revolution. One very memorable woman that played a role in the American Revolutionary War was Deborah Sampson. She entered the Continental Army dres...
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... with more acceptance by their male peers.
Works Cited
Armor, David J. "Race and gender in the U.S. military." Armed Forces & Society: An Interdisciplinary Journal 23.1 (1996): Pg 7. Military and Intelligence Database Collection. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Cogliano, Francis D. Revolutionary America, 1763-1815: A Political History. London: Routlege, 1999. eBook Collection EBSCOhost. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.
Coughlin, Anne M., and Blake Points. "Women and the military." Iris: A Journal About Women (2002): Pg 39. Literature Resource Center. Cengage Learning Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
"Sampson, Deborah." Britannica Biographies (2012): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
Segal, Mady Weschler. “Womens Military Roles Cross-Nationally: Past, Present, and Future.” Gender and Society. Vol.. 9, No.6 (Dec 1995) pp. 760. Sage Publications, Inc. jstor.org. ezproxy Web. 28 Apr 2014.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that women have played significant roles in the united states military throughout the years, even though they weren't allowed to enlist. however, the roles they've played have often been limited to certain duties.
- Explains that women were stereotyped as weaker than their male peers in order to be accepted in the military. during the revolutionary war women had to take on the duties of their husbands.
- Explains that women were accepted into the military after the army nurse corps was established in 1901, but they played important roles all the way back to the american revolutionary war.
- Explains that women served as cooks, laundresses and nursed the wounded back to health before the establishment of the army nurse corps.
- Explains that deborah sampson and others served as spies. they were often employed as cooks and maids, which provided them with ample opportunities to spy.
- Explains that the increase of women in the military has resulted in an increase in roles women are allowed to perform today because more and more women fight for equality to their male peers.
- Explains that during world war ii, there was a large amount of women who served in the military, except for direct combat. the roles women have been allowed to perform have changed gradually since they enlisted.
- Explains that the cultural views on the roles of women have changed, affecting the duties women can perform in the military. men used to be the sole provider of the family and were stereotyped as tough and brave.
- Explains that women can now serve in some combat duties, including combat aircraft and surface ships, but are still excluded from direct ground combat.
- Concludes that women have always been a significant part of the military, whether they were accepted or not. without the help of women in the earlier wars, things would not have turned out the way they did.
- Cites armor, david j., and cogliano, francis d. revolutionary america, 1763-1815: a political history.
Related
- opinion
- analytical
- explanatory
- argumentative
- Women in the Militaryopinion essayIn Women in the Military, Janette Mance explores the debates and problems faced by the increasing number of women involved in the military. After examining issues such as pregnancy, sexual harassment, and rape, Mance concludes that as a society we must continue to strive for gender equality.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how janette mance explores the debates and problems faced by the increasing number of women involved in the military and concludes that as a society we must continue to strive for gender equality.
- Opines that women have stood like a rock for the welfare and glory of our country's history, from the storm lashed decks of the mayflower to the present hour.
- Explains that women have played an important role in the military, but it has not been until recently that they have been recognized for their past achievements in this area.
- Opines that women in the military are a good idea, but there are many obstacles that make that reality difficult to achieve.
- Explains that general jeanne holm's book, women in the military: an unfinished revolution, gives an impressive account of the roles that women have played in military history.
- Explains that women have been serving their country since it began. molly pitcher fired her cannon in 1778 without congressional sanction. in the revolutionary and civil wars, women fought disguised as men.
- Explains how the idea that women serving in the military should be offered the same protection as men did not arise until world war ii. congresswoman edith rodgers introduced a bill to congress proposing the establishment of the women’s army auxiliary corps.
- Explains that the waac bill was the first major breakthrough for women in the armed forces, but it was deemed a failure due to the drawbacks that were included.
- Describes the women's armed service integration act as the first major step towards the allowance of women in the military.
- Explains that after the integration act was established, frenzy over the debate calmed down and people were returning to the lives that they once knew before the war began.
- Explains how feminism, the vietnam war, and the equal rights amendment changed the role of women in the military.
- Explains that 1975 was a key year for women in the military. the department of defense eliminated the practice of discharging women on the basis of pregnancy due to the idea of equal opportunity.
- Explains that in 1978, the army, navy, and air force integrated women into their ranks by abolishing the wac, waves and waf.
- Explains that women were fully integrated into the military with the defense officer personnel management act, which allowed women to be integrated onto previously all male promotion lists.
- Sums up the 1980's for military women as a period of relative stability and normalcy when all the "firsts" and pioneering will be behind them. the challenge is to chart the course to make it happen.
- Opines that acceptance and equal opportunity should be the norm.
- Explains that the issue of women in the military sparked a hot debate, turning the debate into gender war. pregnancy was one such barrier, which kept women at home for centuries.
- Analyzes how s of sound off were interested in the question of why women join the military. many people believe that women enter to fight a battle for feminism.
- Explains how margaret c. harrell and laura l. miller's book, new opportunities for military women: effects upon readiness, cohesion and morale, examines how many positions have opened up to women.
- Explains how miller and harrell selected military units that would provide a broad view of the issues and used focus groups to find out the opinions of people on the effects of recent changes.
- Analyzes how harrell and miller's data shows that the integration of women into the military is slow, but it is moving along.
- Opines that if our country wishes to achieve full equality between the sexes, all positions, including combat positions should be open to women.
- Opines that both sides of the debate raise valid points when examining the issue from the point of view of those who oppose women in the military.
- Explains that the canadian experience in which women were recruited for the 16 week infantry training course was identical to the men's course.
- Explains that most women cannot live up to the expectations of a combat position. if we change those standards, would we compromise our overall combat capabilities?
- Opines that the traditional gender roles that govern our nation have been in existence since the beginning of the common era.
- Explains that many service members are for the idea of women in combat although with a few stipulations.
- Explains that more than half the enlisted men and one-third of the male officers favored allowing women into all combat positions from which they are now excluded.
- Explains that army surveys show that women soldiers believe combat experience will help their careers, but they want women to be assigned to combat positions only if they volunteer.
- Opines that a compromise may be long in coming due to the arguments that each side has, and because women, soldiers and civilians alike are divided on the issues.
- Analyzes how patricia hanna's book, women soldiers, looks at the stresses in careers of us servicewomen. harrell and miller found that some women felt that they could not report sexual harassment.
- Explains that the tailhook scandal is the most well-known case of sexual harassment within the military. lt. paula coughlin reported being sexually assaulted at tailhook.
- Opines that the tailhook scandals are at the extreme end of the spectrum. it is unfortunate, but because not all cases are reported it is difficult to find a solution.
- Opines that the debate regarding women in the military will continue to rage on as our country struggles to overcome sexist barriers.
- Opines that centuries of patriarchy and structured gender roles are not going to be erased in a short period of time. our best bet is to strive for equality by any means possible.
- Explains burrelli, david, foreign affairs and national defense division, 92008: women in the military.
- Describes cohen, william's "on women in the military."
- Opines that coed military’s ‘drawbacks’ aren’t for the female re cruits.
- Cites hanna, patricia, and elisabetta addis, valeria e. "stressors in careers of us servicewomen."
- Describes harrell, margaret c., and laura l. miller's new opportunities for military women: effects upon readiness.
- States priest, dana, military study finds women fill few jobs tied to combat.
- Explains that schneider, dorothy, and carl j. sound off: american military women speak out.
- Explains walters, nolan, "new drill for military as more women join ranks." seattle times.
4234 wordsRead More - Women in the Militaryanalytical essayUnderstanding 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the disparity in the numbers from each branch of the military and covers both active and reserve officers.
- Explains that sexual assault and/or harrassment is a serious problem for women in the military. they state that women are ostracized and retaliated against if rapes are reported.
- Opines that stressful situations such as war and/or combat missions serve to prove manhood, but only if women also see it from that point of view.
- Explains the reasons for the lack of females in the higher ranks of the u.s. military.
- Cites bell, d., and travis, t. (2012). the meaning of difference: american constructions of race, sex and gender, social class, sexual orientation,
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that the united states department of veteran affairs provides health care, general benefits, services and assistance with burials and memorials to all veterans, but there are smaller divisions within the va that cater to certain interest groups.
- Explains how women became involved in the civil war, although not formally part of the service. after world war ii, the women's armed services integration act was signed by president harry truman.
- Explains that the women's armed service integration act increased women’s interest in the military. the inadequacy of the benefits stems from the male-dominated military industry.
- Explains that the programs are not tailored to adequately serve african american women veterans due to the increase in female recruits.
- Explains that homelessness is a misfortune that all races and both genders face, but in the va, the face is still white, middle aged male. women and african americans are underrepresented in research.
- Explains that the ideological groundwork of the policies and programs resonates in the eligibility criterion for eligibility for va benefits and eligibility consideration.
- Explains that this conservative value narrows the scope of care of all veterans that have served the us. however, any discharge that is not issued by general courts-martial may be appeal and possible changed.
- Explains that social welfare programs cater to the notion of an inclusive society, providing enough to mask the most conspicuous examples of poverty and suffering.
- Explains that the veteran programs rely on a budget that is determined and passed by congress. a disruption in any level of the process for the budget to be passed can hinder the programs productivity.
- Explains that the first policy enacted in 1948 gave women full status in the military, but it took another 40 years for the women's veterans health program to be created. the center for women veterans was created to further mainstream the dispersion of va benefits to women veterans.
- Explains the women veteran health program, center for women veterans, and the homeless veterans programs run by the office of public and intergovernmental affairs.
- Explains that the va has housing programs that cater to women veterans and their families who are very low income and/or homeless. all three programs give grants to other programs who serve their interest group populations.
- Explains the supportive services for veteran families program, the housing choice voucher program and the grant and per diem program.
- Explains that the women's veterans health program and the center for women veterans exclusively served women veterans who are eligible for va benefits.
- Explains that women veterans are 3 times more likely to become homeless than non-veteran women. the 2011 summit women veterans focused on how to fix the issue.
- Explains the benefits provided by the department of veteran affairs. the funding for each of the programs is written into the budget which both houses of congress must pass.
- Explains that the supportive service for veteran families and the grant and per diem program, funded by the va, provide support programs that help obtain housing for veterans.
- Explains that funding for government funded programs is predetermined within the fiscal year budget which is determined yearly. the change in funding can be changed due to the political climate or the heightened interest in other social issues.
- Cites blau, abramovitz, rosenheck, & desai. ideological perspectives and conflicts. the dynamics of social welfare policy.
- Explains that trauma experience among homeless female veterans: correlates and impact on housing, clinical, and psychosocial outcomes.
- Cites vogt, bergeron, salgado, daley, ouimette, and wolfe, who analyzed barriers to veterans health administration care in a nationally representative sample of women veterans.
- Explains gamache, rosenheck, and tessler's research on overrepresentation of women veterans among homeless women.
- Explains that section 8 housing choice vouchers: revised implementation of the hud-va supportive housing program.
- Cites the united states department of veterans affairs (2013), women veteran health care, and the 2011 national training summit on women veterans.
2104 wordsRead More - Women Changing the View of the Militaryexplanatory essayThe military has mostly been dominated by men; the women have also had history of military success. For example, during the second world war, the women were mostly serving as nurses (Manila Bulletin). Women have come far from being nurses during world war II to being able to hold any positions. Some women can be in almost any position. Now women are found on the fronts lines. Also, during World War II, women who were nurses at Pearl Harbor came into a combat situation in which they were to engage and kill the enemy (Manilla Bulletin). An increase of women in the military has impacted the military by having different job roles, expanding military positions, and increasing more sexual assaults.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the military has mostly been dominated by men, but women have also had history of military success. for example, during the second world war, the women were mostly nurses.
- Explains that women in combat have served as long as men have and for many years have not been treated as equally as the men.
- Explains that women have been trying to get a good position for many years from wanting to be tank operators to getting into combat.
- Explains how women impacted the military by getting sexual assaults. the military agreeing with the department of defense made new rules and policies for the cases.
- Explains that women have expanded their roles in the military from not having full military status having to having same status as the men. they also have a risk of sexual assault.
- Cites the economist 35 (2013): global issues in context. web. 14 apr. 2014. domi. tanya.
827 wordsRead More - World War II: The Duties of Womenanalytical essayWhen people think of women’s role during World War II, they may instantly imagine the famous poster of “Rosie the Riveter,” a female with a bandana around her head and flexing her muscles. This poster certainly symbolizes the roles of women during wartime; however, it represents the women working in the factories while the men were in combat. Consequently, many may unintentionally disregard the abundant number of females serving in the military. Although these females were not permitted to fight in combat, they served in women divisions such as the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). Discussing her service during World War II with interviewer Arthur L. Kelly on Wednesday, July 17, 1985, in Frankfort, Kentucky, Clara Margaret Fort recounted her nearly 25 year career serving with the WAVES. Despite Fort’s inability to remember numerous dates and names throughout the interview, possibly due to her old age, she did discuss the various training she underwent as an enlisted cadre, as well as the different positions she held. Additionally, she discussed the perceptions male militants had of their counterparts, some of which were the causation of gender discrimination. Thus, the interview is an adequate representation of both the roles and discrimination females experienced while serving during the Second World War.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the poster of "rosie the riveter" symbolizes the roles of women during wartime; however, it represents the women working in the factories while the men were in combat.
- Describes how fort was sworn in as an enlisted cadre and sent north for training. she was promoted and placed in charge of fellow female corpsmen and managed a military recreational center in texas.
- Analyzes how fort's memoir illustrates the type of roles and discrimination females experienced while serving during this time period.
- Analyzes how fort felt discriminated against because of her gender, and how the first woman in the navy (joy hancock) to be promoted to captain did not occur until after the war.
- Analyzes how arthur kelly directed most questions to explain discrimination, rather than finding situations in which fort felt no prejudice or lack of respect because of her gender. kelly may have tried to direct fort's thoughts innocently since she is an older woman.
- Opines that the interview provides an adequate representation of the military life experienced by fort during world war ii. however, some interviewees' memory may not be as pristine as in their younger days.
- Concludes that the interview was informative and engaging, shining light on the gender inequalities during world war ii. fort recommended other females to join the service as it helped develop important qualities that she felt are beneficial throughout all stages of life.
1277 wordsRead More - Women and the Draftanalytical essay"Update: Women in the Military." Issues and Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 29 May 2007. Web.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the military realizes that in order to better their army and be stronger, they need more people to join and fight along with them. men are the only ones eligible to be apart of the draft.
- Argues that the armed forces should not be excluded from the growing new reputation america is trying to get. the new york times reports that women earn 92.2 cents on the dollar of what men earn.
- Argues that women should be involved in the draft because of the skills they are born with.
- Describes the differences between men and women in oregon counseling, psychotherapy, therapy, information, education, referral, research.
984 wordsRead More - Essay On Women In Combatanalytical essayWomen have been serving in the military since the late 1700s. To be specific, women have been in the military since 1775 during the American Revolution even though they weren’t supposed to. Why werent women allowed to serve in the military? Because they were not equal and did not have enough rights like the men did. But women still managed to serve as nurses, cooks, and other jobs. Women were enrolled as nurses because the Union needed people to aid hurt soldiers (Righthand). The main reason to why women became nurses and cooks were that one of their male family members were sent to war so the women needed a way to support themselves (B...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that women have been serving in the military since the late 1700s, even though they weren't supposed to. they were enrolled as nurses and cooks because the union needed people to aid hurt soldiers.
- Explains how women contributed to the civil war in 1861. clara barton was one of the most famous nurses during the war who founded the american red cross.
- Explains that the navy and army corps was created in 1908, when women were officially allowed to be in the u.s. military but still not as a combat soldier.
- Explains that world war ii starts in 1941 and more than 60,000 women are enrolled for sea duty at the stateside and overseas.
- Argues that women should be allowed to be in combat because they are already serving in the military.
745 wordsRead More - How the United States can Solve the Debate on Female Soldiers in Combatargumentative essayMyre, Greg. "Women In Combat: 5 Key Questions." NPR. N.p., 24 Jan. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. .
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the pentagon announced that by 2016, the ban preventing women from entering combat will be fully revoked. this shift has generated mixed feelings from those in the armed forces.
- Proposes that the military create separate facilities and ground units for women in order to prevent sexual harassment and assault, which are common issues in the u.s. military.
- Proposes that women, both military and civilian, should not be forced into combat roles, as more jobs in the military are being opened to women.
- Proposes that the united states military should continue with the ban removal, but with certain safeguards and restrictions put in place for the benefit of our female soldiers.
- Argues that the ban removal is just a formalization of women's participation in combat.
- Cites chappell, bill, groening, chad, memmott, mark, and myre, greg. "women in combat: 5 key questions."
1278 wordsRead More - Women's Roles in the Militaryanalytical essayWomen's Roles in the Military Before World War I, women assisted the military during wartime mainly as nurses and helpers. Some women, however, did become involved in battles. Molly Pitcher, a Revolutionary War water carrier, singlehandedly kept a cannon in action after a artillery crew had been disabled. During the Revolutionary and the Civil War, a few women disguised themselves as men and took part in hand-to-hand combat. The first enlisted women served in World War I as telephone and radio operators, translators, and clerks.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that women assisted the military during wartime mainly as nurses and helpers. during the revolutionary and the civil war, women disguised themselves as men and took part in hand-to-hand combat.
- Explains that promotions for female officers were limited, and women were banned from ground combat jobs as well as from most navy ships and air force aircraft.
- Analyzes how the military modernized and weapons grew more sophisticated, opening up more military jobs for women, including combat-related jobs.
- Explains the old line separating combat from non-combat jobs. as more women entered the military, pressure mounted for more female officers. in 1976, the first female cadets entered west point and the other service academies.
- Explains that during the gulf war, about 40,000 women served in the combat zone, leading to a reevaluation of combat restrictions on females.
- Argues that feminization of the military is a policy that says we want women in these jobs not because it's good for the military, but because of political will.
- Describes the true story behind women and serving in the armed service.
- Explains why today's female soldiers face gender discrimination, unequal opportunities and vast amounts of sexualharassment in the country and from the government they pledged to protect.
- Explains that the average ercentage of female officers sits at nine percent in the armed services. they explain that women are physically weaker than men and standards would have to be lowered.
- Explains that the audacity of the organization is that women in units lead to sexual harassment and sexual assault. instead of putting a program in place, they bar women from jobs that they feel would lead them into unethical and unsafe conditions.
- Opines that women are capable of performing assignments in combat units as do many high-ranking military officials.
- Explains that the stigma attached to women in combat affects them in a number of ways.
- Concludes that combat inclusion is the greatest impediment to women attaining higher military rank. until qualified women are given access to assignments, they will be marginalized.
- Opines that america's armed services is an equal opportunity employer that stands for the very basis of liberty and equality.
- Explains that women are excluded from a number of jobs for stereotyping, ideas of the inferiority of women in combat, and the chauvinistic thought of if their not there it wont happen.
1295 wordsRead More - The Post World War I Struggleexplanatory essayWarfare in the twentieth century offered Women a new opportunity: to emerge from what was believed to be “Women’s work” in the home and become employed or even independent. As America became involved in the two great world wars, the Korean War, and the Vietnamese War, the only two wars at the time resulting in U.S. tie and defeat respectively, military drafts dedicatedly worked to incorporate women in order to gain a substantial army. Women enlistment in the army prior to World War I had been considered an extremely “masculine” task, with participants deserving significant respect: the necessity of massive wars had broken tradition in a manner considered the largest change in 3000 years , allowing...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that world war i was the beginning of a series of conflict throughout the twentieth century in which the united states would influence the freedom of foreign nations, but also themselves.
- Explains that warfare in the twentieth century offered women a new opportunity: to emerge from what was believed to be "women's work" and become employed or even independent.
- Explains that the beginning of warfare called upon women to help, but its termination reversed much of the progress. women were removed or left the workforce to create employment opportunities for men.
- Explains that african americans faced a struggle to gain rights during the 1900s. they were subjected to racism due to lack of formal education and high illiteracy rates. war gave them an opportunity to disprove the stereotypes of many of the white soldiers.
- Explains that african americans returned from war as heroes but were greeted by a new generation of angry protesters, who condemned them for their struggle.
- Explains that president johnson signed the civil rights act in 1964, which prevented discrimination against women and african americans. it inspired new organizations to make changes, like the job corps.
1344 wordsRead More