Our Nation's Servicewomen: History and Challenges
Think of our nation’s founding—the patriotic glory of the Revolutionary War, the founding fathers discussing liberty by lamplight—and you’ll notice one distinct thing missing: women of any sort. There’s no doubt that women played an important role in America’s birth, but those roles are notoriously less showy, like Molly Pitcher carrying water to thirsty soldiers on the battlefield, Betsy Ross sewing up the nation’s first flag, or the hard-as-nails nurse sticking her fingers in a soldier’s gunshot wound to staunch the streaming flow of blood.
As women have progressed through history, gaining more rights and recognition by both the government and society, their role in our nation’s military has grown as well. Today, women have advanced well beyond those more auxiliary roles to take up the role of trained, recognized fighter. Women make up more than 15 percent of today’s active duty military forces, and there are 1.2 million women veterans in America. There are over 50 monuments to women veterans in the United States’ VA national cemeteries. Women are finally receiving the recognition they deserve for their sacrifice and the key role they play in our nation’s defense.
Earning the right to serve in the military hasn’t been easy, however, and it comes with its own unique challenges. Women weren’t able to officially serve at all, until the Army and Navy Nurse Corps were established at the turn of the 20th century. While men received an elite education at military service academies, women weren’t even allowed to set foot on campus as students until 1976, when West Point, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Naval Academy began admitting women. Women’s roles were again widely expanded in the 1990s, but they are still excluded from many corners of the military. Nine percent of Army jobs are still closed off to women and 38 percent of the Marine Corps’. Tremendous progress has been made, still: 99 percent of the Air Force’s jobs are open to women, and women in the Navy are only excluded from ground combat, SEAL teams, special boat units, and submarine crews.
Even as women make progress, no one can argue that the military was structured or set up with them in mind, and thus, women veterans and women actively serving find themselves facing special challenges. Studies have shown that military culture can be hostile to women and that a number have been the subject of sexual harassment and cultural discrimination. The VA health care system was not exactly designed with women in mind, and it can be difficult for women to find services particularly suited to their needs. Having or raising children while actively enrolled or transitioning to civilian life can leave women vets feeling challenged, or as though their needs aren’t exactly being met by a military apparatus designed to serve men. We created WomenVeteransOfAmerica.com to serve as a resource covering these special needs of our nation’s military servicewomen, and to give them the recognition they deserve.
Sources:
Did You Know? (2010) United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Women Veterans Issues. (2010) United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The American Legion Guide for Women Veterans. (2010) The American Legion