Role of Women in Vietnam War - Essay Example

Role of Women in Vietnam War Vietnam War, which was experienced between 1959 and 1975, was based on competition of economic ideologies between functions allied to the U.S., which supported capitalism and communist supporters. Communist ideologies support uniformity in the society where people contribute to a common goal where there is no social stratification. Women in Vietnam played several roles during the War period that contributed to the eventual results. This paper will discuss the various roles carried out by Vietnam women during the war and will also highlight how similar or different the roles were from women roles in other communist revolutions.

To begin with, Vietnam women contributed actively in different capacities during the period. According to Mobile Riverine Force Asociation [mrfa], about “7,484 women served in Vietnam, of whom 6,250 or 83.5% were nurses” and others were active combats in the war (1). Women also contributed in other areas such as supporting the agricultural sector so as to provide enough food for men who were busy fighting for independence. Despite the visible contribution of women during the War period, gender inequality was the major factor limiting their full contribution.

According to De Anza College, majority of women serving in the army as active combats were perceived as help mates rather than counterparts (1). There were reports that even the female soldiers did not get fair treatment and some of them experienced sexual harassment. Other functions of women in the War included serving as couriers, patrol guides and activists to publicize various organizations. Women were also motivated to contribute to the war against foreigners in order to secure freedom and also fight for equality.

Women also took advantage of gender stereotypes by foreigners to enable them achieve their intended objectives such as maintaining supply of food and other consumables to their male counterparts (University of Utah, 1). On the other hand, it is important to note that Vietnamese women roles in the war resembled the roles of women in other communist revolutions in the world. Comparing the revolutions in Vietnam, Cuba, Russia and China, all women involved in the four revolutions had an aim of fighting for equality in the society.

Therefore, most women from the four regions formed part of the activist groups that advocated for equality and women representation in all sectors including being part of the government. In addition, women involved in these four communist revolutions were initially involved in provision of social and moral support to men who were mainly involved with War. Lastly, Vietnamese women also had unique roles that distinguish them from other women in different communist revolutions. Vietnamese women were used to set booby traps that made it difficult for the U.S. soldiers to identify their enemies.

This is quite unique since women from other revolutions mainly played supportive roles and were not involved in direct roles like setting up of booby traps. Back in the villages, women interacted with the Viet Cong and supported them physically and emotionally and occasionally did patrols to gather information about the foreigners and inform the Viet Cong. In conclusion, it is evident that Vietnamese women contributed greatly in the war and were essential for the success of communist system. This is because the Vietnamese women saw a better bargain in the communist system that provided equality in the society.

The communist system also gave better chances for women to be part of the government and get better education.Works CitedDe Anza College. Women, the Unknown Soldiers. n.d. Web.4 Apr.2014. < http://www.deanza.edu/faculty/swensson/bestresearch_womensoldiers.html>. Mobile Riverine Force Asociation. Vietnam War Statistics. n.d. Web.4 Apr.2014. < http://www.mrfa.org/vnstats.htm>.  University of Utah. Vietnamese Women at War. Fighting for Ho Chi Minh and the Revolution. 2003. Web.4 Apr.2014. < http://www.

kansaspress.ku.edu/tayvie.html>.