Ruth Margolies Beitler - Women and the Military

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Women and the Military

Global Lives in Focus

Ruth Margolies Beitler and Sarah M. Gerstein

Women and Society around the World

Copyright 2021 by ABC-CLIO, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Beitler, Ruth Margolies, 1966 author. | Gerstein, Sarah M., author.

Title: Women and the military : global lives in focus / Ruth Margolies Beitler and Sarah M. Gerstein.

Description: Santa Barbara, California : ABC-CLIO, An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, [2021] | Series: Women and society around the World | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020036233 (print) | LCCN 2020036234 (ebook) | ISBN 9781440860225 (print) | ISBN 9781440860232 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Women and the military. | Women soldiers. | Women and war. | Armed forcesMinoritiesHistory.

Classification: LCC UB416 .B45 2021 (print) | LCC UB416 (ebook) | DDC 355.0082dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020036233

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020036234

ISBN:978-1-4408-6022-5 (print)

978-1-4408-6023-2 (ebook)

252423222112345

This book is also available as an eBook.

ABC-CLIO

An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC

ABC-CLIO, LLC

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This book is printed on acid-free paper

Manufactured in the United States of America

To all my selfless colleagues with whom I have served over the years in the Department of Social Sciences, you have been my mentors, friends, and inspiration.

RMB

To my parents and sister, who never fail to encourage me in whatever I want to do and then push me to keep doing it.

SMG

Contents

Series Foreword

Womens roles in society and the issues they face differ greatly from those of their male counterparts. In some corners of the world, women may manage households but are deemed unworthy of an education; in other areas, women scientists are pioneers in their fields, juggling family life and their careers. Gender inequality looms in all aspects of life, from employment to education to opportunities in sports and the military. What are the challenges, issues, and achievements women around the world face?

The Women and Society around the World series looks at womens lives as they pertain to various issues. The volumes cover topics such as

• Health;
• Violence;
• Religion;
• Sexuality;
• The military;
• Sports;
• Education; and
• Technology, among others.

Each volume begins with an introductory background essay on the volumes topic and is followed by a general chronology of significant world events pertaining to the topic. Eight chapters follow, focusing on the worlds regions: United States and Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and Oceania. All chapters include a list of further reading resources, and a selected bibliography at the end of each volume provides students with additional print and electronic resources for further research needs.

The chapters examine women in each region with broad brushstrokes, highlighting specific examples of key customs and policies in specific countries that help to illuminate cultural nuances among countries within each region. They can be read alone or be reviewed cumulatively to make cross-cultural comparisons. The volumes are ideal for high school students doing projects, undergraduate students writing research papers, and even general readers interested in learning about womens lives.

The goal of the Women and Society around the World series is to depict the roles of women worldwide by exploring the major issues they face and the accomplishments they have made, especially in terms of bridging the gap in gender inequality and fighting for basic human rights. While readers will learn about the challenges that half of the worlds population face, they will also discover the empowering ways women succeed and overcome social and cultural barriers in their daily lives.

Preface

Exploring the role of women in militaries across the globe is a daunting task. Women who serve in the armed forces emerge from a variety of cultural, social, economic, and religious backgrounds, all factors that influence how gender roles are perceived. Couple these elements with the almost universal view that the military is a masculine domain and understanding womens incorporation into armed forces becomes even more complex. For some countries, a dearth of research exists examining womens participation in national militaries. Even when studies exist, some countries get short shrift.

To examine a topic of this magnitude in a limited amount of space, regions are discussed with some thematic generality, coupled with specific examples from several countries. Not all countries allow women in the armed forces, and in many states where women are permitted to participate, they are bounded by law or culture. By the 1980s, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway had eliminated the combat exclusion for women, while other countries have banned their access to the military in general. Understanding why women are denied equal opportunities in the armed forces stems from a variety of reasons, most common of which are political and legal barriers undergirded by cultural perspectives regarding masculinity and warfare. The book covers all continents, but out of necessity, concentrates on several key countries within each region. The goal of the book is to serve as a detailed starting point for more in-depth studies on themes pertaining to women and warfare and on specific country studies.

Women have diverse experiences related to warfare, whether as mothers or wives sending children or spouses off to war or as soldiers themselves. This book provides an understanding of womens roles as participants in their national militaries. The chapters are organized by region, exploring societal and cultural views of masculinity and war, factors influencing changing views of women and the military, including conscription, economic, and demographic trends, along with integration challenges. In many countries, arguments are explored that womens incorporation into combat units will degrade efficiency and readiness due to womens physical traits and inability to meet the standards. Most chapters also consider the difficulty of womens recruitment and retention due to family obligations and negative treatment while serving. This book will interest general audiences as a survey of womens participation in the armed forces. It will appeal to scholars with an interest in women and military studies.

Carving time out of a busy work and life schedule to take on a book project requires help from many places. Colleagues lean in, bosses turn the other way when deadlines are missed, and families accept our excuses for doing a little less at home. We are indebted to our wonderful and selfless colleagues in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point. Our Department Head, Colonel Suzanne Nielsen, and Deputy Department Head, Dr. Scott Silverstone, provide inspiration and guidance in all our endeavors. We are indebted to Colonel Tania Chacho, Director of International Affairs, who guarantees that we have time to conduct our research. We are also appreciative of the Art of War Scholars and Dr. Dean Nowowiejski, who offered suggestions and encouragement to complete the research. We are very grateful to Jen Parisi Olin, who is always willing to take on extra responsibilities when we are overwhelmed. We are thankful for the patience and assistance of our editor, Kaitlin Ciarmiello. Most of all, we are thankful to our families for their support, prodding, and patience.