Women in the Military

Statement of Issue

Up until recently, the issues of women in the military have not taken the spotlight. The lack of this attention on matter reveals the underlying secrecy used in the treatment and opinion of the women in the armed forces. In Frye’s sexism reading, she defines that sexism is anything that “creates, constitutes, promotes, or exploits any irrelevant or impertinent making of the distinction between the sexes.” For those that believe that women have overcome sexism in all aspects of the work field, all they need to do is take a close look at the military to see that this is not the case. If sexism was not still an issue, then one of the largest organizationns of our country (the armed forces) would have women and men being placed in the same positions if they have the same skills. It is common that women take on the roles as the caregivers, the cooks, or the people on watch patrol no matter their skills. Also, women do not receive the same well-deserved respect that men in the military receive. Society often incorrectly portrays women as weak and in need of protection, so that does not help when the women are the ones doing the protecting. The men are the ones perceived as strong and emotionally stable enough to remain calm and composed under times of war. This is apparent in the percentage of the total of men in combat roles as opposed to the percentage of women in combat roles. Men are usually the ones involved in the dangerous and important missions which hinders women and keeps them oppressed because a soldier can only gain rank from the combat roles which are scarcely given to women. This acts as a barrier to women because it keeps them from vertical mobility within the positions of the military. These reasons, however, only allow for things to remain how they are; it leaves no room for improvement for these women that truly deserve it. It is, therefore, our duty to educate ourselves about the lives of the women in the military in order to achieve their justified respect and duties.

Purpose of Research

The purpose of our research is to understand the roles of Women in the Military.

Women are commonly seen in a misleading way as part of the military, as a result many people believe they are caregivers, cooks, or in other non-combat roles. This topic has not come as much of a concern up until the most recent decade and would provide and interesting insight into the lives of these women. The percentage of women in the military compared to men in the military is drastically different. From this project we want to know the real life experiences of Women in the Military, how they were treated, what standards they are held to, and if Women in the Military has changed over the years. In order to answer these questions the interviews were held with three women who came from three different branches of the military and held differing positions from combat roles to non-combat roles.

Maryann Doran – Retired Air Force

Maryann Doran was active in the Air Force for four years. As a part of the Air Force she held a non-combat role as a result her perspective of women in the military is quite different than those who did hold a combat position. She joined the military because she was ready to leave home and was ready to take on adventures and travel the world. For some of her enlistment she was stationed in the Philippines. This is where she met her husband and also carried her first child. Mrs. Doran had many good memories of the military and rarely had any times when people thought poorly of a woman in the military. In a general view a few people thought two things about women soldiers. First, that women in need special treatment and shouldn’t be held to the same standards. Secondly, women should not be in the military because they are not as physically strong as a male soldier. As a active woman she never felt that either of these were true and that she could contribute in many other ways. An example of how some male soldiers feel about women in the military Mrs. Doran told us a story that happened during her pregnancy. Her boss told her that she had better have the baby on a Friday and be back at work on Monday, if she could not do this than women shouldn’t be in the military. Many people are accepting of women in the military and have grown to embrace them, however there are still some gender difference that need to be gapped.

Susan M. Gauthier – Retired Navy

Looking back on her time in the military, Susan M. Gauthier is nothing but proud about her service and positive about her experience. After graduating high school in a town in Michigan, Susan joined the United States Navy because it was the best job available to her at the time; most of her other options included night time shifts working in factories. Susan is currently the lead pharmacy technician. However, during the interview, she shared that she often looks back and wishes she had made a career out of the military. It is commonly believed that there are always large gender gaps in the military; however, Susan said, in her experience, that was not necessarily the case. When asked if there was a gender gap, she exclaimed with a smile, “There was a gap when I got there, but that gap was closed when I was gone.” This was because when she was stationed in Adak, Alaska, she asked to be an airfield fighter as opposed the job on the structural team that her instructors suggested. At the time, there were no women in the department. When she left, however, there were only two men left. It is partly because of her experience that she believes that she was never advantaged or disadvantaged because of her gender. Gender did not make a difference, according to Susan, because everyone was a soldier. She further explained this by saying, “It is just as hard for the men as it is for the women. You are still leaving your family regardless of your gender.” All soldiers share that among many other things in common. Susan made it clear that she did not believe that gender played a huge role in the advantages, disadvantages, and misconceptions of the military. However, she feels strongly about the discrimination that gay soldiers face. She shared that “the only thing that I will say is that the only other advantage/disadvantage is for the gay community. Because they are being singled out and being made to get out if anyone in the military got any kind of idea that that was their connotation; then they’re put on a list, and they are pushed out with a less than honorable discharge. I don’t think that’s right. That is one of the things that I am paying very close attention for President Obama to fix because it should make no difference.” Although she claims that she does not consider herself a feminist in anyway, she sees current issues dealing with social hierarchies in the military, and she wants to see action to make sure that this is stopped.

Lynn Kendall – Retired Army

Lynn Kendall was active in the United States army for 2 years. Being a woman in the military according to her had it’s advantages and disadvantages. She did lose her job because it became a combat position and women are not allowed to be in those kind of positions. She joined the military to be able to support herself and her country, gaining the ability to also leave her home. She said that the military was a good place with great benefits and that she has become a lot more patriotic because of it. One of the advantages she stated was that women didn’t have to do as much physical labor as men did, although some people may not think of that as advantageous. There weren’t any specific memories she wanted to share with us, but she was more than happy to answer all of the other questions. Overall, it was a great interview and gave us all insightful knowledge on being a woman in the military.

Conclusion

Gender gaps may be closing but they are not completely gone. Women who are in combat roles face more gender issues than women who are not in positions of combat. Over the last several decades treatment of women in the military has dramatically changed. Women can sometimes be held to different standards than men, but there are also challenges that other minorities, such as gays, face. Women may leave the army for maternal or family reasons, and childbirth is an issue a man does not have to face so this can not be used to demean the capabilities of women in any way. In any story, no two experiences are ever the same, and given this it is impossible to express the views of women in the military as a whole. Some may feel as if they were treated unfairly, others may not, but in almost all cases, women in the military feel very honored to protect and serve their country.

Group Reflection

As the interviews were held we realized that not all women are the same and therefore we cannot assume how women as a whole are treated in the military. From the variety of roles that women hold bring a variety of opportunities and obstacles to each woman. These women take it in stride because they want to serve their country in the same way and privileges a man gets to. Taken for granted is an understatement when it comes to these women. Our Military has grown over the years to become more accepting of Women in the Military; however with these accomplishments come many more obstacles. Women today still fight not to be compared to men but their own standard, and furthermore fight to have the same jobs offered to them as would be offered to a man. As a group we learned that the Women in Armed Forces are strong, courageous, and very patriotic.