Women in the United States military: Pertinent Issues - Essay Example

no. Women in the United s military: pertinent issues Traditionally, there are those careers that were considered a preserve of the male population. A career in the military in the United States is one of those careers which were reserved for men, with women being deemed incapable of serving in the armed forces. However, times have changed and women are increasingly joining the armed forces and being enlisted in special units. The inclusion of women in the military, although a positive move, has come with its fair share of challenges. Key among these challenges is the fact that women are often discriminated against by being denied participation in certain units of the army, in addition to being sexually harassed by their counterparts. This essay aims at analyzing the various issues that affect women in the United States military, both negative and positive. This being the 21st century, it would seem absurd that there are careers that are still considered a preserve for males only, meaning that women rarely get the chance to be involved in such careers. However, an analysis of the United States military reveals that women still face segregation in certain ranks and units within the army. Although women have been in the United States armed forces since the beginning of the 20th century, several branches within the military have always been preserved for men. Unbelievably, in this age there still exists positions in the military that are reserved for men, and women are not allowed to hold the said positions. For example, according to the Women’s Memorial, servicewomen are not allowed to serve in the platoons responsible for ground surveillance radars, the air defense artillery batteries, and until recently, the combat zones (9). The United States military has long restricted women within the military from participating in combat. According to Norris, for decades, the Pentagon rule dictated that women should not be assigned to units involved in ground combat. However, in 2012, the Pentagon, according to the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF), sanctioned the admission of two female soldiers to the Marine Corps’ Infantry Officer Course as part of an experiment to see whether women are capable of working in combat units (9). FMF reports the policy director for the Service Women Action Network as having said that non-inclusion of women in combat units means that women fail to rise through the military ranks. This means that women fail to reach these heights simply because they are women, and not as a result of incompetency or lack of skills. Accordingly, in January 2013, the combat ban on women in the military was lifted. However, according to the FMF, women have always been involved in combat situations even prior to the lifting of the “ban”, only that these women rarely get recognized or promoted like their male counterparts (9). The women’s memorial adds weight to this issue by stating that only 14 women had received the Silver Star for combat action by 2005(9). Consequently, women can only hope that with the lifting of the combat “ban”, women serving in the military combat units will be given the same recognition as men, as well as earn combat-related promotions previously denied to them. Several studies have pointed out that sexual harassment against women is a prominent problem within the military. Sexual harassment in this case constitutes of such acts as unwanted sexual contact, physical assault, and physical violence during rape (Blank 1). Sexual abuse against women in the military often goes unreported and this may lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, and other health problems (ibid). Statistics by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) show that depression is among the most common problems that women veterans are treated for, and that cases of suicide among service women have increased since 2006 (Blank 1). Smith writes that in one study in which 537 women who served in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War were interviewed, 79 percent of these women reported to have experienced sexual harassment (1). Astonishingly, since these women are abused even by the high ranking officers, reporting such cases becomes almost pointless. Most of the abused women do not report cases of sexual harassment for fear of being discharged dishonorably, retribution, or embarrassment. Accordingly, there are those women who opt to make the best out of this mistreatment by using sexual favors to move up the ranks within the forces (Smith 1). The trading of sexual favors for promotion among women officers is another pertinent issue that continues to plague the United States army. This means that male officers often perceive the promotion of women as unmerited and only based on sexual favors. This negatively affects those women who genuinely work hard to go up the ranks since the stereotype of sexually-attained promotions is used on all women in the military. Hostilities may, therefore, arise between men and women serving in the forces. In relation to women being favored, the issue of women training being relatively easier than that of men also raises hostilities between the two genders and women suffer the brunt of these hostilities through physical and sexual abuse. The men argue that since women are always advocating for equality, they should also be exposed to the same kind of trained as their male counterparts, without regard for the fact that men are physically stronger than women. Notably, not all gloom for women serving in the United States armed forces, as recent years have seen women get involved in more military (Blank 1). According to Norris, the mid 1970s were instrumental in ensuring an increase in women participation in the military (1). Ideally, the system of military drafting was replaced with volunteerism for the forces, meaning that women now had increased chances of joining the forces. Today, as Blank reports, women are increasingly being deployed to war zone areas such Iraq and Afghanistan, meaning that confidence in the capabilities of women is on the rise (1). According to Norris, women soldiers have made approximately 170,000 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002, making the United States army better than those of other countries in terms of women involvement in combat situations (1). As Smith writes, in contemporary times, 14 percent of active duty forces are comprised of women while approximately 20 percent of new military recruits are women, as compared to women forming only about 6 percent of all military veterans in the country (1). Additionally, it should be noted that apart from the heavy combat issue, any other roles allocated to women are not gendered, meaning that women in the military perform the same roles as men. Conclusively, it is evident that despite the various milestones that have been achieved in regard to women involvement in the United States military, a lot still needs to be done. Without disregard to the fact that the number of women joining the armed forces has increased over the years, and that the ban on women involvement in combat ground has been lifted, several other issues need to be addressed. Of major concern is the sexual harassment of women by their male counterparts. Despite being sexually harassed, raped, and physically abused, women often do not report such cases for fear of victimization. It is time that relevant authorities came up with measures to ensure that servicewomen do not suffer sexual exploitation from their colleagues in the line of duty. Existent laws concerning sexual abuse should be enforced in order to shield female officers from mental and physical torture. Women should also be given as much recognition as men for their involvement in combat, in addition to being promoted on merit. Works cited Blank, Kristin. Women in the Military: Overcoming Challenges. SAMHSA 16.6 (2008). Web. Feminist Majority Foundation. Marine Corps Admits Women to Combat Course. 2012. Web.2013. Feminist Majority Foundation. Military Combat Ban Ended. 2013. Web. 2013. Norris, Michele. Roles For Women In The U.S Army Expand. 2007. Web. 2013. Smith, Nicole. Contemporary Issues Facing Women in the Military. 2011. Web. 2013. Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation. Highlights in the History of Military Women. 2008. Web. 2013. Read More