The Military Woman

The Military Woman

Women in the military have to deal with many gender issues. One of the most debated is whether or not they should be allowed in combat. Another front-page topic for military women is sexual harassment. Finally there is the issue of the “good old boy club” and how difficult it is to gain access into that world. Only once they manage to break through these barriers, can they have an equal opportunity to become effective military leaders and managers.  

Should women be allowed in combat? It is not that women are not capable of being great leaders in combat due to their mental capacity but it is their physical strength that is of major concern for policy makers. The majority of women in our country are at an unfair advantage when compared to men in terms of physical strength.

According to Kingsley Browne, author of Co-Ed Combat, “Physical issues: Women, on average, have only one-half to two-thirds the upper-body strength of men. The probability that a randomly selected man will have greater upper-body strength than a randomly selected woman is generally between 95 and 99 percent, depending upon the measure and the sample. Most of this difference is due to differences in the quantity of muscle tissue, a difference attributed primarily to sex hormones.”  Mr. Browne further explained that according to an extensive study of physical strength by the British Ministry of Defense, that only about 0.1 percent of female recruits and 1 percent of trained female soldiers could successfully satisfy the required physical standards for infantry and armor without sustaining much higher rates of injuries than men.

If a woman is able to meet the physical and mental standards required for a specific combat job, then she should be equally considered for the selection of that job. It sounds reasonable and at face value that is an obvious choice, however, there has to be this consideration: is the woman part of a marriage with children? If so, then either the father or mother should be held responsible to stay behind and care for those minor children.

Liability in a captive situation is one of those situations that are judged on a case-by-case basis. Some units have a cohesiveness that can deal with male prisoners of war watching a female prisoner of war being interrogated by methods of rape and physical damage without breaking down and giving secret information to the enemy in order to stop the torture of their female team member. Then again, there are some units who think or look at the woman like it could be their wife, sister, or child might not be able to handle it. The enemy knows this and will use this type of situation to their advantage, which is a disadvantage to our national security.  

Another consideration is should a female become pregnant, we have now placed an innocent child in harms way. That means the expectant mother has to be removed and the unit will suffer a shortage until a replacement arrives. That is an unnecessary cost for taxpayers.

Men have also expressed their concerns about depending a woman’s strength for their own survival, also they fear being accused of sexual harassment and of women being a sexual distraction during a wartime situation. That brings us back to the main concern that co-ed combat will hurt the unit’s ability to bond. Bottom line is that the majority of men do not trust women in a combat situation. In the big scheme of things, it does not matter why they do not trust women in dangerous situations, but the fact that they do not is enough evidence that it will affect the relationship of the unit.

Women can continue their efforts in combat support of those men who are in the war zone. There are many more positions that were available to women in the mid-seventies and those jobs have continued to grow for women especially in the Air Force. There are many positions where women have the opportunity to show that they have what it takes to be effective military leaders. Of course there are many challenges along the way.

Breaking into the “good old boys club” is one of them. Being taken seriously usually takes more effort on the woman’s part. She has to be willing to work twice as hard for the same recognition as a man. She has to be able to adjust the volume, tone, pitch and speed of her voice in order to have her opinions recognized as persuasive in male dominant meetings. That is because her style does not imitate the male style of communication and she is put at a disadvantage when talking with men unless she makes those adjustments to her natural tone.

Effective female leaders in combat situations are largely dependant on the few women who do get the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and gain the trust of a male dominate field. That will take time, effort and a major cultural change in the military system.

Sexual harassment is just another obstacle that women face. Leadership ethics play a major part in sexual harassment of women within an organization. If the culture of an office or unit allows sexual language, jokes, etc, then women are more likely to be harassed.  Once a woman is faced with sexual harassment, she has to make some tough decisions.

Should she speak out or to keep quite? It is uncertain how many women have been sexually harassed because the majority of women do not report it for fear of payback. It is a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. If they do report it, the burden of proof is theirs and men fill the positions of those who decide if the complaint is valid. The odds are definitely not stacked in the woman’s favor. The work environment also victimizes the female because it brings the shop under close inspection and stricter rules are enforced on group behavior. That puts a strain on everyone else and “she” is the reason for his or her discomfort. Particularly if she is a new recruit and she has a complaint with someone who has been around longer. Reporting the incident also brings unfavorable attention to the commanding officer that is ultimately responsible for the group. It affects the reputation of the unit. This can have major consequences on her future career. It can be little things like assignment selection, annual reports, recognition, initiation of discrediting rumors, and general snubbing of coworkers.

If she chooses not to report the incident, she is further subjected to continued harassment, just like her female coworkers: present and future. If she happens to be a supervisor, then she has a responsibility to report in order to protect her employees. The negative culture is allowed to grow and can have a devastating impact on the woman’s physical and mental health.

Another problem for military women who are sexually harassed is that they are not protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as are civilians both government and non-government employees. The chart below shows the differences of treatment, options and considerations shown between them.