The subject of women in combat is one of the least studied in the history and the literature. This topic is very important in the context of gender and many other issues. For many years, researchers have been interested in the issues of women as the part of one of the most terrible events in the world. As it is known from the ancient times, war is a men's business, and nobody have doubted in this fact. Moreover, women always acted as passive victims, i.e. "damsels in distress", having secondary importance at war. However, many researchers, who have studied the topic of women in the war, came to the conclusion that the present issue was very controversial. This topic has been studied from the various viewpoints in different times. There is no doubt that women and men have the general rights and obligations in time of war and in the military. Nevertheless, the main question consists in the way they perform their duties and how they interact with each other.
Undoubtedly, civilization forges ahead, the wars become worse and bloodier, and more and more women are attached to the non-core craft. Such a fact can be called a phenomenon, since it is contrary to many laws of nature and society. On the other hand, why cannot one call it a commonplace, since a man and woman are equal in their rights and duties? One of the many problems of this question lies in the ambiguous attitude of the majority of military male, as well as public opinion. The presence of women in the army or in a combat situation evokes mixed feelings in society. However, according to the numerous polls, such a reaction occurs less frequently in the recent years: the participants of the polls perceived "violent acts by a male guard to be as serious as for a female guard, suggesting a shift in perceptions of gender role stereotypes" (Fallahi et al. 261). Psychologists say that a woman has a finer organization than a man does. The very nature of a woman has the function of motherhood, the continuation of the human race. Woman gives birth. That is why this topic is so controversial in many countries and for a long time generally has been treated as unacceptable even for discussion. This paper aims at analyzing some research works, in which the problem of women in war is viewed from the certain angles, taking into account a variety of scientific tools.
In their research paper, Byron D. Greene III and Kenneth L. Wilson thoroughly examine the integration of women into the army, providing lots of interesting facts and statistics. In addition, the authors administered a few previously unknown concepts such as "contextual contact" and "interpersonal dynamics" (Greene and Wilson 241-242). These new concepts allow understanding the interpersonal relationships between men and women in the military, where the army hierarchy is of the primary importance. The paper provides the statistics and illustrations, explaining the essence of the impact of one person to another, as well as the specified methods of research and information gathering. This article is very useful in studying the issue of the "man-woman" reactions in the framework of the army. The article by Carolyn L. Fallahi, et al. dwells on the similar topics; however, the authors conducted their own research on the gender stereotypes. The authors discover the way the gender stereotypes influence the decision of people in critical situations. The aim of this study is to identify the impact of the gender stereotypes on decision-making in violent combat. The point of the study is that the authors have tried to point out the fact that a sex of a soldier play a decisive role in making important decisions in some cases: "females are more likely than males to believe that aggression could be problematic and that they would experience guilt or anxiety if they were to act in an aggressive manner" (Fallahi et al. 262).
In her article, Krista E. Lindstrom et al. explore the problem of matching the physical and mental forces of men and women in the United States Army. She points to the fact that the issue of the differences between men and women remains poorly understood, despite the fact that the number of women in the US military has increased over the last 5 years (Lindstrom et al. 163). In their article, the authors explore the greater the mental health of women serving in the army for several months: "women in combat support occupations were significantly less likely to be hospitalized for a number of mental disorder categories, [], compared with women in noncombat support occupations" (Lindstrom et al. 170). The article provides statistics gathered from many sources. These data relate to several recent major wars involving the US forces. The study, which is carried out in this article may be supported by other studies by Peggy McCracken. In the article, the author explores the question of "women's blood" in the war. The article provides for the consideration of some thoughts and facts about the relationship between women and war, referring to the physiology, mythology and modernity: "War always involves bloodshed, and stories about women and war recount the gendering of bloodshed, and ultimately of blood itself, in a hierarchy of values in which only the heroic bloodshed of men represents a worthy sacrifice on the battlefield" (McCracken 641). The article by Orna Sasson-Levy explores one of the most important issues relating to the theme of women in the war. The main content of research is aimed at coverage of gender issues and feminism. The author points to the complexity and inconsistency of the research, as most of the information is dedicated to Israeli women who perform the "men's work" in the Israeli army. The focus of the article is on the physical and mental differences between men and women. Intellectual ability, patriotism, and loyalty to an oath are not of paramount importance in the battle (Sasson-Levy 442). Physical fortress can be a matter of life or death. That is why one cannot ignore the physical differences between men and women. The vast majority of women are inferior to men in height and weight. These indicators are closely linked to the physical strength and endurance. Even the special program of physical training did not help. The reason lies in the difference of heart and lung volumes in the representatives of different sexes. Commanding officers are well aware that this is a decisive factor in achieving results. According to them, being weaker, women are not able to implement heavy physical work. However, Sasson-Levy believes that it is not so. Perhaps earlier this information had some value, but today, in the era of new technologies, such barrier can be broken. The author also discusses the gender structure of Israeli citizenship, which was destroyed due to the efforts of women soldiers.
The following article by Scott Sigmund Gartner offers a study of accidents in the army, as well as their gender difference. Gartner points to the fact that accidents are directly related to public opinion: "both more female casualties and chaotic combat are likely in the future. Women make up 15% of American military personnel serving in Iraq and have incurred 2% of U.S. casualties" (Gartner 108). In addtion, the author provides accurate statistics of the accidents involving women in the Vietnam and Iraq wars. In another article, which also deals with the question of women in war, Shannon L. Holland carries out a critical analysis of the case of Jessica Lynch, who played a significant role in the matter under discussion: "the popular representations of Lynch make visible her seemingly innate female body, thus deflecting attention away from the failures of her male comrades and normalizing the presence of male bodies in the all-male combat zone" (Holland 46). In addition, this article again affects the problem of the difference between male and female physiology. The author carries out an extensive research on the issues related to women's bodies, gender, and feminism in the army. Finally, the last article by Leora N. Rosen et al. explores the role of women in war and the army from the viewpoint of male's acceptance of women in the military. The article presents abundant evidence on the way women are useful in the army and what changes they have brought to its development. In addition, the authors analyze the psychological data that they have learned from many other sources, concerning the study of gender issues in the military. The authors explain women's choice to be in the service because "women may choose nontraditional occupations because they prefer to work with males" (Rosen et al. 550).
Conclusions
The accurate analysis of the sources on the topic of women in war makes it evident that this issue is not sufficiently studied. There are many different viewpoints on this controversial subject matter today. The subject of women in combat affects the psychological, gender, political, civil, and many other aspects, which makes it very difficult. Nevertheless, most researchers are convinced that women have a special mission in the war, and it has nothing to do with the cliché a "damsel in distress".
Works Cited
Fallahi, Carolyn, et al. "Gender Differences In The Perception Of Prisoner Abuse." Sex Roles 60.3/4 (2009): 261-268. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 26 June 2016.
Gartner, Scott Sigmund. "Secondary Casualty Information: Casualty Uncertainty, Female Casualties, And Wartime Support." Conflict Management & Peace Science (Routledge) 25.2 (2008): 98-111. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 26 June 2016.
Greene III, Byron D., and Kenneth L. Wilson. "Women Warriors: Exploring The New Integration Of Women Into The Military." Journal Of Political & Military Sociology 9.2 (1981): 241-254. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 26 June 2016.
Holland, Shannon L. "The Dangers Of Playing Dress-Up: Popular Representations Of Jessica Lynch And The Controversy Regarding Women In Combat." Quarterly Journal Of Speech 92.1 (2006): 27-50. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 26 June 2016.
Lindstrom, Krista E., et al. "The Mental Health Of U.S. Military Women In Combat Support Occupations." Journal Of Women's Health (15409996) 15.2 (2006): 162-172. Health Policy Reference Center. Web. 26 June 2016.
McCracken, Peggy. "The Amenorrhea Of War." Signs: Journal Of Women In Culture & Society 28.2 (2003): 625. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 26 June 2016.
Rosen, Leora N., et al. "Cohesion And Readiness In Gender-Integrated Combat Service Support Units: The Impact Of Acceptance Of Women And Gender Ratio." Armed Forces & Society (0095327X) 22.4 (1996): 537-553. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 26 June 2016.
Sasson-Levy, Orna. "Feminism And Military Gender Practices: Israeli Women Soldiers In “Masculine” Roles." Sociological Inquiry 73.3 (2003): 440-465. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 26 June 2016.
