Women In The Military History

During World War II, approximately 350,000 women served in the United States Armed Forces. There are many women that people still think of today that is inspiring to them, but many of them know the main person that was popular on the poster board and films which is Rosie The Riveter.

When mixing the push for equality between the sexes, the military is no exception. Traditionally, women have helped on the battlefield by providing medical help. Until the 1950s, women's primary career option in the military was medical nurse. The Korean War encouraged female nurses to interact on the ground in combat as support units to the combat arms branches. Real change started when, in 1969 and '72 when the Air Force, Army and Navy opened up the

In World War II, women contributed in many ways by entering the battle. Some of the jobs the women held were Army nurses, Red Cross members, factory work, etc. The United States were one of the few countries that put their women to work and was ridiculed for it. In 1948, President Truman signed the Women 's Armed Services Integration Act which authorized regular and reserve status for women in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. These women showed true leadership by becoming leaders in battle and left a lasting legacy for all women to come.

Women now make up 14 percent of the active-duty military in the United States, which is up from 1.6 percent, 25 years prior. (Christian Science Monitor, 1). In 1948, President Truman signed the Women 's Armed Services Integration Act which created the role of women in the military. This law meant that each branch of the service was allowed to have one female Colonel (Byfield, 12). As of 2015, there are many women who serve as Generals and Admirals. All of these roles are non-combative. Even though some women can do anything a man can do, the vast majority can not, therefore making it an unsafe idea to place these women into combat positions.

Women have served the military in one fashion or another since the Revolutionary War, in recent years the status of women serving in the military has changed dramatically. Traditionally women have always served in administrative or medical roles. With the advancement of views and the sheer determination of many women, we are seeing women serving in combat and fighting alongside their male counterparts. Training schools such as the Army Ranger school, Marine Infantry training, and pilot training within the Navy and Air Force have opened and began training women to fight. The history of some accomplishments women have made while serving in the military has paved the way for the future of women soldiers to follow.

In 1973, women began to grow in numbers in the 'All-Volunteer Force' implemented under President Nixon. “In February 1988, Department of Defense (DoD) codified the Combat

cooks, caregivers and nurses; until Women’s Armed Forces Integration Act in 1948 was established, and women became permanent members of both regular and reserve armed forces (U.S. Department of Defense).

After World War I a few ladies came back to the spot society had bound for them while others can 't. They had adapted new abilities and was readied to utilize them. The United States entered the World War II after the shelling of Pearl Harbor and ladies control again was popular. Their parts kept on evolving immensely. By the spring of 1942 there was a developing labor deficiency in the military. In American Wars before World War II, there had been a level headed discussion about and restriction to utilizing ladies as a part of the military. As men went off to fight, ladies were required for non-battle employments, for example, switchboard administrators, telegraphers, mechanics, and drivers. Amid World War II, more than one hundred thousand ladies served in the women’s Army Corps later got to be known as the Women’s Army Corps. Ladies additionally joined the United States Navy. Amid the fall of 1942, the Women’s Auxiliary Air Squadron got to be known as the Women’s Air Force, started preparing ladies pilots who flew planes to different army installations in the United States. They tried airplane and performed other non-battle flight obligations. Numerous ladies trusted that they may never be permitted to serve in the military again on the off chance that they didn 't turn out to be skilled in a picked part.

During World War II, women in the United States were seeing societal transitions that created a pathway for equality between the sexes. Women during the Second World War were given considerable opportunities in the workforce and armed services and restrictions previously set on women were breaking at the seams. Before World War II, women were seen as only house wives and mothers to their partners child. These societal roles for women also oppressed them and only at this time could men be the bread winners and the ones to fight for their country. Women were restricted from combat and from many occupations, and if the woman was pregnant or with children she would be restricted from holding a job period. Effortlessly men could apply for work anywhere and could be drafted into the US Armed Forces, just because they were men. Eventually a major turning point occurred during the war and the relationship between women and the United States military. During the Second World War women were nurses on the frontlines, women also enlisted as Yeomen (F), and women were finally allowed to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. Womens societal roles changed during World War II and gave way to the beginning of gender equality in the workforce and the armed forces to fight for our country.

Women served an important role in WWII. They not only took the challenge and stepped up to take the places of the men off fighting in the war to work in factories, but they also fought side by side with those risking their lives and fighting for their country. They were needed everywhere during the war. There were an unbelievable amount of job opportunities for women during the war and many supported the brave acts of voluntary enlistment. “‘A woman’s place is in the home’ was an old adage, but it still held true at the start of World War II. Even though millions of women worked, home and family we considered the focus of their lives” says Brenda Ralf Lewis. Without the help of those women who were brave enough to

In 1942 the Women’s Army Corps was introduced. These women worked in more than 200 non- combatant jobs stateside and also every part of the war. They served not only as common nurses but also “within the ranks of the United States Army.” There was also the Women’s Army Corps introduced in 1942. This group of 1,100 women was asked to join and fly military aircraft, due to the shortage of pilots. Their job was to fly from factories to military bases and also different take off points around the country. Even though during their enlistment the WASP were supposed to become part of the military, after a couple years the program was cancelled. The last group the, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, was already established. After being absent for twenty-three years, they had to be reactivated because of WW2. While a large portion of these women did the job of secretarial and clerical they had other jobs they did. Thousands of WAVES performed duties in aviation, medical professions, communication, intelligence, science and technology. These military jobs and the other non-traditional jobs the women participated in made them almost like a ghost in their home front.

Official women’s branches were founded by 1943. Not only in the Army they were established, but also in the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines. Before Pearl Harbor, many supporters of women’s involvement in the military run a campaign for the establishment of women’s branches in the War Department. Among these supporters were involved people like Representatives Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts, Margaret Chase Smith of Maine or First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. (Litoff and Smith 35)

In the article “Women in the Military” mentions the women have been joining the military since 2000. Besides that, women who serve the military do require a lot of physical requirement because of stereotypical thinking of women being weak. Even more, some commanders want more women to participate in the use of technology. Women tried fighting this kind of idea but managed to fail; In 2003 young women named Lynch was the only survivor of an insurgent attack in Iraq, which motivated more women to join the army. Even more, women that join the army also experienced harassment and rape. After these incidents, it was decided that the military training was not going to be co-ed basic training. By doing this the pentagon announced in 2013 that they

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.”

This permitted women to fill combat-support positions, at least for the duration of World War II. Greater progress came after World War II with the Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948. This would be the first time that women were permitted to serve in the military during peace-time. However, each branch had a two percent limit on the number of women that could be enlisted at any one time, and promotions were very restricted (Valceanu 22). Certainly, this shows advancement for women in the military, but it was merely due to the shortage of men available for military duty. Equality for women in the military was definitely not a consideration at this time.