Patriarchy In G. I Jane

Gender roles have been a hotly debated topic in the most recent years, especially the role of women in society. Women have had set expectations that they are believed to conform to, which is shown in many pieces of film and literature. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald describes the life of a man in the upper class in the 1920’s, as well as women in the 1920’s. The movie The Princess Bride, written by William Goldman, visually explains the treatment and expectations of women, and especially focuses on the “damsel in distress” stereotype.. Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist” explains the stereotypes against women and ways women can come together and fight these constraints. Based on these sources, societal expectations take away from each individual’s identity, forcing women to conform to society's standards. In order to fight against these expectations, women have banded together and formed movements against these standards.

Men have always been looked upon as the leading sex. Looking back through history women have been the ones who take care of the home and children, while men are the ones who work and go to war. However in recent years there’s no doubt that women have become much more equal in the work force. Nevertheless men are still the ones who are forced to fight our wars when the time calls for it. Many think that women should be entirely equal to men having their choice to be drafted taken away but the fact is that they are physically at a disadvantage, too emotionally oriented, and the increase of female presence would have a more negative impact in the military in the way of social interactions.

Men always believed that women cannot do everything like a guy or what men can do because they think women are not as strong as them, or they are too emotional. They want women to stay home cook, clean and take care of the kids. Until today there are some countries still believe that women have no rights to work or do anything. Now women are starting to fight for their rights and to show men that women can do anything men can. Strong women are empowered and role models to young women. One of the biggest inequalities women face is the different physical standards for being allowed into a Military Occupation Specialty (MOS). Now women are able to be part in the military maybe not up to a level where men can reach, but we have taken the first step of women being able to join the military and being able to fight for their country just as

Over the past few years, there has been huge discussions when the topic of equality for women who have joined the military is being brought up. Being that gender equality is a big thing in the military now, I decided to chose this topic and discuss how I feel about it. According to the United States constitution, all men are created equal and this does not exclude women. One of the main things I learned is that equality for women in the military is a major issue. There should be no gender inequality in the United States military period. Most jobs are now open to women that were once allowed for only a man to do but when it comes to something such as the military, it should have always been that way No one should be told they can’t do something when it requires fighting for your country. Even back when men were drafted in the military, women should have been able to get drafted as well. You would think the military would take any and everybody that is willing to fight for his or her country simply because it would make our job easier as a whole. Frequently, women are stereotyped as feeble and incapable of doing certain things. Nevertheless, this should not be applied in any kind of career, particularly in the military.

The film, G.I. Jane, is about a woman's struggle in becoming a Navy Seal in a male dominated field. However, the film only had three major women's roles. Most of which weren’t usual feminine ideals of what women should behave like. Senator Lillian DeHaven, an aggressive and powerful women who is not intimidated by any man set out a proposal to have one female, Jordan O’Neill, put through the most rigorous physical training possible. Throughout the film Senator DeHaven’s real intentions are seen. Despite the fact that she seems to be fighting for women’s rights within the Military, she does not fully see men and women the same. In a conversation she had with the lead character, Jordan O’Neill, she states how she and her fellow senators are not ready to have body bags full of women come home from war. This clearly shows

For decades, men have been the ones that were drafted into the army while the women had to fulfill their roles as housewives at home. Countless wars have passed before women were able to fight and serve for their country, such as but not limited to: the American Civil War, Spanish-American War, WWI, and WWII. It wasn’t until 1948 that congress passed the Women’s Armed Services Integration act which permitted women to officially serve in the military and receive veteran’s benefits. Still today, there are stereotypes about women and the fact that they should not have as much involvement in military roles, even after an act has been passed for that specific reason. In a New York Times online and print article, “Arms and the Women,” Gail Collins argues that “the system is complicated”

Often females are made to believe that men are more superior in society and are regularly associated to being brave, heroic or courageous. This is a theme that

There was also opposing viewpoints that women were at high risk of sexual harassment (Carlson 4). Although that should not get in the way when women can report the individual who did her wrong and also there was a risks of violations back at home. While their daily experiences were different, all women who served were met with the clear realities of danger and death on a daily basis (Women in Vietnam). Once the initial experience of arrival was over, women began to camouflage to their situations and to settle their job that the war offered (“Iris”). They, like the men in uniform who were doing the fighting, came under much of the same enemy fire and risked their lives. They were a rare breed of women who were knew what not so much was coming to them but was able to handle such a traumatic devastation. But along with men, they were able to handle seeing such horrible situations, opposing that women and men should have been allowed to fight the battles regardless of the sex.

Every day we hear subtle micro-aggressions about women and I never really understood why. Don’t be such a girl! Don’t fight like a girl! Comments like these are meant as an insult, and never to be taken as a compliment. But, why? Today, women are CEO’s, doctors, lawyers and presidential candidates. Women are stronger and more powerful today than ever before. However, society still paints a clear picture of women being weak, and not able to compete with their male counterparts. For example, prior to the repeal of the ground combat exclusion policy in 2013, (which opened more than 250,000 previously closed positions for women) women were seen as distractions and not fit for combat. The repeal of the combat exclusion policy in 2013, was an important

It seems that the film breaks out of traditional gender stereotypes. However, looking a little deeper one will see that in all the fight scenes, Uhura plays no part in giving out commands or taking initiative, which perpetuates the stereotype that women don’t take initiative. The women officers are shot with the camera from the top-down – rather than from the bottom-up as the men are – which emphasizes the physical size difference between the men and the women officers and belittles the power of the women officers. Although the film appears to show strong women, the women in fact are weak and are depicted as mostly useless – the women also don’t break out of any traditional gender stereotypes.

The sexist stereotypes of men and women greatly enforced their roles in the Vietnam War. While women were not included in the draft and protected from war’s brutality and tragedies, men were forced from their homes to be enlisted in the army. In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, a platoon is comprised of struggling young men whose lives are challenged each day. On the other hand, women are blissfully living in the states, providing complete security and comfort, both of which the soldiers are not able to acquire. According to society, women are supposedly the homebound sex, too fragile and moral to be exposed to the world outside their own, and unable to empathize with the emotional baggage that the soldiers carry.

The film G.I. Jane takes place in the 1990’s and shows discrimination of a women in the United States Navy. Lieutenant Jordan O’ Neal played by Demi Moore, is a naval intelligence officer who has ambitions of moving beyond her military desk job, to become a member of the Navy Seal. Thanks to the political maneuvering of a female senator, O’ Neal becomes the first female candidate for the Navy Seals. The Seal’s are the military’s elite Special Forces team. O’ Neal becomes the guinea pig of senator Lillian DeHaven in this film. DeHaven bullies the Navy into taking O’Neal as a Seal recruit in order to become the first female member of the Navy Seal. O’Neal is put through a series of tests and her main obstacle is Master Chief John Urayle, a

When it comes to combat assignments and the needs of the military, men take precedence over all other considerations, including career prospects of female service members. Female military members have been encouraged to pursue opportunities and career enhancement within the armed forces, which limit them only to the needs and good of the service due to women being not as “similarly situated” as their male counterparts when it comes to strength or aggressiveness, and are not able to handle combat situations.

Women have been participating in the United States military since the Revolutionary War, where they were nurses, maids, cooks and even spies. They played vital roles in order to keep those fighting on the front lines healthier, and even a more important role in keeping commanding officers informed with private information stolen from the other side. Although the Revolutionary War took play in 1776, the first law to be passed that permanently stated that women have an official place in the military was in 1948, almost one hundred and seventy-two years later. Since that time there has been a lack of true growth when it comes to integration of females in the military. In 1994, a law was passed that tried to prohibit women from being assigned to ground combat units below the brigade level. Women are excluded from more then 25% of active combat roles within the military and only in 2013 was the ban lifted which was the final barrier to allowing women into all active roles. This has been a huge step in the direction for women being considered as being equal but there are still challenges that women face within the military. Ranging from sexual assault, discrimination, bullying, and other tactics, it is clear that for many, the military is still a “boys club.”

In Women in the Military, Janette Mance explores the debates and problems faced by the increasing number of women involved in the military. After examining issues such as pregnancy, sexual harassment, and rape, Mance concludes that as a society we must continue to strive for gender equality.