It has only been about a little over six
decades that women were officially allowed and permitted to contribute to our nation’s
security. After a very long struggle for women to be allowed to contribute and
aid in times of war, finally on June 12, 1948 President Truman signed a bill
passed by congress. That bill would soon be the Women’s Armed Services Integration.
With great effort and triumph the women of our nation had finally made it
possible to serve in moments of war and aid by enrolling in the United States Army,
Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps.
Unfortunately, for
our brave women, serving our country has cost them more than just leaving their
families behind, but being at a higher risk of being sexually assaulted. Sadly
according to the statistics in the year 2010 there were about three thousand
reports of sexual assaults reported. Alarming right? Now imagine how many
crimes of sexual assaults were not reported. How is it possible that in these
times women are still being the target for men! It has been two years since the
last estimate of assaults, for in the beginning of 2012 statistics say that
only 15% of women make up the armed forces, yet 95% of sexual assault victims
are women. Unbelievably, breathe taking at such alarming numbers!
Those
courageously women who speak up against sexual assault, unfortunately are
diagnosed with psychological problems. As mentioned in the power point by
Annice, Stephanie Schroeder, one of the many victims, after sharing her assault
experience was diagnosed and discharged of her benefits as a veteran. Not only
those has this affected the victims financially, but emotionally and mentally
as well. Only those who speak are sometimes treated. What about those who make
it a secret? Who and how are they treated to overcome this awful experience? Not only are the women being left untreated
and exposed to psychological problems but so are the abusers. They return back
home free of charge and ready to assault someone another women, or even
children. Crimes like these need to be stopped. Women in the military must be
protected by all means in return of their services!
One
last thing to touch on, equal treatment! By no means are women in the armed
forces of lesser value than men. Therefore, the same treatment and benefits that
wounded/hurt men would receive should also be imposed in the women. Just alone
after returning home many soldiers are diagnosed with psychological issue due
to the violent scene they have experienced. Imagine being a woman having to
live and survive such violent scenes, and then trying to cope and overcome
sexual assault! Assaulted women most definitely need to be treated and help,
not just stripped off their benefits and ignored.
This
has been and will continue to be a growing problem until it is taken care of
and resolved! Although, Defense Secretary
Leon Panetta promises to work effortlessly to protect women and everyone equally
from sexual assault, this problem such not have been let alone to escalate to
such high numbers, after all we are supposed to be treated and served equally,
which apparently in the armed forces it is not the issue!
Now think about…
1)
Are women really being treated equally
(regarding health care, mental care, financial care) after being in combat such
as men?
2)
What
reason might assaulted women fear that hold down them from speaking up?
1) I feel like when it comes to women being treated equally as far as health care, mental care, and financial car, yes, they are treated equally. However, on the lines, I feel is a totally different story. All the healthcare stuff is written on paper, so it "looks" equal, however they way females are treated by other males in combat is not equal at all.
ReplyDelete2) I feel like a reason for assaulted military women to not speak up is the fear that it might be worse, maybe not worse for them, but other females who enter the military world. I know sketchy things happen in the military, and can only imagine what would happen to a female who came forward about being assaulted in the military.
Women are not being treated as equally as men in the armed forces. In fact, the armed forces is favoring men over women by protecting and covering up their actions. Military women who are victims of sexual assault are being ignored and deprived of their rightful benefits when accusing a male counterpart of such a wrongful thing. Thus, not only are male offenders at fault but so are high ranked military officials and jurors who choose to look the other way.
ReplyDeleteMilitary women who have been assaulted may not speak up because they fear being demoted or dismissed. These women do not wish to be misjudged by others, spoken poorly of, or receive a negative label. Women remain quiet because they fear those in power, those who may take their benefits away despite their loyalty,service, and dedication to the military.
Although women have come a long way in gaining their rights, I believe we have much farther to go, and it's a never-ending battle for the simple fact that being female is being considered the weaker sex, and this is still true today. I believe that women are supposed to be treated equally in every aspect and in terms of health care and mental I don't think there's an exception. I do believe though, that many women might be treated unfairly when being treated for emotional or mental issues for the simple fact of being female. It's difficult to escape the stereotype of the over-dramatic-looking-too-much-into-it type of woman and i think this mentality could create an equality in terms of treatment.
DeleteWomen who hold back from reporting incidents of sexual abuse are afraid of being ridiculed. They may fear becoming victims of retaliation from their leaders in the event that nothing is done in regards to the complaint. Fear of failing and fulfilling their duties could also be a reason for holding back. After all, they voluntarily joined the army and if they are there it's because they have a passion for their country.
1) Women of course are not treated equally. If the case is taken to court, the men in the jury dont care and take the attackers side. These women have no one to back them up and then they suffere the most once taken off of the battle field. Women aren't being treated equal in armed forces but also in many other companies and countries around the world. These women end up back at home with disorders and they lose their benefits as being a veteran.
ReplyDelete2) just like if an ordinary women is assaulted, they have issues talking about it in fear of being hurt more or assaulted again for talking up. In the army, word goes around if one talks out about being raped so there would be a sense of unease with the women trying to defend themselves. They know that if they talk out, they will be dismissed and sent home. They were just trying to help our country but instead were victimized because of their gender.
Women, still up to this day, are still not treated equally. Everyday, we hear cases where women are denied the rights that men otherwise have. Some women are denied jobs because of the idea of transnational business masculinity where the corporate world is stereotyped as a male dominated space. Most of us believe that men are more capable of controlling businesses because they are "charismatic, powerful, smart and rich."
ReplyDeleteThis idea of transnational business masculinity can also be applied to combat lines where war is often thought to be a hyper-masculine space. There, men are more dominant in terms of numbers, strength, rights, etc. Furthermore, as mentioned in last week's discussion, generals would rather think about if they could win wars. Moreover, they would rather turn their backs than to have to deal with the break down of their units. The male dominated space, I believe, is the main reason why women rarely discuss the assaults that they often experience. Women feel intimidated and know that their generals will ignore the problem. Furthermore, being in the combat line is stressful enough as it is, not knowing whether they will even survive through the night. Rather than adding more mental and emotional stress from assaults, female soldiers often occupy themselves with serving and protecting their country.
Women are absolutely not being treated equally after being in combat compared to men. I think it is disturbing that after suffering a sexual assault the offenders are not held accountable for their actions, let alone the fact that the women are diagnosed with psychological disorders and denied their veteran benefits. It reminds me of the movie Changeling with Angelina Jolie where she is thrown unjustly into a mental hospital for disagreeing with the LAPD, along with other cop wives and girlfriends that did not toe the line. It is scary to think that rape and assault are serious business here in the civilian world, but a woman who wants to defend her country doesn't receive the same right to safety? 3,000 sexual assaults reported in 2010 is unacceptable. It makes me sick to think how many were not reported. PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an extremely common disorder that is psychological and no men who are diagnosed with it are discharged without their veteran benefits. Which leads me to why some women would not report such assaults. They would risk getting assaulted again by who they accuse since they won't suffer any consequences, and also be dishonorably discharged for not being mentally fit for duty. However, if women are to remain mentally or physically fit for duty, they need to stop being sexually assaulted. There are so many life and death situations every day in these women's lives without having to worry that they will get raped by the men they work alongside.
ReplyDelete1) Women are not being treated the same as men in the military. The armed forces are seen as very patriarchal and women are denied the same rights as men. When looking at sexual assault, women are seen as betraying their fellow soldiers if they report incidents to their superiors. The military tries to portray to people that women are given the same treatment, but they are not viewed as important in terms of their contribution to protecting our country.
ReplyDelete2) Women who have been assaulted do not speak up because the nature of the military highly favors males. If they would report an assault, their fellow soldiers would hold it against them and they would lose all respect. Women in the military must remain quiet because they are scared that if they speak up about assault, their superiors would dismiss them. It is sad, but reporting a sexual assault would question their loyalty to their troop who they are supposed to be with no matter what.
1. I feel that woman are being treated equally when it comes to some of these not all. When it comes to health care, mental care and financial care, the woman are being treated equally but when it comes to military i think that woman are denied the same rights as men. The military use to be only for men and i think that even though woman are allowed in it, the military still gives favoritism to the males.
ReplyDelete2. Woman that have been assaulted have the fear of speaking because if they are assaulted once, what makes you think that they won't get assaulted again after they speak. Not only are they scared of being assaulted again but they have a fear of being demoted or fired. they don't want to seem week or have a label on them, saying there weak.
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ReplyDeleteI would say yes, if woman don’t make any misstates and complete their duties. The answer is not equally as men when the woman fall in situation of sexual assaulted. When that happens woman will lose everything while man still have all of that benefits.
ReplyDeleteThere are three reasons why women fear from speaking up:
•They don’t trust their “family”
•They embarrass if friends and family know about that even it is not their fault but the social perception favorite men over women still exist in society
•They afraid to get punish like dismissed or demoted duties and all afford they invest for their future will gone
1) The women are not being treated the same way that me are after being in combat. Particularly in reference to sexual assault. The woman goes through a traumatic experience and when she reports her attacker, instead of receiving help mentally, financially, and health wise, they are discharged from the military and stripped of the veteran benefits, while the male gets to walk away scot-free. And as it was mentioned in the Powerpoint presentation, there are times when the military makes them pay back their enlistment benefits. How can this be equal treatment when the women who are attacked are the ones being punished?
ReplyDelete2) I believe that one of the reasons why women who are assaulted might be fearful of speaking up, because perhaps they fear that their attacker will come after them once more. They might also feel embarrassment somehow, some rape victims feel that perhaps it is their fault. In the trailer for the film "The Invisible War" one of the women said that those in power positions made her feel that if she even whispered about what happened to her that they would kill her. So maybe it's just fear in general, they fear for not only their well-being but also their families. Also perhaps they feel as though they are alone in their struggle and do not speak for fear of being signaled as a liar.
In my opinion I do not think that women are being treated equally in the military or for that matter anywhere else unless you are a school teacher or a nun and even there I am sure there is still inequality. People in the military should be fighting for one cause only, our freedom there should not be any animosity amongst our nations defense. When in fact there are women who are victimized and sexually assaulted in the military. Those women who choose to speak up are losing their benefits. The government seems to be turning the other cheek when such allegations are being presented.
ReplyDeleteWomen are victims of sexual assault have to make a tough decision in whether coming forward about such incidents. A fear that women might have is the fact that their benefits would be cut down if they cannot prove their case. Humiliation is another great factor as to why women choose not to come forward about being assaulted. Disapproval of their family values could be another example as to why they choose not to come forward with sexual assaults. The government has to seriously consider new doctrines or bills that will prevent or reduce such incidents.
I think that it would be hard to say that women are being treated equal to men concerning their well-being after serving in the military. With the alarming rate of sexual assault and considering the amount of women who don’t report the instances, it is clear from the start that women are still not equal. After serving there are many psychological issues due to sexual assault on top of the PTSD that is normally experienced after combat. It is incredibly unfair to revoke a soldiers benefits after serving due to a diagnosis of psychological issues. Women are not being treated for this problem and the military seems to dismiss this issue as it continues to grow.
ReplyDeleteWomen who go through this kind of sexual assault while serving in the military are more than likely scarred and traumatized and don’t know how to or don’t want to bring it up. It can sometimes be seen as easier not to bring it up and let those emotions resurface, even though hiding something like this is very self detrimental in the long run. Many women don’t want to be seen as difficult to deal with or as a liability to bring up this issue and see it as creating more problems. It is really sad that so many women are harmed by the men of our country when they are trying to be brave and serve their country. This is an issue that needs to be acknowledged and resolved.
1) Clearly it seems that women are not being treated equally. They are at higher risk to be sexually assaulted and it has become a prevalent issue that has not been thoroughly addressed. However comparing them to men in this sense "after being in combat such as men" is also incorrect. Because as your power point showed, women are not allowed in direct combat. Similar to how young men are forced to take the unequal risk of registering for the draft while young women are not. This is not to undercut the seriousness of this issue, but when you look at US military policy there is not a lot equal about it and that goes for both sides.
ReplyDelete2) The reason assaulted women might not come forward with their stories is clearly correlated to their fear of further punishment, loss of benefits, risk of being discharged, along with numerous other things. That is a huge risk to take and unfortunately due to a broken system, statistics dictate most assaulted women are not willing to take that risk on.
1) I do not think that women are really being treated equally. It is difficult enough being a woman in any field of work and trying to do same things men do. Women and men are different in many ways and they should be treated according to those differences. We have very different emotions and thought processes. After being in combat, I believe it is easier for men to cope than women. I think being equal doesn’t necessarily mean having the same benefits. Men and women need different types of health, mental, and financial care. It really depends on the person and their personality, not their gender.
ReplyDelete2) I think assaulted women are fearful of speaking up because of many different reasons. First, they might be scared that the man/men who assaulted them will punish them for telling on them. They might go after her and do it again or maybe something even worse. Second, they might not want to seem weak. Admitting to assault can be embarrassing and make a woman feel ashamed. Lastly, women might just feel that no one can and or will help them. They feel helpless. Women are being sexually assaulted all the time and there’s nothing that the police or anyone can do about it. Even if women are avenged for being assaulted, they still will never truly feel completely at ease or happy. It is psychological and almost impossible to overcome. As a woman myself, I feel very sad and angry hearing about this kind of behavior. I also feel kind of hopeless because I know this kind of crime will always occur. There’s no one that can stop it except for the men themselves.
I feel that women are being treated equally when it comes to health care, mental care and financial care, but if when its comes to women being in the military its not equal at all. Many times women’s are assaulted and men’s in the combat treat women totally different then they would to other men’s. I find that not equal at all. When women who are victims of sexual assaulted they would usually do not about it and ignore the situation.
ReplyDeleteI feel that women who are assaulted fear to speak up because they fear that the situation would get worse, and they don’t want the pain to be remind of. Moreover, they fear that those who have higher power then them who take away the benefit the she has and despite their service to the military.
1) Are women really being treated equally (regarding health care, mental care, financial care) after being in combat such as men?
ReplyDeleteNo, women are obviously not treated equally. The laws and amount of serious attention given to the concerns of women in the military might suggest to the public that there is some sort of equality, since surely the military and government would not ignore these pleas otherwise, but there is clear gendered inequality in the military. On paper it seems that women are allowed the same formal rights; substantively, though, women do not have the same access to such rights. As evidenced by the videos provided, women are subjected to the rules and judgments of the traditionally pro-masculine, pro-aggressive, pro-male behaviors and beings. Therefore, anyone that seems to be in opposition to that will be ostracized. As such, women that complain of mistreatment on the basis of sex are immediately discounted for their inability to perform in masculine manners. The laws by which their rights are governed are gendered and thus prejudiced against them. Women will be denied medical, financial, and legal services until the processes themselves become un-gendered and unbiased. To be successful military personnel does not and should not necessitate the behavior of the “hyper-masculine” (high aggression, violence, insensitivity).
2) What reason might assaulted women fear that hold down them from speaking up?
Women face several levels of injustice in the military that can prevent them from being able to defend themselves before or after acts of assault, harassment, and/or other violence. First, they face an epistemic type of injustice because they are denied their power of knowing what is right, true, or even real—simply because they are female subjects. Second, they are targeted as receivers of violence because of their biological makeup and socially constructed gender identities. Third, their mostly male counterparts seek to protect not only their peers but their organization and operations as a whole and can view women’s traumatic testimonies as an opposition to their goals. Fourth, women face an immediate and likely denial of benefits for themselves and family if they “cause scandal.” Fifth, there is little awareness in general society for the issues which these female soldiers face. Sixth, like any survivors of violence, these women face psychological barriers to admitting their experiences: guilt, pain, dissociation. Seventh, women may not wish to bring “shame” or difficulty upon their friends, family, or perhaps even society if they confess to these injustices. …The list could continue. Female soldiers are severely disadvantaged and victimized.
1) Are women really being treated equally (regarding health care, mental care, financial care) after being in combat such as men?
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that women are really being treated equally. After being in combat with men and if the female was assaulted and did not report the incident she wouldn't be treated to the same psychologists and specialists to help her cope with the issue than if she had reported it. Women are discharged with no benefits or pay just because they did the right thing and reported being assaulted, when nothing happens to their attacker because in cases like thing the female would be found at fault just because she couldn't stop it. It is something that needs to change because even though when we look at the issues on the surface the rights all look equal they really aren't.
2) What reason might assaulted women fear that hold down them from speaking up?
Assaulted women are afraid to speak up about their assault because they could be discharged and lose out on pay that would be helping their family. These females live in fear of being shamed and looked down upon not only as a soldier but as a member of their community when they return home. The way this sector works is because there are more males the females get the short end of the deal and end up not having anyone side with them.
The main difference in army fairness to the first question comes with consistency. I think it's unfair in general to have a veteran's benefits revoked, but because of a confession? That seems preposterous.
ReplyDeleteThe threat of being mistreated more most likely. If women are revoked of their benefits, many probably just accept the pain and add it to the list of army horrors that lead to veteran benefits. They have been promised somethingand they don't want to lose it.
Women are not being treated equally after being in combat such as mena because the military and government dont see women in combat or even in the military in that fact as real soldiers, to they feel that they are not as traumatized as the male soldiers who are in the infantry. Women cannot not even be in the infantry due to the sexis, in the military. I feel that women should be able to do what men can do. Its more of an insult to allow women in the military and then limit their rights when they get in and pledge their life the the protection of their country.
ReplyDeleteThe major reason why assaulted women do not say anything is because they would be dishonorably discharged leaving them with no money and it would limit their ability to get veteran benefits and money. The fear alone of the rape is what holds them back thats what happens to normal rape victims. The other reason why they hold fear is the judgement that they have to live with if they decided to stay with the military because they will gain a title of being raped and they have to live with that experience and judgment for the rest of their lives.
I feel woman are not being treated equally as men or even recognized with the honor that men are given after being in combat. Women are being mistreated and degraded by many men in the military. They are not seen as equals. Woman have a hard enough time to be given the respect and acknowledgment in any type of job, especially one more male dominated.
ReplyDeleteI believe assaulted women fear that if they were to speak up and do something about being assaulted they would lose even more of the respect they deserved of fighting in combat. Many see woman as weak and unable to do the things men do. If they were to speak up and tell their story of being assaulted many would use that as an argument on why woman do not belong in combat. These woman are fighting to show they are equal to men and they too can fight for our country.