Women In The Military

Prior to WWI, women were only allowed to be a military nurse but even then, they weren 't actually enlisted. They were taking care of the men during the war and wasn’t given no type of recognition for doing so. Women 's roles

Presently women are sacrificing their lives serving this country in all branches of the military in the United States. Women are more involved in combat situations since the war began in Afghanistan and Iraq. With the increase of women in the military came the increase of sexual violence. In the beginning, very few reports of sexual violence were reported; over time the number of reported cases became a huge issue that brought awareness to those that work with the President of the United States. At that moment, processes were being looked at; changes needed to be made to find ways to give confidence to victims, to feel safe enough to report the crime of sexual violence. The Department of Defense is currently working on measures to alleviate the problem. Sex crimes on women in the military can have intense effects on their mental, physical and emotional well-being. Sexual harassment and sexual assault also extends to include

In “The Invisible War,” it is noted that “women who have been raped in the military have a PTSD rate higher than men who have been in combat” (The Invisible War, 2012). The impact that military sexual assault has on victims is tremendous. Both physical and mental trauma are common, and they play a significant role in how victims of sexual assault are able to return to their daily lives.

Now going back in time to the Revolutionary, Civil and Mexican Wars. A small number of women were involved in combat. However they had to disguise themselves as men and enlist under aliases; a false or assumed identity. One of these women was Deborah Samson Gannett. She was from Plymouth, Massachusetts and was one of the first American woman soldiers. In the year 1782, she enlisted under Robert Shurtleff Samson who was her brother who had passed away.

Many females serving in the military experience some form of sexual misconduct. These transgressions can include sexually assault, rape, or some form of harassment. Therefore, attending therapy sessions can be disheartening, especially when the group is geared more towards male PTSD. Currently the military is trying to alter this ongoing problem, by specifically gearing personnel who are trained not only in PTSD, but also sexual mistreatment. Unfortunately, at this time there are only four clinics available to female veterans that address both of these problems (Wakefield,

Many question women’s overall mental ability to handle the extreme circumstances during war. But the truth of the matter is that no human is immune to mental effects and trauma (Sisters in Arms). According to former Marine officer Jane Blair,“Post-traumatic stress disorder is an unfortunate consequence of war, especially for those who have served multiple deployments — and sadly, no gender is immune to it (Blair).” Blair makes a very clear argument about how men and women are all human and that we are all subject to discomfort from conscious decisions. Troops, whether it be male or female have no control over their mental state after seeing some of the harsh effects of war, whether it be a fallen friend in their batoon, or having to take the life of an innocent child in the wrong place at the wrong time. Things like this can have a powerful effect on any person, no matter their gender.

It is common for war veterans to return home with physical and emotional damage from the traumatizing sights they’ve seen and terrible places they’ve been. It is also common for women to return home with MST (Military Sexual Trauma). This occurs when a woman has been raped or assaulted by another person in the military. When these women return from duty, they suffer greatly. Many of them become homeless. Two dozen female veterans were interviewed, and of them, 16 said they were assaulted in the service. 53% of homeless female veterans experiences MST.

In 1918 America found itself in World War 1, this war has major significances in the history of women military. During this time period in American history there were 21,480 female nurses serving in the armed forces both in military hospitals in the United States and overseas. The importance of this war was not for its large number of women nurses, but for the first 18 African American women that were involved. These pioneer women served stateside caring for German prisoners of war and African-American soldiers.

Women have been known to serve in the U.S. military since the American Revolution but WWII was the first time they served in official capacity. Although women traditionally were excluded from military service and their participation in the Armed Forces was not promoted at the outset of WWII it soon became apparent that their participation in fighting the Axis Powers would be necessary to win the war. Women were not considered strong at that time. Even today we as women fight the stereotypes of being weak and too emotionally needy for certain jobs. But with there being so much pressure to win the war America and its men had to swallow its pride and not only let women enter the work force but also the military. About 150000 American women served in the (WAC) Women’s Army Corps and the (WAAC) Women’s Army Auxillary Corps during WWII. These were the first women to ever serve with the army outside of nursing. There was strong opposition in the leadership of the Army and among the public against women in uniform but the shortage of men made new policies allowing women to serve a necessity. Most women served their time here in the states but some went

Sexual assault in the military against women is a very real and serious issue in the military. Sexual assault is more likely to cause PTSD than any other events throughout a woman’s lifetime. Not every woman who experiences traumatic events develop PTSD but preexisting factors can increase chances of developing PTSD. Some factors may include: “Having a past mental health problem (for example depression or anxiety), experienced a very severe or life-threatening trauma, were sexually assaulted, were injured during the event, had a severe reaction at the time of the event, Experienced other stressful events afterwards, do not have good social support” (Veteran Affairs). For women, PTSD symptoms are different than what men experience. Women compared

     “May 22, 1942, will surely go down on the record,” predicted the Christian Science Monitor. “It was the day that women joined up with the army...” It was obvious; the U.S. needed a larger military force. Thus women joined the army within organizations. From there came Oveta Culp Hobby, the director for the first American military organization of women. This organization was called the WAAC (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps). Many people were impressed by the strength of the WAAC and it is said that within three months, the AAF was discussing the possibilities of obtaining more members of the WAAC (Weatherford, p.34).

During World War I the United States Navy and Marine Corps began allowing women to enlist. Over 12,000 women enlisted and more than 400 of them gave their live to fight for freedom. Women have taken an active role in the military starting in the Revolutionary War. The first female ever recorded to serve was Deborah Gannett who in 1782 used her brother’ name to enlist. After being shot, she removed the musket ball from her own thigh so the doctor would not discover her gender. Women in the military increase significantly in World War II with more than 351, 000 served. In fact the stateside Marine Corps Headquarters 85% of personnel was females. By 1991, women were allowed to serve in integrated units with in warzones. Even though women were prohibited from serving in units engaged in direct ground combat, in 2005 and 2008 two women were awarded the Silver Star for exceptional valor in close-quarters combat. As of 2013, there are close to 970,000 women who are enlisted and active or are serving as reservist.

Joining the military is a commitment sold as a beneficial lifestyle. However, there is an unspoken truth about women joining the military. Hiding behind fluff, are women’s stories about the sexual violence during their time in the force and the mistreatment they received for reporting the assaults. What needs to happen: give some consideration to the type (and history) of men being recruited; take away the investigative powers from the immediate commander; send reports to an independent, impartial system for adjudication; prosecute perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law, and treat these crimes with the same seriousness afforded to

Moreover, a soldier is often seen or imagined as a strong male. Although these are generalizations these claims are not unsubstantiated. Our societal norms and values assigned to both men and women their roles and expectations from the day they were born through a process called gender socialization. Men and women are raised to conform to the specific gender role whether it be the male or female. These roles create and foster a preconceived notion of one's expected behaviors, attitudes, and personality characteristics. Therefore, women in the military as to not seem “weak” may have this overwhelming sense of needing to change and become more “manly” and not fight like a girl, in essence creating an identity crisis for these women. Ashley et al. (2017) state, women feel the need to conform to the hyper-masculine standards of the military culture for interpersonal interactions and values. This paper also examines of factors of female veteran suicide such as stigma and lack of education. The purpose of this paper is to distinguish if gender socialization of has led to an identity crisis among female service members and veterans, creating a jump in suicide rates among female service members and veterans. Furthermore, the paper identifies the stakeholders, policy changes, recommended evidence-based interventions, technological resources, and recommendations for the future in preventing veteran suicide among female

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.