Bucot, Maria Alizah L.

Expository Writing for Global Communication

Men and Women serving together in Military Units

(Comparison and Contrast)

Military works are often designated to men, but there are a lot of women
who are also pursuant of such work. However, people of many ages have
questioned the capability of women considering such work involves a lot of
strength. But there are some who strongly believes that women can also do what
men can. As Mahatma Gandhi have said, “Strength does not come from
physical capacity, it comes from indomitable will”.

Gender equality has been a major issue especially when it comes to finding
a job or hiring of workers. This concept of equal treatment to both genders has
not only been non-existent in today’s generation, but has always been non-
existent even in all early civilizations. But, today, women power has been
undeniably sustainable for the past years as women started to voice out and
demand for the equality in the workplace and even at home. As women have
always claimed that they can do what men can do at the same level, would
this still be applied even at the military workforce? Do women could
possibly serve as a big help or just another burden in the problems faced by
military forces?

Personally, before, I have always thought that military works are just for
men since they are the ones who are physically suitable as the job demands a
lot of strength. Although women can also be trained to be physically suitable,
still, the standards of physical fitness have been set to suit men, and women
attempting to reach them will over-stretch themselves. With that, it would
highly cause the units higher injury rates. Critics have also said that those
women who do apply will have to meet the same high physical standards as men,
with evidence suggesting that women are less likely to pass the tests for strength
and aerobic fitness. And also, women would most likely to get pregnant and it
would affect the readiness of units because of the possible disproportion number
of available soldiers. Also, as it was proven that there are misogynistic
societies that may be more willing to abuse woman prisoners. With that,
women in the military are highly at risk of torture and rape more than men.
But now, as there have been multiple instances that women have proven that
they have the potential and capability to serve in military units, I now realized
that women can indeed work as part of the armed forces in the military. There
was this news last 2017 by the BBC news in UK wherein a time at the height of
the war in Afghanistan, coalition forces were at risk of being unable to gather
vital information and intelligence from women in the towns and villages where
they were operating. A solution came from female soldiers, who were sent
into these communities as engagement teams. They were talking to local
women who were unlikely to speak to their male colleagues. It was only one
example of the benefits that diversity in the armed forces can bring. With
that, the help that women could contribute in the military does not only
concern about physical strength or capabilities, but, indeed, there are
aspects which women could really do well than men. However, there are these
researchers from “Discovery News” who see things regarding this matter
differently. They noted that traditional attitudes make many people both
uncomfortable with the idea of women fighting and unable to handle the images
of mothers coming home in body bags. This claim from them seemed like
concerning more on how society should treat women based on traditional aspects
wherein women do not fight like men in the military and should just serve their
families or do chores at home. But there are these women interviewed by The
Muse researchers who spoke with a strong belief that military should be like any
other job field which entails that all opportunities must be open to both men and
women. One of the captains of air force named Kirsten Franke believed that
it doesn’t make sense keeping someone out of something or restricting
them when they’re capable of it. But there’s this issue also addressed by The
Muse about the safety particularly sexual harassment concerning women. There
have been claims that women got raped during their stay in the military
and didn’t say anything about it because superiors in the military would
still favor men than women. Furthermore, there have been an issue about the
combat positions being opened without any exception by the secretary of defense
in foreign affairs last 2016, which Naysayers have argued about. Naysayers
argued that allowing women to fight would lower physical standards, ruin
camaraderie in a historically male-dominated space, and destroy the military’s
capacity to recruit by removing the revered all-male combat. Supporters, on the
other hand, contended that integrating women into combat roles would
enhance military capabilities, making the institution a more equal one that
could, in turn, help reduce problems of sexual harassment and low rates of
female recruitment and retention. Considering all of these concerns and
claims, I think that women can really have a place in military units together with
men. As long as the applicant is qualified for a position, one’s gender is arbitrary.
Also, mixed gender force keeps the military strong. Widening the applicant pool
for all jobs guarantees more willing recruits. The concern about the masculine
works to be done can be resolved by training which would facilitate the
integration of women to combat units. Superiors must not be biased, instead,
they should integrate fairness and camaraderie at work, which indicates an
equal treatment to men and women. Moreover, these military based
arguments on different perspectives have led me to my own viewpoint that
women could really serve as a big help in the military, maybe not too much
in a physical way, but more on the side of binding all kinds of people into
one despite diversity across cultures. Soldiers do not only have to take on
the enemy, but must also build relationships with a wide range of people -
men, women and children from many backgrounds.

From one of the works of Tanya Biank, a famous American author, entitled
“Undaunted”, she described how women in the military fought, struggled and
sacrificed in the name of serving the country they love. She pointed out how
women, despite advances, have been constantly pressed to prove
themselves and put each military mission they face ahead all other aspects
of their lives including marriage and motherhood. With this, I have realized
that in spite all the limitations and even discrimination women have gone
through all these years, nothing could really stop them to do something
they have always wanted to do, and it’s because they are determined no
matter how hard situations could be. Nevertheless, men can never absolutely
stand alone. They are enduring every struggle with women not just behind them,
but beside them.

“Women will get the equality in the end. The only question is, why
should we wait?”, said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in her speech last 2015
International Women’s Day as she exclaimed about women power. Us, women,
should no longer wait to completely attain the equality that we need.
Whether work from home, office, or even at the military, women should be
recognized equally as men. Despite differences and even contrasting
beliefs, still, “HEroes” could also be “SHEroes”.
References

Biank, T. (2014). Penguin Random House. Undaunted: The Real Story of

America’s Servicewomen in today’s Military. Retrieved from
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/309862/undaunted-by
tanya-biank/.

Bryce, H. (2017). BBC News UK. Could more women soldiers make the Army
stronger? Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk41969817.

Mckenzie, M. H. (2018). Foreign Affairs. Will letting women fight fix gender
inequality? Retrieved from https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/
united-states/2018-04-23/will-letting-women-fight-fix-gender
inequality.

Mlambo-Ngcuka, P. (2015). Our World: Brought to you by the United Nations

University. Opinion: It’s time to Step it up for Gender Equality. Retrieved
from https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/opinion-its-time-to-step-it-up-for
gender-equality.

Moritz, D. (2018). The Muse. Women in the Military: Why can’t we serve on the
Front Lines? Retrieved from https://www.themuse.com/advice/women-in
the-military-why-cant-we-serve-on-the-front-lines.

Sister in Arms (2009). Women in Combat Pros and Cons. Retrieved from
https://sistersinarms.ca/history/women-in-combat-pros-and-cons/.