Women at War
Since the creation of human's, women have never had the opportunity to be that a contributing factor in the starting or stopping of a war. Not even until recently, was it even convincing to hear of women working in a career field in the military that had the slightest chance of going into a combat zone. When you think about an image of war, what do you see? If you are like most, you see a battlefield that is filled with men fighting each other and in the distant background are the women.
In centuries past, men and women have had different responsibilities. It was up to the men to get the food and to protect the family while women were in charge of taking care of the household. Over time this old adage held true, but at the outbreak of World War I, there was a need for more manpower so women were being allowed into the military to serve in certain career fields.
During the buildup for the start of America's involvement in World War I, the military was trying to solve an emerging manpower crisis. In 1917, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels found a small loophole in the Naval recruiting regulations. He brought up the question of "Is there any regulation which specifies that a Navy yeoman be a man?" In no time at all, the Navy was enlisting women into such fields as clerks, radio electricians, chemists, accountants, telephone operators, and nurses. This move also got the Army to look at their own recruiting openings. When the Army began to recruit women, they decided to take a more conservative approach by allowing just nurses as well as a small number of occupational therapists and dieticians (Women were vital to military success in war).
Many other firsts came about as a result of World War I. ...
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... 1948, this perspective had change. Since World War I, the role that women have played in the military has grown tremendously over time.
Today women make up eleven percent of the military and are serving in almost all aspects. And it all started eighty-three years ago during World War I.
REFERENCES
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/awards/witnesstowar/witness1.html.
WW I left its enduring mark.
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/awards/witnesstowar/guide.html.
Background on Women in World War I.
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/awards/witnesstowar/womenatwar.html.
Women were vital to military success in war.
http://www.wasp-wwii.org/wasp/stats.htm. WASP Entrance Requirements.
http://www.usmc.mil/history.nsf/54d36a3…59c642?OpenDocument&ExpandSection=13,11. World War II.
http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/Philippines.html.
Women in the US Military - Civil War Era. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
The early rush of volunteers and later the conscription of men led to a shortage of manpower on the home front. Women, already working in munitions factories were encouraged to take on jobs normally done by men.
Campbell begins by examining the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps in the United States and the “experiments” that the Army General Staff held “to see how well American women could perform” (302). Ultimately, they discovered that “mixed gender units performed better than all male units” (302). Similar British experiences found much the same thing; in fact, it was the model of the British army that the United States “was watching closely” (306). In Britain in 1941, 125,000 women were drafted into the military, while 430,000 more volunteered over the next three years (306). The purpose of these units was to allow more men to fight offensively on the continent while the women protected the defensive lines. Neither country allowed the women to fight, however; in the United States the public was not “ready to ...
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.
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.
Women have been in the military, or associated with combat for decades. “The most famous example of the ability of a woman to not only be involved in combat but to lead forces is that of Joan of Arc's legendary battles leading the French army when she was just a teenager.”(Gerber 1) Women have been involved in espionage and even posed as male soldiers during the Civil War. Conflicts such as, WWI, WWII, Panama, and as recent as our current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan women have served with distinction in many ways. In our most recent conflict, over 100 military women have given the ultimate sacrifice. Today with changes in our society and the global environment in which we live two controversial arguments arise concerning women in combat. Basically the debate whether or not women should be allowed to participate in direct combat or not. As our society and cultural beliefs change so does what we except as social norms. Both sides of this argument bring many reasons for and against allowing women to participate in direct combat. Taking into account both views of this controversy it will show, that not only a social change has occurred, but the dynamics of the battlefield has in fact already placed female service members into direct combat.
PARA1: Originally women before WWI had no other roles other than to stay at home, take care of their family, clean, cook and obviously raise children. Women had no basic rights during this time, they could not vote (in the USA, however, Australian women could vote from 1902) and an awfully small population of women actually ‘worked’ outside the home. Women were extremely simple, they had barely if none makeup and dressed overly simple. Then in WWI, the males left to defend the countries so women all over the world could try to settle down more into the workforce and complete ‘male’ jobs. ”During WWI (1914-1918), large numbers of women were recruited into jobs vacated by men who had gone to fight in the war” (-WWW.Striking-Women.org). This was the first time more women had the confidence and could become a part of the police force, Fire-fighters and also other more significant jobs that were obviously new to women. Women could not be yet trusted going in battlegrounds, that is why “the government politely discouraged those women who wanted to perform some kind of military service, however, w...
It took awhile to convince the men to let them do this, but, some woman fought in the war. The women who could fly airplanes joined the WASP (Women’s Airforce Service Pilots). Women who could sail boats or fight near water joined the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). All the women who still wanted to fight, but couldn’t fly airplanes or fight near the sea joined the WAC (Women’s Army Corps).As a result, more than 100,000 women in the WAC and more than 6,000 female officers. The women could now work and fight for their country. Any woman could fight and that's
During WWII, the initial acceptance of woman in the military was controversial because they were deciding whether just needed more people, whether they should be an official part of the services, and whether they could perform the jobs. Most people were concerned that women would obstruct the view of American culture because they would be considered “masculine”. By 1944, women proved to be effective in helping during the war. Some were even trained to shoot guns next to the men. In 1994 the DOD (Department of Defense) created a policy that prevented women from combat with their male colleagues. They also could not be assigned to units below the brigade level, whose number one objective is combat on ground. Over the years women have showed that they are physically, mentally, and emotionally able to keep up with men in the military.
Historically, women’s participation in combat roles was limited or hidden, with the exception of a few individuals. Although women had fought unofficially in the U.S army as far back as the Revolutionary War, which they usually disguised themselves as men in order to avoid the rules that excluded them. The gender war and integration in the military has always faced the question of social acceptance, were as 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 of how to integrate without upsetting the general public to believing that women are capable and created equal as any man.
The signing of the Women’s Armed Service Integration Act increased women’s interest in the military. Women were now able to take o...
Like with any modern point of contention, it is important to understand the history. Since as early as the revolutionary war, women have been active participants in the U.S. military. From nursing soldiers to cross-dressing and actually fighting, women have played a crucial
"There is one front and one battle where everyone in the United States—every man, woman, and child—is in action, and will be privileged to remain in action throughout this war. That front is right here at home, in our daily lives, and in our daily tasks."- President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 28 April 1942.Women at this time were the only hope for filling the empty jobs left by the men going to war. Everyone began to realize that this war could not be won without the help of everyone, whether they were a male or female. Many people pushed and supported women being able to join the workforce...
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...
Across the history, women Suffer from luck of their right. Culture and civilization was not respect women and put them in the lower layer in their social pyramid. Kill them were they alive, while other give them a life with a lot of misery and obstacle, which is the same thing or killing them better than these life . At the few previous centuries, the world growth and become more opening. people understanding that they are needing women in a lot of job outside their home as men. Sadly, when we came to combat sector, we stop thinking logically. It is men major one hundred percent . If we look to the book (1001 things everyone should know about women's history) which written by Constance Jones (2000) we can find that only 88013 women among history had the ability to take part in military by give a variety of services. Some country actually these day try to make it happen. For instance the first country was allowed women in military was Norway around 1985. Then, it followed by thirteen other countries. It still small percentage compared with the world. It is the right of women to join army and take part in combat, because they are capable as men in adapting with situation. Also, they have equally amount in cerebration and they have the right to decide their own destiny.