Women in War: An Examination of the Acceptance of Women

Over the century, the role and acceptance of women in the workforce, specifically in the military, has changed dramatically. Although this process was not easy, and may still be a problem today, the acceptance of women has dramatically improved, to the point where the question is, "why were women not accepted to begin with?" This demonstrates that if people stand up for what they believe in, things that were once seen as unacceptable, may change overtime. One can see this big change from WW1 to WW2, and continue to see it over the years, and into the modern day armed forces, to the point where women considering this job, must make the decision if this is the life they want to live.

To begin, the biggest issue about women in the army was appearance, as they do not have the physical strength of men. However, pictured here, is rows of WAC's (Women's Army Corps) wearing gas masks for a training drill in 1942, which establishes why this picture is in black and white. This was when women were finally beginning to be accepted. In this picture one is not able to determine that these are women, and not men, proving how significant outward appearance is. Appearance is one of the biggest reasons women were not accepted, and was the most frustrating for them, because as established here, they should be judged on their skill level, and not on how they look. However, the fact that this picture was taking in the middle of WW2, shows the big change from WW1, years earlier, where women were barely accepted at all.

                                                                                                                            Furthermore, even after women were granted the opportunity to join the army, there was still a big lack of acceptance, and they were often treated poorly, and were never able to feel like they truly belonged. However, this image proves the opposite. Pictured here is a woman leading the way. Not only does she stand out in this picture because she is the only girl, but the smile on her face signifies the honour she feels, and the expression on the many men following behind her faces, establishes that there is finally beginning to be acceptance, which is a big step in the partnership of men and women in the army, considering that this image is also in black and white, and was taken in WW2. 

To continue, now that it is proven women are accepted in the military, it is up to them to consider the difficulty of this job, which was originally created just for men.

One must consider the difficult

decisions a woman must make when committing to a job as serious as the military. Pictured here is a mother seeing her child for the first time after 7 months of serving in Iran. This overall image clarifies that leaving her daughter must have been a difficult decision for her to make, as everyone who serves time in war must keep in mind the chance that they will not come home. Which establishes one of the main reasons women were not allowed to join the army to begin with, because they were suppose to stay at home and look after the children. Although, over time, as this option became more available to women, they have to think about all the other aspects of their life before committing to this job.

Furthermore, in Israel men and women both perform military services, in which they serve side by side performing combat roles for three years. This is a big step in the acceptance of women, because now not only are women allowed to do the jobs such as nursing and factory work, but are allowed to be out on the field, fighting side by side with the men. This image is significant because it is not representing the “average woman”. Everything from her hair, uniform, and dirt on her face, as well as the many bags on the ground in the background of this picture, does not represent the place, or look of an average girl her age, establishing the image you create for yourself when working in this job, and the reason why most girls do not consider this type of job, because it is still seen as a man's work.

In conclusion, one can see the dramatic change in the acceptance of women in war, as well as what war does to the life of a woman. Overall, this has been a big turning point for women of the century.

Work Cited

Image 1

Cosgrove,Ben. "The Best of LIFE: 37 Years in Pictures."

TIME. N.p., 20 Nov. 2014. Web. 29 Dec. 2015.

<http://time.com/3503080/the-best-of-life-37-years-in-pictures/>.

Image 2

Jerusalem Newspaper. "Leading the Way"

The Jerusalem Post - Israel News. N.p., 2015. Web.

29 Dec. 2015.<http://www.jpost.com>.

Image 3

D, Linda. "Powerful Images of the Century" Idealist Revolution.   

N.p., 19 Apr. 2015. Web. 29 Dec. 2015.

<http:/idealistrevolution.org/most-powerful-photographs-ever-taken/>.

Image 4

Jerusalem Newspaper. "Israel War."

The Jerusalem Post - Israel News. N.p., 2015.

Web. 29 Dec. 2015. <http://www.jpost.com>.