Women The Battlefield

Women and the Battlefield Equality. People everywhere fight for it. From marriage equality to gender equality, the fight has been on for hundreds of years. But what really is equality? According to Google and Dictionary.com, equality is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. Women for example have been fighting for equality with men in all aspects from equal pay to equal rights to the right to fight in war. Just recently the United States’ Government has granted women the right to serve their country by fighting in war. The Selective Service System for the US Government now reads, “the best qualified and most capable service members, regardless of gender, are available to carry out the mission.” Of course

Studies have been conducted to prove or disprove those very statements. The University of Boston’s physiatric facility conducted a study where they analyzed and surveyed 340 female and 252 male OEF/OIF Veterans within one year of returning from deployment. The OEF/OIF are part of the Operation Enduring Freedom, the official name used by the U.S. government for the Global War on Terrorism between 2001 and 2014. The study focused on PTSD symptoms and stressors these veterans encountered. The study concluded that both gender’s resilience to combat stressors for women and men were similar. It was reported that 30.16% of women and 31.34% of men identified with PTSD. These findings show that men and women are not that different when compared on a mental postwar level. Although having veterans returning with PTSD is not the ideal effect of war, it does affect many, and through this study it is concluded that women are just as qualified as men to be

For example, a common stereotype is that women shouldn’t be violent. It has been pushed upon females to endure sports like volleyball and cheerleading rather than football and wrestling. In both of these sports females are to to wear tight small pieces of clothing which only help to objectify women and sexualize their bodies. This only encourages the belief that women don’t belong in war because they belong on the sidelines cheering for men, while they get their hands dirty and do the “tough work”. Women today have begun to break this stereotype and have started to show the world that they too belong in the field hand in hand with men. An example is former cheerleader for the Eagles, Rachel Washburn. After cheering for the Eagles for many years Washburn decided she wanted to enlist in war and fight for her country. In an interview with USA Today she states that she is extremely proud for defying the stereotype and for defending her country. Washburn is now a 1st Commander in the Army. Although many judge her and classify her as a deviant, she is a role model and inspiration for younger girls who are tired of the stereotypes and who want to join the military in the