Women Soldiers in Military - Research Paper Example

The purpose of this paper is to assess the difficulties through which the first women groups had to go through in order to become a significant part of the US military. Also, the paper will discuss the peculiarity of the struggle which ultimately led women to the point where they were given their rightful position in taking part within military practices as well as other forces including navy and air force. It should be noted that the first women group were marked at the military front during the late 1700s where listing of women were done with consent of military bill.

However, initially, the role of women in the US Army during American Revolutionary War remained restricted to traditional roles of being nurses, cooks, and tailors (Amico and Weinstein 231). They were never put into combat as males dominated battlefields and war related planning. A common view which was being spread among men for the women who opted for the opportunity of serving the country was that women can never overcome the obstacles as compared to men because of their physical potential.

In reply of such an assertion, it has been marked that Deborah Sampson has shown her dedication by proving strength in the battle field. She was shot two times at the battle field. Since she had to disguise as a man, she took out the bullet with a knife herself (Stiehm 46). Nevertheless, there were few women who took the courage of battling the combat with their husbands. As discussed above, even some of them used disguises as men to fight in combat. Perhaps, the first lady who was named as Margaret Corbin participated in the confrontation at Fort Washington alongside with her husband to handle ammunition for a canon and later when her husband was critically injured she took control of the canon.

She was recognized for her efforts and the Congress set her pension in the year 1779 (United States Army para 1). The fact remains that the contribution of women in the military field was questioned over the years for which they had to undergo a ban certain times. In 1994, the US Army banned women from a list of 26 jobs that were considered to be related to combats and also, 49 specialties where women were active participators were closed (Olsen 362). This led to almost 200,000 female military personnel to work in garrison and their position in the Army was subdued.

In January, 2013, the US government lifted life ban on female soldiers to take part in combat making 1994 ban inapplicable (Holmstedt 19). This change in the defense policy under Obama’s Regime became possible after pressure was mounted by the American Civil Liberties Union to allow individuals regardless of their gender to serve in wars (Harris para 9). This could be seen as a step in light of reality as women have been actively participating in war zones and in recognition of their efforts and sacrifices this step would surely give them equal chance to fight alongside men in frontline combats (Harris).

Over the years, there have been several sexual harassment cases against female military staff while serving in Army and these cases have become highly profiled. Argument against lifting ban state that cases where female marines falsely accuse male marines or on the basis of their personal issues could become more common (Schultz para 8). The contribution of women in the military fields and combating have been questioned and debated over the years that it became imperative for the human rights to appeal for the action.

In current times, it is being noted that women marine troops have increased by large. Also, submarines are