Article Writing Homework Help
Complete 6 pages APA formatted article: Engendering of Militarism and Warfare. Therefore, feminists’ rationale that militarism and warfare have been gendered is very plausible, as shall be seen furthe
Complete 6 pages APA formatted article: Engendering of Militarism and Warfare. Therefore, feminists’ rationale that militarism and warfare have been gendered is very plausible, as shall be seen further, in the discussion that ensues forthwith.
According to Cock (1992, 2- 3), one of the ways by which militarism and warfare are gendered is through the assigning of military department and functions, patriarchal features. It is not a rarity to find that in some countries, all terms of identification for military officers, their functions and offices are patriarchal. The Gulf War (1991) is a clear epitome of this development. During the Gulf War, female personnel was represented differently. Having totally rejected the notion of female soldiers coming to its aid, the Saudi government designated female personnel as males with female features. As opposed to the common rationale that the media plays a pivotal role in the emancipation of women, the media at the time referred to this female personnel as liberated women.
The forgoing could have been tolerable if women had not been participating in military expeditions. According to the Women’s Research and Education Institute (WREI) which is based in Washington, women have served in combat-support positions in the army. For instance, 26,000 females served in the Persian Gulf. female combatants heavily participated in the Iraqi and Kuwaiti invasions. 270 female officers served in the US Patriot missile battalions in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. The import of the foregoing is that the very Saudi Arabia wherein female personnel are referred to as males with female features is the very place 11 Saudi army women lost their lives.
Policies that govern military recruitment and operations have also gone a long way in solidifying the engendering of military activities and warfare. Mostly, these policies factor biological constraints to push women to the fringes of military operations. Particularly, the fact women have less physical strength compared to men and get pregnant has been exploited towards these ends. Women who turn positive for pregnancy tests are usually turned away from the army and other disciplined forces recruitment exercises. In like manner, women who test positive for pregnancy are usually exempted from the war.