In 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.
Understanding 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.
The 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.
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.
“Out here, there is no male gender and no female gender,” says Staff Sgt. Vincent Vetterkind, a squad leader of a mixed-gender combat unit. “Our gender is soldier” (Nordland). Until recently, combat had been widely considered a “male only” activity. Despite this notion that men are better suited to combat than women, women have always played a significant role in war. With advancements in technology, and the need for more combat soldiers because of the global war against terrorism, women, more than ever, are needed in the military.
Musgrave, Jane. “Do Women Belong in combat?” Proquest. CMG corporate services. 25 January 2013. Web. 10 March 2014.
ATTENTION! Why shouldn’t women be allowed to join the army? Does gender matter? Ask yourself these questions when you think about it. Why does it matter? In America only 214,000 women serve in the armed forces and they only make up “15 percent of active-duty military personnel, working as medics, intelligence officers, and police, and in other non-combat roles.” According to the article, no women have served in actual combat roles. Which is completely absurd. Anyone should be able to fight in combat if they wish, no matter what ethnicity, gender, or race. The physical traits would still have to remain the same however so that it is still equal to join the army.
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.
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.
It appears that the United States military is in a position where women are so fully and flexibly involved in the organizational structure, that in a war, it would ...