РефератыИностранный языкDiDiscrimination In The Military Essay Research Paper

Discrimination In The Military Essay Research Paper

Discrimination In The Military Essay, Research Paper


Discrimination in the Military


Yes, the military does have sexual harassment and


discrimination against women in the nineties. “Firestone and


co-researcher Richard J. Hurns analyzed a 1988 DOD Survey of men and


women in the military and found that 51.8 % of men and 74.6% of women


reported either experiencing or knowing of sexual harassment. Amoung


the women surveyed, 70.1% had experienced “sexual talk or behavior at


the work place [that] created an offensive, hostile or intimidating


environment.” Amoung the men, 36.9% gave the same answer.”(1) The


percent of women being sexually harassed is much higher than the


percent of men being harassed. Even though it is not tolerated, it


still happens regardless of the consequences, even in the nineties.


While some women’s experiences have been similar to those of black


men, their integration into the military has also differed in several


ways. Because of our society’s fundamental belief that protecting the


home and going to war are a man’s work, men from minority groups have


often been accepted more readily in the military than the women. Women


have been viewed as outsiders in a male environment. Discrimination


and harassment occurs for women because we are entering an all male


dominated area. Some areas are still restricted because of it. For


example: serving in direct combat capacities such as armor, infantry,


and special forces-branches from which much of the senior leadership


is drawn. “In 1994, the annual Navywide Personnel Survey included


questions on women’s role for the first time. Some 65 percent of


officers and almost 50 percent of enlisted respondents said they did


not think women were fully accepted in combat roles. While


approximately 80 percent said harassment was not tolerated at their


command, almost half of all respondents disagreed that everyone is


treated equally in promotions and advancements.”(2) Some of this is


bases on the presumed physical and psychological characteristics of


women which may interfere with their performances of some military


jobs. For example: the physical strength of women. People believe that


women are not strong enough to lift and carry heavy equipment or


wounded fellow soldiers and that we lack endurance to perform these


tasks over a lengthened period of time. Also, there is the idea that


women can not perform strenuous tasks quickly, like loading heavy


shells into a weapon. And combat is not for the weak and slow.


Although allowing women in combat remains a top priority, women are


now serving in virtually every other occupational capacity in all four


branches of the military. A large number of previously restricted


areas to women have been opened in the Army and Marine Corps, and the


Air Force has women training now for all previously closed career


fields. Even the Navy is improving, which is a shock on its own. Even


with increasing sexual harassment cases, the rising number of women


being recruited is not due to any idealistic vision of the right of


women to serve their country in uniform. One might say this trend is


driven by the need to recruit an increasingly intelligent,


well-educated, and fit military in the face of data that reflects the


shrinking amount of qualified male candidates. “By current estimates,


there are 191,399 women on active duty in all four branches of the US


Armed Forces, accounting for approximately 12.7 % of all active duty


Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Personnel. As of September 1995,


women accounted for 13.2 % of all officers and 12.6% of all enlisted


personnel. Approximately 16 percent of all active duty Air Force


Personnel (officers and enlisted) are women, followed by 13 percent of


the Army, 12 percent of the Navy, and about 4.6 percent of the


Marines.”(3) Sexual harassment is believed to be increasing, but one


must remember a lot of sexual harassment goes unreported. It is a


shame women are afraid to report cases for fear of being thrown out of


their job, or just plain lack of knowledge on where to go or what to


do. Women can get the feeling of not trusting anyone in the military


command easier than women for two reasons. One, 99 percent of


commanding ranks are taken by men, and two, men are more likely to


help men than women. A woman can not get help from a commanding


officer that’s a woman, because the commanding officer is probably in


a rut of her own. Women should join forces and overthrow the men in


charge. The US would see a dramatic difference in sexual harassment


cases reported. “A Pentagon Survey of 90,000 service members showed


that, overall, sexual harassment in the military is declining, but


s

till common, involving over half the women in the military. The


number of women reporting any type of sexual harassment in the


previous twelve months dropped from 64 percent in a 1988 survey of all


the services to 55 percent, according to the report. The unreleased


documents indicated that amoung the individual services, the Navy


improved the most over that period. For 1995, that number had dropped


to 53 percent. The Air Force, as in 1988, continued to show the lowest


overall percentage of harassment amoung women surveyed, dropping from


57 percent to 49 percent.”(4) The Navy has made a strong and


thoughtful effort towards the declining of sexual harassment since the


Tailhook scandal. In fact, all the services have. Beginning this year,


equal opportunity training is to be received by everyone. Everyone


should strive for not tolerating discrimination or sexual harassment.


Each person is valuable to the military, and what happens to one


affects many others. Here are some key task force recommendations:


Evaluate each service member’s commitment to equal opportunity and


document deviations in performance reports. Train leaders on their


roles and responsibilities for equal opportunity programs. Ensure the


chain of command remains an integral part of the processing and


resolution of complaints. Strongly encourage commanders to conduct


periodic equal opportunity assessments. Insist senior officials and


commanders post statements declaring their commitment to equal


opportunity. This shows that even though harassment and discrimination


still occur, it does not go unchallenged. People are waking up and


saying “Enough is enough.” After a certain amount of complaining,


anyone would say “Enough is enough”. What is ment by that is that it


takes a lot of cases and re-occurring problems for it to finally get


the notice it needs. “Basis trainees are learning that at all levels,


the word is getting out that discrimination and harassment have no


place in the military profession and will not be tolerated, Air Force


officials said. The recent focus on sexual harassment in other


military services has also raised attention in this area as well. “The


Air Force can not isolate itself from these social trends,” states the


pamphlet. “Despite commanders’ involvement and education programs,


people will occasionally behave inappropriately. It takes a strong


continuing commitment by everyone to minimize these behaviors and


their effects.”(5) Once men can get over their male ego-trips, they


will start to see the women in a new light. Men could actually


accomplish more working with women instead of against them. What an


amazing concept! Too bad men have not recognized it yet. Even with the


good news that sexual harassment is declining in the Navy, it still


happens by the thousands. Radios are constantly broadcasting that the


Pentagon had to stiffen regulations because so many women said they


were the victims of reprisals for filing complaints. There’s this


story that many believe is the cause of sexual harassment in the


military, especially the Navy. Sailors have always been known for


their bawdiness, but the officers were at least gentlemen. Then


Vietnam came. Being in south-east Asia and increasingly frustrated by


a losing war, a whole generation of naval officers began carousing in


the sleazy bars of Bangkok and the Philippines. The Vietnam vets-and


the exploitative sexual attitudes they developed in Asia-arrived home


in the 70’s just as women were beginning to move into the ranks. This


resulted in a declining of manner and morals with the arrival of


female sailors and officers. For the men, this has ment careers


wrecked by lewd indiscretions. And the Navy’s women have been forced


to learn how both to go along and to fight back-with very mixed


success. One has to wonder if we could go back in time, and erase


Vietnam, would this still have happened anyway.



1.) Archives of Family Medicine. “Women Veteran’s Experiences with


Domestic Violence and with Sexual Harassment While in the Military.”


Vol.4. May 1995


2.) Capital Online. “Survey Finds Sexual Harassment in the Navy and


Other Services Declines”. July 3, 1996


3.) Donegan, Craig. “New Military Culture: do women, blacks, and


homosexuals get fair treatment?”. CQ Researcher. April 26, 1996


4.) Military Women Profile. “Military Women by the Numbers.”


September 30, 1995


5.) National Academy Press. “Recommendations for Research on the


Health of Military women.” September 1995


6.) Navy Times. “Are Women OK as Combatants? Not Really Says Navy


Survey.” September 4, 1995


7.) Vistica, Gregory L. “Anchors Aweigh.” Newsweek. February 5, 1996

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