Gender and the Military

           

The only person I know that was in the military is my neighbor, who is a Vietnam veteran.  He never talked to me personally about his experiences, but now that I have been studying gender and pop culture for a few months, it would be interesting to learn more about his service. My boyfriend, however, does have friends who have served in the U.S army. In their experience they were expected to act like “men” and be tough.  This is similar to other jobs where men and women could do the same job but the job is associated with masculine terms such as tough.  Gender plays into the military through the stereotypical gender roles present in our overall society.  Men are typically expected to behave very masculine in the army.  Common phrases that can be heard in movies or other forms of media include things such as telling the men not to wimps, sensitive, or other “feminine” qualities.  Movies tend to show going into the army a rite of passage for men in families and showcase the army “making a man” out of the “boys.”  On the topic of military husbands and wives, military husbands aren’t talked about as much because it’s a much less common situation.  Throughout all of history, it has always been men going to war, being drafted, or volunteering to serve their country.  Military wives tend to be stay at home moms taking care of the home while the husband is away.   

In today’s media, I believe men and women are shown to be more equal.  However advertisements don’t typically show the whole truth and I would not be surprised if women need to work much harder and be much tougher to obtain a truly equal rank to a male soldier.  Some media outlets still showcase a criticism to females in the army due to them not being able to perform to the same physical standards as men on average.  This poses a tough line to draw as females and males in the army should be equal and treated as equals but of course there are natural physical differences.  The Washington Times article discusses the new policies surrounding transgender individuals serving in the military.  The policies were set in place to ensure that every soldier, regardless of how they identify, will be treated fairly and with the respect that they deserve.