Women in the U.S. Military: Improving the status of women
The selected book for review is “Women in the Military” by Rita James Simon. The book suggests that the US society has been developing since 1865 to present, and it is the reason that the US Armed forces are also focusing on their development for the preparation of war and the security of US. Therefore, US military added women services in their force to make their force strong. During the World War-II and then after WW-II women played a vigorous and efficient role in their society. Women changed the structure of politics, society and armed forces with the help of their skills and courage to serve their country. Thus, in this paper, the role of women in the US military will be defined with the help of literature. Rita James Simon in her book presented the fact that it was not acceptable to the US society to see women working for US military. Women still find it difficult to reach higher ranks in the military and also face many challenges related to their acceptance by their counterparts. It is the reason that there have been various debates regarding this matter.
1. The debate on the role of women in military pointed out issues related to the health status of women in the US military and their treatment. Military women’s injury- and stress-related conditions were increasing the rate of hospitalization of military women. It was the reason that their health status was questioned.
2. The sexual assault cases came in front, and it has been seen to affect several parts of military women’s lives. However, after 1948 the US government took this matter seriously to save women in the military. For that, the government spent more than $100 million per year for domestic violence prevention. Moreover, they arranged several counseling programs for military women who were facing troubles coping with military stress or violence.
3. The performance level of women and men was also compared and then it was criticized and debated that men perform better than women. To prove this point wrong, the women ignored the differences and tried to prove them. However, people were criticizing them and pointing out women’s weaknesses and men’s strengths. People were arguing that women cannot play their role as effectively as men can because of the load of responsibilities that women have. Then women proved them by showing great results in mental and aptitude tests in which they scored higher than men.
4. Integration of women in the armed forces has been debated for more than fifty years. While reviewing the military histories, it can be said that the military always needed women to fight with the international women force and thus women's role in the military is not forgettable. Therefore, after the integration of women in military Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps was created in 1942 and then the Women’s Army Corps came into being in 1943.
5. While taking gradual steps towards the gender equality in the armed forces, there was a successful campaign that allowed women to join the Regular Army. Then, US legislation and policy accepted the growing role of women in the military. However, there was a ban on women serving in combat fields and assignments such as women flying in combat and serving on combat ships.
Concluding the discussion above, it can be said that women proved them in each task they were asked to participate in the military. When the information provided in the selected is compared with the course content, it could be argued that both are in conformity to presenting the events, conditions, and situations faced by women. The acceptance and tolerance have allowed women to be part of the US military that is present in its current form. Previously fought wars provided women a great chance to prove them, and they successfully played their strong and active role in the US military. Then, their continuous efforts proved them and gave them recognition in the US military that later on in the 20th-century women in the military were accepted and thus highly welcomed.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, Rita James. Women in the Military. London: Transaction Publishers, 2001.
