Since World War II, Rosie the Riveter has symbolized women’s contributions to national defense. She encouraged women to enter the workforce and fill jobs in factories and shipyards that drafted men had to vacate, becoming a symbol of empowerment. However, she also reinforced the association between women’s work and the home front, perpetuating gendered narratives of service.
Decades later, women are blurring the lines between the home front and the front lines. By enlisting in the military, women challenge misogynistic expectations and redefine these rigid narratives of national service and identity.
In recent years, the percentage of women among enlisted members and officers has risen from 9% in 1980 to 18% in 2017. This rise reflects the Department of Defense’s decision to increase the number of open positions for women since the 1990s, including in aviation and on combatant Navy vessels. These reforms provide women with more career opportunities to serve their country.
Despite the importance of women in the military, they remain severely underrepresented and unsupported within the institution. Women cite inadequate support for family, a rigid leadership structure with few women and gender harassment as key factors in their decision to leave the military.
These factors likely inform many women’s choice to never enter the armed forces. For instance, the disappearance and murder of Vanessa Guillen in 2020 reinforced the perception that military culture is hostile to women, amplifying the expectation of masculine toughness and the barriers for seeking help within the institution. In subsequent years, the number of female enlistments decreased.
While the culture and perception of the military remain a major factor in the decision to enlist, inadequate outreach also contributes to gender underrepresentation. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, a female ROTC cadet spoke about misconceptions surrounding career opportunities within the military. They requested anonymity due to restrictions on the expression of students who are currently in the unit. In this article, they will be referred to as Jane Wilson.
“I think that (there’s) a big misunderstanding about what the military actually is and what jobs you’re actually able to go into,” Wilson said. “You can go into aviation. You can go into engineering. You can go into the medical field.”
In fact, administration, health care and supply operations are the most common jobs for women in the military. Only 4.77% of enlisted women serve as infantry. The lack of exposure to these jobs in popular media and the masculine stereotypes of service over-amplify combat positions within the institution and conceal its various career opportunities. Inadequate awareness about military jobs perpetuates the organization’s lack of appeal toward women and maintains gender underrepresentation.
Given that patriarchal influences on military culture and inadequate outreach are two major reasons for low female enlistment, we must organize to rectify this culture and promote equitable enlistment. In fact, the murder of Guillen sparked a rise in advocacy by nonmilitary women, who successfully pushed for the implementation of legislation for significant military reform. One component of the law replaces military commanders with independent commissions as the main decision-maker for whether to prosecute a perpetrator, therefore separating the consequences of speaking out from career advancements and promoting a more inclusive culture for women.
While legislative reform is critical to reversing systemic gender imparity, military recruiters can encourage more women to enlist through robust educational programs. Recruiters should provide more insight regarding various job opportunities within the military and the invaluable skills one gains from service. In fact, Wilson comments on the skill set that they have built from training.
“You’re going to be put in stressful situations where you have to learn how to remain composed, be able to make decisions, delegate tasks and successfully lead your people,” Wilson said. “I think that (these skills are) able to translate into the civilian world really well.”
Given the challenging environment and resulting personal growth, Wilson emphasized the value of integrating these comprehensive explanations of job responsibilities within recruiting educational programs. By spreading awareness of lesser-known roles and emphasizing fluid skills, military officials can separate enlisting from combat, challenging the association between service and masculinity. In promoting a more inclusive culture, military officials strengthen the institution’s appeal to women.
Despite the importance of recruiting programs, we must remember that no single factor will resolve the systemic issues of this male-dominated institution or lead to gender equality in the military. Instead, structural reform that provides robust support for women’s personal and family lives, increases opportunities for career advancement and improves reporting about sexual harassment to enhance preventative interventions are necessary to make military service a viable and meaningful career for more women.
Sarah Zhang is an Opinion Columnist who writes about social justice, popular culture and media. She can be reached at sarzhang@umich.edu.