Effect Of Women Serving In The Military On Mens Work Ethic - Term Paper Example

?Do women serving in the military affect men’s work ethic negatively or positively? Introduction In the modern work environment, men and women can beconsidered as two different yet important parts of the business arena. Neither men nor women can be judged as the only predictors of the successes and developments of the modern age. The women and men are both working together in almost every field. The idea of women taking on men’s responsibilities and professions was distinct in the past. The gradual development has made it possible for women to study law, medicine, business and other complex and professional studies. The practical participation of females in every field like taking on the roles of doctors, nurses, military officers, business owners, managers, lawyers and even of sports players have changed the whole course of the social environment within years. The fields of work life which require more physical exertions and body stability to perform the tasks were firstly not associated with women. Yet, if we look closely, the women’s involvement in military has long been established and different countries have accepted their role and success in military operations for about 5000 years now (Li, 1994). They played the role of great warriors in the past and become a part of modern military officers, agents of antiterrorism groups, police members and so on. The point of debate in women’s participation in military arises when the effects of women’s participation influences men work ethics in one way or the other. The debates revolve around the positives and negatives of women’s involvement on men’s work abilities, morals and behaviors. This paper further highlights the issues that arise as a result of women’s active involvement in the military practices. Method In order to understand the role of women in the modern military operations, a number of articles and books were reviewed. The articles were chosen from governmental websites as well as from various databases like Eric and ArticleFirst. Some published books were also read in order to understand the complexities of the matter. The understanding of effects of women’s military participation is further established by reviewing the results of various studies which are credible and published. The methodology used for this research paper is based on qualitative measures. Current and former literature on the topic is reviewed and personal research has not been conducted. Discussion The participation of women in every field is usually criticized by one group and encouraged by the other. The participation of women in the leadership area, for instance, was greatly criticized yet the leadership successes of female members proved their capability in the field. The role of women in military has no different feedbacks. One group argues that women need not be entered in this area so as to promote the morality, values and concerns for traditions and ethicality in their children. Women, as per this group, are destined to nurture the young ones, manage the house and protect the society from negative elements. On the other hand, people like Laura De Force Gordon, strive for the contrary. Their aim is to open the doors for women of every field and area that they want to work in. They ask for the freedom of women, their choices and their practices. The struggles of this group are quite successful in the western world. The Eastern region is also adopting these practices owing to the successful achievements as observed in the recent years. In the military operations, women may take up the role of a fighter, planner, commander or the administrative personnel. The combat roles, however, are controversial. The opponents believe that female body is weak and biologically incompetent for combat roles to be effectively managed (Sen et al., 2007). The participation of women in military combating roles does not only affect men’s confidence in the team but also results in their poor performance. The history reveals that women have been given promotions at a higher pace than men. Hooker (1989) asserts that women in military are promoted more often than men and at times they do not actually deserve to be promoted. The strongest possible candidate for promotions is left behind due to the priority given to women in order to attain parity and proving it. The wrong decisions lead to dissatisfaction of the most competent military men for having incompetent or weak members in the military group. Hence, in certain cases, men are observed to resign despite of their competence to take part in the wars and country security services (Sherrow, 2007). Women and men serving in the military, provide a closer interaction between them. Both genders, when in continuous and closer boundaries, have a tendency to be repulsive in their actions. This is mainly because, male members in the military, are found to be more aggressive and short tempered. Their physical strength and power cannot be comparable with the female members of military. This remains one of the negative factors that affect men’s behavior and attitude towards their job. Conflicts arise as men and women work together in the military forces (Quester & Gilroy, 2002). The natural phenomenon of sexual attraction between male and female genders is obvious. Under no circumstances and legal context can one bind his emotional and psychological needs. In the military, there are lesser chances of any mishap or factor which influences the performance of the military force as a whole. Emotional ties and sexual relationships may result in complications which affect the performance of the team as whole. The deterioration of performance may result in army’s loss of life, freedom and in the worst circumstances it may result in a threat to the country’s security. Hence, emotional ties between men and women under military operations are a threat which affects men’s working abilities and performances badly (Reiser, 2001). The differences in the treatment, training and legal requirements of men and women in the military are causing a great deal of confusion among people. Men in military are trained with tough tasks to be achieved, overwhelmingly difficult exercises and practices to be performed along with legal and social requirements to be fulfilled. They expect an equal treatment with all the members of the groups working under the terms and conditions of the military rules. The changing legal and institutional rules for women discourage men’s participation as equal candidates in the operational area. For instance, women are given a flexibility of lesser pushups and sit-ups. Opponents are of the opinion that standards should not be changed when women and men are equally treated on ranks and grades within the work area. Under aviation industry, there was a misconception that women’s physiological conditions are less favorable when facing g-forces that combat pilots are usually exposed to, than men. Kammel (2008) reveals that women are more likely to handle these forces as compared to the men’s physiological conditions. Results We cannot deny the fact that there are certain things that women cannot perform well in, but it would be very unfair to under estimate their strength. It is yet very hard to decide if women do have a negative effect in the army. To get a better understanding of this idea when can also analyze the world war 1 when the soviets ,Germans and Israelis were in need of frontline troops and placed women in combat but later on excluded them . The male soldiers forgot their main objective in order to protect the women from harm and danger of getting captured because they knew what the enemies did with the female prisoners of war. This made it their weakness and exposed them to greater risks. Some believe that the feminist ideology is inflicting a huge amount of damage on the armed forces and making them weaker. This issue can also be the cause of an extreme gender imbalance. To conclude it is best to state that being a part of the army and to be able to get the opportunity to protect your country is not something that can be compared to any other profession. It is just an idea and a feeling that comes directly from the heart when a person intends to protect the country and its inhabitants from the external forces and enemies. When a person and specially a woman decide to join the army and dies protecting it they give up almost everything that a normal person works all his life for. It is human nature to enjoy and want a luxurious life, everybody wants to have a family and kids and these are the people who sacrifice these luxuries for the sake of our security so to state that women have a negative effect on men in the military would be very unfair. Bibliography Hooker, J. R. D., & MILITARY ACADEMY WEST POINT NY DEPT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES. (1989). Affirmative Action and Combat Exclusion: Gender Roles in the US Army. Ft. Belvoir: Defense Technical Information Center. Sherrow, V. (2007). Women in the military. New York: Chelsea House. Reiser, C. (2001). Reflections on anger: Women and men in a changing society. Westport Conn. [etc.: Praeger. Carreiras, H., & Ku?mmel, G. (2008). Women in the military and in armed conflict. Wiesbaden: VS Verl. fu?r Sozialwiss. Li, X. (February 01, 1994). Chinese Women Soldiers: A History of 5,000 Years. Social Education, 58, 2, 67-71. Quester, A. O., & Gilroy, C. L. (April 01, 2002). Women and Minorities in America's Volunteer Military.Contemporary Economic Policy, 20, 2, 111. Sen, G., O?stlin, P., George, A., Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, Karolinska institutet., & WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health. (2007).Unequal, unfair, ineffective and inefficient: Gender inequity in health : why it exists and how we can change it : final report to the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health. S.l: Women and Gender Equity Knowledge Network. Read More