We’re Still Arguing Over Women in the Military?
The U.S. armed forces need women, and suggestions to the contrary hurt recruiting and readiness.
EILEEN BJORKMAN | JUNE 12, 2023
Women in the military, especially aviators, have a lot to celebrate this year. It’s the 75th anniversary of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, which established a permanent presence for women in the U.S. military. It’s been three decades since female pilots, long limited to flying support aircraft, began training for combat roles. The Navy marked a half-century of female naval aviators with an all-woman flyover at the Super Bowl.
Women may now serve in all military career fields, both support and combat specialties, and they make up about 17.4 percent of the active-duty force, up seven-fold from 1973.
But even with opportunities for women in the military at an all-time high, I’m disheartened by the way some civilians, especially those who have never served, treat military women. For example, in March 2021, when the services debuted body armor sized for women and maternity flight suits to help women fly longer during pregnancy, Tucker Carlson mocked the new equipment that allowed women to do their jobs. Within hours, Carlson’s rant filled my Twitter feed, along with misogynistic comments—almost all of them from civilian men. More recently, Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahue ignited a Twitter feud that delayed his planned retirement from the army after he defended women in the military. These battles send a revolting message to young women who might be thinking about the military: You’re a joke.
https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2023/06/were-still-arguing-over-women-military/387444/
