Over the course of these five (or four i’m not sure which) I will discuss topics of individuals and their rights such as women’s issues and the effects they have on our society both now and the future. For my first civic issues blog post I will be discussing women in the military. Not only will I talk about the pros and the cons of this issue I will also attempt to present and analyze both sides of the argument on this topic in a neutral light in addition to speaking my opinion, even if it turns out to be an unpopular one. I grew up in a military family as my father is currently a major in the reserves, my grandfather served active duty and many others in my family have served as well. This being said I have personally always been an advocate for equal rights in the military.
The history of women in military roles dates back to seventeen seventy five where women could serve as laundresses, cooks, nurses, and administrators. These were their roles until about nineteen seventeen, when women were officially permitted to join the military in the last two years of world war one. This law allowed around thirty three thousand women to join as nurses and support staff. Around nineteen forty one through nineteen forty five, during world war two, four hundred thousand American women served either at home or abroad in strictly non-combat roles. In nineteen forty eight congress decided to pass the “Armed Integration Act” finally entitling women to veteran’s benefits. The late 70s allowed the first women to be admitted to the U.S military service academics where as the early 90s authorized women to serve on combat ships and to fly fighter jets. A huge step for military women. In recent years women have been allowed all military positions as well as permitted to to apply for combat positions. These decisions give women the opportunity to fill more than 220,000 U.S. military combat positions.
As history shows women have been a part of war almost as long as men have however their inclusion and benefits have been slowly growing over time. When researching this information I thought it was crazy that it took until the early 90s for women to be allowed in actual combat positions. Like when I think 90s I think of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air not women’s rights. Although women now play major combat roles there is still much controversy over them being on the front lines and in special units such as Army Rangers and Navy SEALS.
One view on this issue is that it’s not just a women’s issue but a men’s issue as well. According to the New Boston Post “putting women in the thick of battle also will affect the way men fight and live or die.” This article by Charlotte Hays states that ” combat on the front lines requires qualities associated with manliness. Those include physical strength, courage, sacrifice, and an ability to engage in necessary brutality.” This article also presents CMP, The Center for Military Preparedness, an organization which opposes women in combat and was able to obtain an Army study. This study showed that women were injured at more than double the rate of men during combat training. This discrepancy applied to women in basic combat but also in vehicle maintenance for combat and front-line engineering jobs. Another public opinion on why women should not be placed into combat roles isn’t about the woman herself but the men who serve with her. A common belief is that a wounded female soldier poses a special conundrum for the male soldier. Does he rescue her, even if it means turning his back on several wounded male soldiers, or does he let her die? This poses an important question is it societal norm that is keeping women from being able to serve their full potential.
Although there are many problems that arise from women serving in the military including concerns of sexual harassment/ assault from people including our new president, Donald trump, why should women be excluded from a job opportunity that she wants to apply for and have historically been apart of?
There are many reasons” why” women will never have equality in the military however should we as a society let these opinions get in the way of a great step in the right direction? What do you think?
Sites Used:
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/06/18/military-bases-struggle-with-breastfeeding-policies.html
http://newbostonpost.com/2016/02/18/women-in-combat-isnt-just-a-womens-issue/
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/05/politics/women-infantry-marines-join-unit/