Women in the Military

1460 Words3 Pages

Women have fought alongside men in the United States Military in every major battle since the American Revolution. The roles of women in the military have evolved over time to allow the incorporation of women in expanding military career fields. Women have proven themselves to be an asset to the military despite some of society believing women would weaken America’s military effectiveness. Today more than 200,000 women are active-duty military, this is about 14.5% of all military. Currently, women are involved in all branches of the Armed Forces; there are around 74,000 women in the Army, 62,000 in the Air Force, 53,000 in the Navy, and 14,000 in the Marine Corps (By the numbers: Women in the U.S. Military). Military women continue to push for all fields to allow women to participate and advance their careers at the same rate as their fellow male soldiers. It is important for women to join the U.S. Military not only for life experiences and the honor of serving the country, but also to be a part of history with the progression of equality for equal opportunities for women in the United States Military.
Even though it wasn’t until the last two years of World War One that women were legally allowed to join the military, women have played a variety of roles in the history of America’s military. During the times of the Revolutionary War women would follow their husbands to war camps to serve as cooks and nurses as well as to fight alongside their spouse, for this reason many women became known as “camp followers” (Time Line: Women in the U.S. Military). During the Battle at Fort Washington Margaret Corbin went with her husband to the battlefield helping him perform his duty of loading his cannon. After her husband died in battle, C...

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