Leading Post: The Problems Facing Women During Wartime

All of the readings for today emphasize the relationship between the subordination of women in the military and as victims of war-related crimes. In Enloe’s chapter, “All the Men are in the Militia, All the Women are Victims,” she describes the dangers of the existing male pressure to be masculine within the military. She uses the example of Borislav Herak, a Serbian militiaman who took part in the horrific “Bosnian rapes.” Enloe includes an interview with Herak in this chapter in which Herak states that the main reason that he took part in the rape of so many innocent women was due to his want to “fit in” with a group of domineering males and to follow orders from a higher military power. There are many obvious problems with this militiaman-mindset; however, what I find the most disturbing from Herak’s testimony is that even if these soldiers had a problem with rape as a militarized order, they never stood up to any authority, let alone discussed their actions with each other, making them cowardly and weak.

In another Enloe chapter, “Spoils of War,” she further describes how women are marginalized via male-driven wartime attitudes. She states that oftentimes, the male soldier’s excessive and spontaneous sex-drive is used as an excuse for prostitution and rape. She even goes on to claim that perhaps the use of female prostitutes in foreign countries can be seen as a vehicle for rape due to the power-trip-esque effect it has on male soldiers.

Myers also writes about the problematic male-warrior attitude within our modern day military in her article, “A Peril in War Zones: Sexual Abuse by Fellow G.I.s.” She uses the example of Captain Margaret H. White who was stalked by a former colleague and warrant officer at Camp Taji. She describes the trials of women who feel trapped by male harassers in the military, since they are typically poorly judged for making any form of sexual-related complaints to authority figures. Moreover, these women feel guilty in reporting any form of sexual abuse from members of their units because they fear that it will somehow harm their missions. Thus, un-reported abuse reigns supreme in the military, a highly rough and debilitating environment for women to succeed in, to begin with.

I find it interesting that even our nation’s most physically strong females can so easily be taken advantage of by males that face little to no consequences for their behavior. However, I am not surprised that sexual abuse is rampant in the army due to the aforementioned extreme “machismo” attitude of male soldiers that exists today. Perhaps the most shocking piece of Myers article for me was that rape kits were not available at all army bases for female soldiers until recently. Even this small fact exemplifies why women are silent when it comes to sexual abuse: they are hardly ever taken seriously, and they are not even provided with the assistance that they require most in the face of extreme vulnerability.

On a lighter note, Myers second article, “Living and Fighting Alongside Men, and Fitting In,” describes the strides women have made within the army over recent years. Even though the above article portrays the harsh realities that many strong female soldiers face, as a whole, women are becoming more and more accepted as legitimate commanders and fighters today, paving the way for safer and more equal conditions for future generations of successful militia-women.