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Women during war and conflict
Should women be allowed to be in military combat positions
Women during war and conflict
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Do you think the military is fair to everybody? The military is an organization that is set- up to save the world; the director of defense has lifted the ban on women right in the military, so everyone will have an equal chance. This paper will state why the military lift the ban and was it a right choice.
The military is not for everyone. For example, you have to pass certain qualification in order for you to get in. To name a few, you have to be a specific age, citizenship, academic, physical, and legal qualifications. The legal age for you to join the military is 17. When you are 17 your parents have to agree and sign papers for you to be qualified. The oldest you can be is 35 to join the military. You must be a United States citizen or you must be an legal permanent resident alien to even consider to enlist in the military. You must also have an high school diploma or a G. E. D.
In the military, they treated men different that women. For instant, the paid men more. Like President Barack Obama said, “You know, today, women make up about half our work force, but they still make 77 cent for every dollar a man earns. This is wrong, and in 2014, it’s an embarrassment.” I agree with his statement. Women are steadily contributing to the workforce so they should be paid equal. In the military, women were getting paid less because they were limited to certain jobs. Now that the ban is lifted women and men should be paid even.
The director of defense figured since women already serve in Combat roles and fly warplanes they should be able to be on the frontline. 292,000 women have served in war zones out of a total of almost 2.5 million soldiers. Of course, many people disagreed with his decision. According to my source, males h...
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...ale feel better.
In conclusion, now that the ban is lifted, there may be more women to join the military over the years; simply because they know they have the same opportunity as the men soldiers. The ban allowed women to be able to do every and all task that they were banned from if the qualifies for it. This paper let the reader know the pros and the cons of the action and why the military pass this act.
Works Cited
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/24/panetta-opens-combat-roles-to-women/ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/us/pentagon-says-it-is-lifting-ban-on-women-in-combat.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/23/women-in-combat_n_2535954.html http://www.goarmy.com/special-forces/qualifications-and-benefits.html http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/24/16681072-valor-knows-no-gender-pentagon-lifts-ban-on-women-in-combat?lite
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
There are many requirements to be in the Army National Guard. The National Guard has physical, academic, and legal requirements that you must pass to join. You must first be in good physical shape and not have any major handicaps. The minimum age to join the National Guard is 17 years of age and a high school junior. If you are under the age of 18 you must have your parents consent. If you are not in high school you must have a high school diploma or GED. You must also score a high enough score on the ASVAB test. When you get your score you will be contacted by a recruiter to see what kind of job you want and can get by your score. You must also be a citizen of the United States and if you are an alien then you cannot get a job in the Army that requires a security clearance.
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
In 1973, women began to grow in numbers in the All-Volunteer Force implemented under President Nixon. “In February 1988, Department of Defense (DoD) codified the Combat Exclusion Policy by adopting the ‘Risk Rule’”, (the DoD Combat Exclusion Policy) pg. 21, 22. The change of the feminine role in the civilian population has forced a review of their presence in the Armed Forces. These roles reviewed after the onset of the Exclusion Law in “1967 when the statutory strengths and grade limitations were lifted” (…GOA, pg 4) as well as in 1978 when positions available to women were expanded (…GOA). In 1992 and 1993 when the “Defense Authorization Acts were implemented, congress revoked the prohibition of women’s assignments to combat aircraft… and in January 1994 the ‘Risk Rule’ was rescinded” (the DoD Combat Exclusion Policy) pg 22. With the 1994 change in the “Risk Rule”, assignments were available for females in all services to participate in all available positions. Exceptions of “assignments to units below the brigade level whose primary mission is direct ground combat” (the DoD Combat Exclusion Policy) pg 22(ibid) were put in place.
In more recent history women have fought against only being able to serve in general nursing/doctor and desk jobs to have the same opportunity in military as men have. They are now able to serve in all combat roles through all the branches of military. An article in the New York Times reads, “Women have long said that by not recognizing their real service, the military has unfairly held them back.” (Rosenberg & Phillips). Women are also fighting against accepting unequal pay for the same work that men do. On average women earn eighty cents for every one dollar a man earns. (Siniscalo, Damrell, and Nabity) This is a very big step towards gender equality in the workplace because, when the Equal Pay Act (EPA) was established in 1963 women earned around fifty-nine cents to the males one dollar. Still the females are undermined compared to males but progress is being
..., which includes the front lines. Panetta's statement at a Pentagon news conference defends that women belong in combat:
"Update: Women in the Military." Issues and Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 29 May 2007. Web.
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.
Lastly there are some concerns that society has about women in combat. It is implied that men can endure a lot of strenuous physical activities were as a woman may not. For example, there may be an issue were a fellow solider may need to be carried to safety, a woman opposed to a man will probably not be able to handle this strenuous task, and because of that standard may have to be lowered to accommodate female applicants, therefore making it easy for anyone who might not be fit to fight in combat roles accepted into those positions. There is also a fear that women can be captured by the enemy and be tortured. This a fear of both men and women but because women are at risk of encountering a misogynistic enemy the chances of rape goes up.
Both men and women fought on the battlefield. Hundreds of women served as nurses, laundresses, cooks and companions to the male soldiers in the Continental Army.6 In addition, there were some that actually engaged in battle. Seeing "no reason to believe that any consideration foreign to the purest patriotism,"7 Deborah Sampson put on men's clothing and called herself Robert Shirtliffe in order to enlist in the Army. "Robert Shirtliffe" fought courageously; "his" company defeated marauding Indians north of Ticonderoga.8 There is also the valiancy of the water carrier Mary Hays, otherwise known as Molly Pitcher, who took up arms after her husband fell.9 As a six-foot tall woman, Nancy Hart was considered an Amazon Warrior. Living in the Georgia frontier, this "War Woman" aimed and, with deadly accuracy, shot British soldiers who invaded the area.10 Mentioned in the beginning of this essay was Margaret Corbin, another woman on the battlefield.
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...
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.
Should women be allowed in the military? My answer was at first a resounding “no.” However, once I started my research, my opinion changed. In 1948, Congress passed the combat exclusion law that prohibited women in the Air Force, Marines, and Navy to hold combat positions; however, the Army can assign these duties as they see fit (Schroeder). Some people assume that Americans are not ready to see a woman wounded or killed in war; however, there are female police officers that are wounded or killed daily (Schroeder). How can we rationalize that a woman has the right to die protecting our local communities but not our country? If a person chooses to be in a combat field, and can pass the physical demands required, gender should not be an issue. The arguments of physical differences and cohesion among the troops are valid arguments but not substantial enough to prevent women from serving in frontline combat roles within the military.