Carol Barkalow in her 1991 interview with Newsweek’s Ginny Carroll, titled “Women Have what it Takes,” delves into the age old debate over the involvement of women in the armed forces, more so in the United States military. Barkalow challenges a number of arguments that have been put forth opponents of gender equality within the military, to great effect. The end result is an impressive and convincing letter to the editor, which challenges all the arguments commonly used to discredit women and limit their opportunities within the military. At the same time, Barkalow remains very open minded, and objective, throughout the letter, as evidenced by her conclusion that job opportunities should be assigned to the most qualified individual.
The letter starts with a short recap of Barkalow’s experience so far in the military, through which she asserted that even though progress had been made over the ten years she had been in the military, some negative and unhelpful attitudes still persisted. Amongst them, the belief that women should stick to their traditional roles as wives, mothers, daughters and sisters, as they do not belong in combat. Barkalow refutes such assertions by citing the fact that losing a father, husband, brother or son is not any easier. She then proceeds to challenge the belief that women do not have what it takes to kill an enemy in combat, by citing her conversation with Bill Hanake, a Vietnam veteran. According to Barkalow, Hanake claimed that the Vietnamese female soldiers displayed greater discipline, resilience and a willingness to ensure the enemy does not return.
Barkalow throws the argument that men serving with female colleagues in battle are likely to become overprotective of them, by claiming it is currently no different, as the current culture encourages it, even going as far as to reward such behavior. On the question of pregnancy, Barkalow claims that during her service in Saudi Arabia, nonavailability was higher among men than women. Finally, she claims that as opposed to popular belief, relationships are not forged on the basis of alikeness, as evidenced by the bonding that occurred amongst soldiers of different races in Vietnam, but on the basis of shared experiences, thus eliminating the argument that team spirit would suffer with the recruitment of females. To Barkalow, what matters most in addition to qualification, is the willingness and commitment displayed by those recruited, creating the need for a fair system.
Work Cited
Barkalow, Carol. Women Have What It Takes. Newsweek Magazine 4 Aug. 1991.
