This week’s topic in class was
gender in the state, law and social policy. We talked a lot about women in the
military and that linked closely with an article I read on USA today. The
article is about how men and women have to meet the same combat standards in
the military. In class on Monday, we had a group discussion about how it’s
offensive to hear “you throw like a girl” or gender based terms like that that
are meant to be degrading. The article says, “The new order, signed Thursday by Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta, will open as many as 237,000 new jobs to women. Women comprise about
14% of the 1.4 million active military personnel.” It talks about how the
military will not need to lower standards in order to accept women, both
genders will have equal treatment and requirements to meet. One of the readings
we did called “How Much Must Women Sacrifice to Serve?” talks about the trauma
women face in the service when they are already putting their lives on the line
to protect us. The reading says, “Despite their contributions and sacrifices, the military continues to
be a hostile -- and often dangerous environment -- for women.” Women in the
military often face a lot of extra trauma such as rape, assault and verbal
harassment.
By making requirements and expectations equal between men and women,
it will start to decrease the power role and the difference in power between
genders. That power is often what leads to other problems like the oppression
women face. Another article I read by SWAN called “Women in Combat” says, “The disconnect
between what the U.S. government and military says women are allowed to do and
what they are actually doing is not only a blatant act of gender
discrimination, it fosters a hostile work environment where women’s
capabilities are assumed rather than assessed.” This links to the current event
I read because by creating laws preventing division of labor and gender
discrimination, we can start to close this gap in the military between men and
women.
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