Feb
2021
Gender Discrimination in the US Military
When it comes to gender discrimination in the US, there is none more prevalent than in the US military. It is common knowledge that the military world is a man’s world, and women were just barely invited to the party. When the US military was first formed women were not allowed to enlist. They simply stayed home and assisted with mending clothing, nursing, cooking, etc. Every now and then there was the occasional female who would disguise herself as a man and enlist, but when/if they were found out there was usually hell to pay. Finally in the 20th century women were able to enlist in the military as themselves, but still they were not allowed to serve in combat. That didn’t change until 2016 when all combat jobs were finally open.
While we have come a long way from where we began, there is still much to do. To start off, many women in the military have reported that their performance grade is affected by how they are seen my others. To be more specific, if they are perceived as a slut or not. Gender inequality in the military revolves mostly around a women’s sex life. I was talking to my female cousin who is in the military about this, and she said that she must limit the time that she hangs out with her male friends. She does not spend too much time with them in fear that people will think she is a slut and then she will receive bad marks. The amount of sexual assault and harassment in the military is also astronomical. Many women in the military will most likely experience some type of sexual harassment, and probably assault. The thing is most do not report it. They do not report it out of fear of the repercussions from their male counterparts, and especially their male superiors.
Probably one of the biggest discussions when it comes to women in the military is women in the draft if we ever need one again. There are two sides of this argument.
Side one: Women should not be a part of the draft. They are needed at home, to help the country run smoothly while it is in a state of emergency. Also, since we have such a large male population, forcing women to register for Selective Service (draft) is unnecessary.
Side two: Women should register for Selective. Not having them do that sends a bad sign saying that women are incompetent and not as important as men. The draft age is from 18-25 will be called so there are plenty of US citizens over the age of 25 to stay at home and keep the country running.
Even though there has not been a draft since 1973, this is still a huge debate seeing as though Congress could reinstate the draft at any time when there is a case of national emergency. Personally, I believe that women should register for the draft. I think that we can be just as strong mentally, and physically as anyone if we tried to be.
If you would like to learn more about women in the military or the draft here are a couple articals that you can read.
https://www.usa.gov/selective-service
https://www.aclu.org/news/womens-rights/requiring-men-but-not-women-to-register-for-the-draft-is-sex-discrimination/
https://militaryfamilieslearningnetwork.org/2020/03/14/women-in-the-military/
cet5331
February 22, 2021 at 11:57 am (4 years ago)Another powerful blog with a great introduction paragraph and important topic which grabbed my attention right away! I had no idea women could have their performance grade reduced if they are deemed a “slut” it makes me so angry. I am so sorry your cousin and women in the military have to deal with that awful and ridiculous reality. I really enjoyed how you presented the argument of women in the draft, it was informative. The gender discrimination of women and additionally the transgender community in the military should be addressed and reformed!
Cole Penkunas
February 22, 2021 at 12:54 pm (4 years ago)great topic, one that often gets overlooked. Aside from the stuff about hanging out with people of opposite genders, what do you think about other issues relating to sex within the military? There has been some debate about some physical requirements being sexist ,and would love to know your take. I also think that the draft issue is very important, as it does send a lot of bad messages in regards to equality. Then again, some could argue that it’s simply a matter of practicality.
Lauren Phelps
February 24, 2021 at 6:28 pm (4 years ago)I think this is a great topic! I especially loved adding in a more personal account to support your point of view by adding the section about your cousin. On another note, I really would have liked to see you discuss the physical facet of the draft debate. One of the biggest factors that sways my opinion on the topic is the biological strength differences between men and women. However, I really do think you made a good point on how sexist military culture can be and how that can be detrimental and sometimes endangering to women in duty. Great take!
hmw5459
March 7, 2021 at 7:06 pm (4 years ago)This is such an interesting topic! I learned a lot of new, disturbing information from this post. I had no idea women’s sex lives affected their performance grades so much. That’s honestly disgusting. It’s also sad how much happens that the public isn’t aware of. I feel like these things can continue to happen because people just aren’t aware these things are happening. Or there isn’t enough momentum to make change happen. I heard of a woman soldier sharing her abuse story on instagram a few years ago. I don’t remember exactly who it was, but it went viral and it was just devastating.