Women In The Military Research Paper

Words: 1223
Pages: 5

News Essay: Women in the Military

Introduction

In The Washington Post article “Congress’s Female Combat Veterans Are Speaking Up On Military Issues,” Karoun Bemirjian discusses the concerns women face in the military by exploring views and opinions from the only four female combat veterans in Congress. The main issues women face in the military are sexual harassment, expanding family leave, planning options for soldiers, and whether women should be eligible for the draft. Out of the 102 veterans serving in Congress, only four are women. Unfortunately, trying to get their voices heard can be problematic and often these matters are challenging to address. Additionally, the female Republican veterans have to work against their party in regards to women in combat roles because the consensus from the majority of Republican leadership believe women should not be in combat positions (Demirgian 2016).
Gender is a socially constructed phenomenon where gender norms and behaviors for a society shape a person
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These values caused restrictions to many individuals which include issues such as, sexuality, the control of reproduction, and the way a person is expected to dress, speak, and walk. The debate for women in the military, especially in combat roles, goes against many social and cultural pressures because women are supposed to be nurturing and motherly, and as the military is a masculine institution, previously, women have joined as nurses or in admin positions. Gabbard recalled, “There were different missions I had volunteered for, along with other females in our unit, and we were told we weren’t allowed to participate in those missions simply because we were female” (Demirjian, 2016). Many people do not believe women are capable of being in combat positions and feel that they will hinder the