Women in the military

 The face of the
military is changing.
 More and more
women join different
branches of the
military and they
currently costitute 16
percent of the
military.

Countries who allow women to
serve in combat include:

 Australia  Israel
 Canada  Italy
 Denmark  New Zealand
 Finland  Norway
 France  Sweden
 Germany  Switzerland

 Greece

 India

 the United Kingdom

 and the United States

allow women to serve in Artillery roles.

Women serving in the military face
unique personal and professional
challenges that their male
counterparts don’t:

1. Physical Fitness
 Women, on the average, have
only 60 percent of the
physical strength of men.
They are shorter and smaller
than men, with 25-30% less
aerobic capacity, which is
essential for endurance.

 The female skeletal system is
less dense, and more prone
to breakages.

Problem
 Women are not permitted into certain arenas of
battle. Though there are periods in history
where women have entered combat (Joan of
Arc, during the Civil War, the World War II).

 Women are looked as too physically weak to
withstand the challenges of combat and society
considers it unacceptable for a woman to be
killed or imprisoned and that military should
remain a “male business”.

Israel ’ s military
 Israel is the only
country in the world
to conscript women
and assign some of
them to infantry
combatant service
which places them
directly in the line of
enemy fire.

2. Health

Women’s physiology is different than men’s
and it has a serious impact
on their performance as soldiers.

Health
 Gender-Specific Needs:

 1. The period, which requires more hygienic
conditions than usual.
 2. The demand of feminine hygiene products or
gender-specific prescription.
 3. Hormones can have influence on woman’s
mood (stress) and sometimes on the ability to
make credible decisions.

Health
 Mental Health Issues:

 Women who have been exposed to war zones may
develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a
condition characterized by anxiety, depression, panic
attacks, anger, nightmares, and more.
The effects of sexual trauma (including harassment,
assault, rape or other violent acts) can include
depression, substance abuse, suicidal and intrusive
thoughts. 13 to 30% of women serving in the military
have experienced a form of such trauma.

Health
 Reproductive and Sexual Health:

 Women have sexual health and
reproductive needs that can be more
complicated and sensitive than men's.

 No doubt, that men will turn
their heads when a female
soldier walks by. Of course,
branches of the military have
extremely strict policies and
disciplinary codes.
 If you put males and females
together in the closed area,
far from home, for a long
period of time one can’t
expect them not having sex.
This is a big problem because
sexual relations have a
serious impact on morale and
relations between soldiers.

3. Sexual harassment
 Another side of sex
problem is sexual
harassment. It
happens very often.
 Females will always
be seen by males as
sexual objects,
regardless of them
wearing uniform or
not.

 It’s shocking investigation into widespread sexual assault in the U.S.
military as an urgent call to action.
 The film’s intention is not to tarnish the U.S. military or to reveal another
psychological scar on its servicemen, and the director is careful to avoid
directly linking the pervasive sexual misconduct to soldiers involved in the
Iraq or Afghanistan conflicts. The purpose is simply to shed light on a
horrifying situation and bring an end to the military authority’s inaction.

Pregnancy
 The pregnancy rate is at
least 10% among
servicewomen. Another
5% have had their
babies and brought them
back to the post.
 Pregnant female
members may request a
discharge, but such
discharges are no longer
automatic.

Problem

 1. The military health care system faces
difficulty for women delivering services
suited to their needs.
 2. Women may not report sexual trauma cases
in fear of being held back in their careers,
retribution from fellow soldiers or
embarrasment.

4. ROLE

 The women’s roles in the military do not
differ significantly from those of male
members, aside from a few rules that
have been instituted regarding their
ability to participate in heavy combat
situations.

 All women in the
military must learn to
merge their two
identities: woman
and soldier.
 Sometimes they can
lead certain male
troops as officers

Problem

 1. Female troops suffer a much higher
divorce rate than do the military men.
 2. The most important reason for leaving
the military before retirement is the
amount of time separated from family
(the pull between family and career).
 3. Women are forced to leave their
children and spouse.

5. Career Advancement
 Career progression is
often slower for women
than for their male
counterparts and they
are underrepresented in
the military’s senior
ranks.

 Many servicewomen
said they believed they
had to work harder to
receive the same level of
recognition servicemen
received.

 In 2011 Marcia
Andersen became the
first African-American
woman in the US army
promoted to Major
General (a high-ranking
officer).

6. Cultural and Ethnic
Discrimination
 Women in the military are
more likely to be of a
minority racial or ethnic
background than their male
counterparts.
 20% of women in service are
black, while 7% are Hispanic
and 2% are Asian.
 Besides having to battle
sexism, these minority
servicewomen may find
themselves battling racial
stereotypes and cultural
discrimination as well.

Women in the military

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