Rape Isn't the Only Thing Happening to Women in Uniform

by Brandann Hill-Mann · 2009-11-16 07:32:00 UTC
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Newly promoted four star General Ann Dunwoody, a white woman in an Army dress uniform with a Navy Rear Admiral, Liz Young, another white woman with black hair, in a Navy Dress Blue Uniform, and Air Force Maj. Gen Ellen M. Pawlikowski, a white woman with greying hair in an Air Force blue uniform.Hold on -- that headline is a tad misleading. It implies that the only things I want to talk about are happening to women in uniform. Things aren't just happening to women in uniform. Things, amazing and groundbreaking things, are being done by women in uniform. That is worth some air time.

Unfortunately, the intersection of feminism and the military receives limited coverage in womanist/feminist circles unless the discussion centers around rape. Don't misunderstand me: Rape is a serious issue in the Armed Forces.  In weekly posts to come, I fully intend to discuss military rape and sexual assault, the ways it is being addressed (or not) by Upper Brass, how awareness is being raised, and the effectiveness of training geared toward preventing assault. Yet if we, as feminists/womanists, feminist allies, and other women's rights advocates, focus only on rape and sexual assault, then we are dismissing the positive experiences and achievements made by women every day.

And, believe me, there is plenty to talk about.

Today, almost one in four military personnel are female, a number that will continue to increase over time. This was the goal of recruiters when I was in boot camp several years ago; every day I wore my uniform, I heard that we were working towards that goal. Though the fact that women make up barely six percent of the upper ranks, that in 2008 there were only 57 female Generals and Admirals, might seem discouraging, keep in mind that those values represent more than double last decade's numbers.  When I enlisted, women could do any job in the Navy except be SEALs and submariners, but even that is changing.

The military is evolving, making way for women to smash brass ceilings. While plenty remains to critique (and I certainly plan to critique it), there is much to commend and acknowledge.  To do otherwise would be a disservice to the women who are steadily infiltrating and rising to the top of what we have always known as a culture of masculinity. Though the playing field that Uncle Sam has lead us on to is far from level, there are women out there (dare I say change makers) well worth holding up to the spotlight.

Photo credit: The U.S. Army's Flickr photostream

Brandann Hill-Mann is a proggy-liberal, Native American, feminist, invisibly disabled, U.S. Navy Veteran currently living in South Korea on Uncle Sam's dime. She blogs at random babble... and FWD/Forward.
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