M6A2 CCS112

THESIS STATEMENT & BRAINSTORMING ACTVITY 5

Women in Combat Roles

Kelly Privatte

Excelsior College

Introduction

In the last centuries, women have formed an integral component of war missions. However, their participation in war has been restricted to different certain soft roles that rarely included combat missions. In this respect, a significant number of women have displayed heroism and courage. With the exception of developed countries such as Germany, the roles women in the battlefields in other jurisdictions have been limited to cooks, health professionals, hospitality, and diplomatic tasks (Sheppard, 2007). In addition, women in the battlefields have actively taken part in service roles such as enlisted specialty positions on land, sea, and air. However, in countries such as the United States, women rarely actively take part in direct combat missions. In The Operations Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and the Iraqi Freedom presented the first case of women participating in major combat operations (Klenke, 2016). This is because many job openings in the military were allocated for women. Thus, there has been a dramatic surge in the number of women who are deployed as fighters, bombers, attackers, and helicopter pilots in all areas of the military. This major shift in gender roles in the military has reignited the long-standing debate over whether women should be assigned combatant roles in the military.

Thesis Statement

While critics cite physical incapability, ineffectiveness and reduced morale as reasons to oppose assigning women combat roles, the benefits of women taking part in such roles are high, ranging from military readiness, to career advancement.

Identification of Key Words to Guide the Search Process

From the above research topic and thesis statement, there are a set of key words that have are important for search purposes (Rozakis, 2007). These key words have been derived from the main ideas and terms that formed part of the thesis statement. In light of the above, below is a list of key terms that are going to guide the process of gathering research information for the study:

Key Search Terms

1. Gender roles in the military

2. Women in the army

3. Combat missions

4. Gender stereotypes

5. Career progression of women in military

6. Woman unit leaders

7. Women soldiers

8. Operations Enduring Freedom for women

9. Women helicopter pilots

10. Number of women in the military

11. Women bombers

12. Gender-based discrimination in the military

13. Admission of women in combat

14. Marginalization of women

15. Domestic roles

16. Women in military leadership

17. Male-dominated military environments

18. Female cadets

19. Judgment and condemnation of female cadets

20. Performance differences of women and men in combat

21. Attributes for effective military performance

22. Qualification of women in combat

References

Klenke, K. (2016). Women in Combat: Contexts, Terror Management, and Mortality Salience—

Implications for Women’s Leadership. International Leadership Journal, 8(2).

Rozakis, L. (2007). Schaum's quick guide to writing great research papers (2nd ed.)

Sheppard, C. (2007). Women in combat. Army War Coll Carlisle Barracks Pa.