Women in Combat
Natalie Lovell
Introduction & Context
In January of 2013, the then Secretary of Defense, Leon E. Panetta, took down the walls that previously prevented women in the military from serving in direct combat roles. This has always been a “heated” issue in the U.S. as to whether this should be allowed or not. Over the years as women’s rights become larger and larger, the role of women in the army and military became ever more pressing and ever more prevalent. Just as women in the past fought for their rights to vote, their rights to more careers and occupations, their rights to nearly everything that a man had rights to, they fought for their rights to fight for their country.
(http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2015/0315_womens-history/)
With that being said, sexual harassment with women in the military is another thing that continues to increase. Despite women being given their rights to fight in combat, and despite the many years of study and research done by the Pentagon, according to Service Women’s Action Network [SWAN], “sexual assault and sexual harassment continue to occur at alarming rates year after year.” Many of these incidents go unreported. In fact, according to the Department of Defense, “tens of thousands of unwanted sexual contacts occur in the military every year, yet only a fraction of those get reported.” While it does not only happen with women, “more than half of all incidents of sexual violence happen to men,” it has more to do with the perception of the women in the military. Questions are posed as to whether women are capable, “as tough,” or what their purpose really serves. http://servicewomen.org/military-sexual-violence/
Many political cartoons emphasize the perspective of the vastness of the women in military being sexually harassed. They emphasize how women should not have the fear of being raped or sexually assaulted, that they should already have that protection. Many cartoons also point out that not much is being done about the sexual assaults, specifically with the reports that are being turned in.
The overall message conveyed in these cartoons is the serious problem of women being sexually assaulted in the military. It clearly portrays the women as victims and all other men in the military as thoughtless and degrading. In researching a myriad of cartoons, there were not any found that put a positive spin on the topic or that had a positive viewpoint. Everything was negative, pointing out the flawed military justice system and the leadership in the military.
The cartoons were all very consistent with one another with similar framing, parallels, ideologies, and spins. They were also very consistent with the public opinion. The cartoons were definitely not neutral and had a very strong opinion as to what is going on and the fact that nothing is being done and that something should be done. They focused a great deal on women’s rights and women’s protections.
(http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2015/0315_womens-history/)
With that being said, sexual harassment with women in the military is another thing that continues to increase. Despite women being given their rights to fight in combat, and despite the many years of study and research done by the Pentagon, according to Service Women’s Action Network [SWAN], “sexual assault and sexual harassment continue to occur at alarming rates year after year.” Many of these incidents go unreported. In fact, according to the Department of Defense, “tens of thousands of unwanted sexual contacts occur in the military every year, yet only a fraction of those get reported.” While it does not only happen with women, “more than half of all incidents of sexual violence happen to men,” it has more to do with the perception of the women in the military. Questions are posed as to whether women are capable, “as tough,” or what their purpose really serves. http://servicewomen.org/military-sexual-violence/
Many political cartoons emphasize the perspective of the vastness of the women in military being sexually harassed. They emphasize how women should not have the fear of being raped or sexually assaulted, that they should already have that protection. Many cartoons also point out that not much is being done about the sexual assaults, specifically with the reports that are being turned in.
The overall message conveyed in these cartoons is the serious problem of women being sexually assaulted in the military. It clearly portrays the women as victims and all other men in the military as thoughtless and degrading. In researching a myriad of cartoons, there were not any found that put a positive spin on the topic or that had a positive viewpoint. Everything was negative, pointing out the flawed military justice system and the leadership in the military.
The cartoons were all very consistent with one another with similar framing, parallels, ideologies, and spins. They were also very consistent with the public opinion. The cartoons were definitely not neutral and had a very strong opinion as to what is going on and the fact that nothing is being done and that something should be done. They focused a great deal on women’s rights and women’s protections.
Cartoons
Publication: Cagle Cartoons - U.S. Date: May 13, 2013 Cartoonist: Daryl Cagle Title of Cartoon: Sexual Assault Report Cartoon: #9 Tone of the cartoon:
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In this cartoon there are 5 people in the military in leadership positions, one woman and four men. The woman is holding a sexual assault report and the look on her face is definitely one of anxiousness, uneasiness, and discomfort. I think that reason for her uneasiness is that she knows that not a whole lot is going to be done about the sexual assault report, if anything at all. She also knows if she is not a number on that report already, that she easily could be. The thought process of the four men in the picture prove this point. They do not view her as an equal or as qualified to be in the position that she is in. They view her as an object. In the thought bubble of what the men are thinking, they are viewing her in that instance without clothes on and the looks on their faces are quite the opposite of hers. Their facial expressions are almost conniving and portray control and excitement, as all of their eyes are aimed towards her.
What is described in this editorial cartoon was the reality at the time this was drawn and published. The Pentagon was trying to investigate and crack down on these sexual assault reports, but not a whole lot came out of this and not much was done. The ideologies of the public were reinforced in viewing this cartoon. The cartoonist framed the woman as the victim and the men as careless, thoughtless, and “animals.”
What is described in this editorial cartoon was the reality at the time this was drawn and published. The Pentagon was trying to investigate and crack down on these sexual assault reports, but not a whole lot came out of this and not much was done. The ideologies of the public were reinforced in viewing this cartoon. The cartoonist framed the woman as the victim and the men as careless, thoughtless, and “animals.”
Your eye is immediately drawn to the badge in this cartoon, the one that the women is pointing at and that the younger girl has got her eyes gazed upon. The woman in the military, obviously in some sort of leadership position, is telling the younger girl how she earned a particular badge for defending herself from a sexual assault by a male officer. Of course the younger girl is in shock by hearing this, because the thought of that is absurd. The cartoonist is portraying the irony behind this, that it is almost as if the military commends you for defending yourself, like “good for you,” as if it is the woman’s responsibility and she deserves a reward for doing so. This should not be a reward or a bonus however, this should be a given. There is also some exaggeration in this cartoon, seeing as a woman has not actually earned a badge for fighting off a male officer from sexual assault in real life.
That sort of framing, of the military not taking responsibility, echos the public opinion. The public would like to see more action taken and more responsibility. The public does view it as a women’s defense for herself and believes that this should be changed. A woman’s safety and protection should be a given and a natural protection, not something that she needs to be constantly fighting for. This kind of cartoon does not try to challenge or change the public opinion, but it encourages it.
That sort of framing, of the military not taking responsibility, echos the public opinion. The public would like to see more action taken and more responsibility. The public does view it as a women’s defense for herself and believes that this should be changed. A woman’s safety and protection should be a given and a natural protection, not something that she needs to be constantly fighting for. This kind of cartoon does not try to challenge or change the public opinion, but it encourages it.
This cartoon parallels the stickers that men will often times put on the back of their trucks about women and portraying women very sexual as objects - a strong analogy. The pictures on the back of this military tank portray the same thing and give you the same feel and the same idea. And the man in combat sitting on the top of the tank emphasizes this point with his “googly” eyes, just staring at the woman. Also, the comment that he makes to the woman, labeling her sugar as opposed to soldier and then having to correct what he said, adds to the dynamics even more. He clearly does not view her as an equal or as adequate or proficient for the job. That is a disrespect to her in calling sugar and is very degrading and derogatory.
Just as men putting similar pictures on the back of their trucks is part of “U.S. culture,” this cartoon communicates that there are the same ideologies and the same subculture in military culture. This is a perception and stereotype that many people have about men in the military. At the same token, many view the opposite as well, with men in the military having respect and pride. The first stereotype is reinforced in this cartoon, showing the views that the “military culture” has for women.
Just as men putting similar pictures on the back of their trucks is part of “U.S. culture,” this cartoon communicates that there are the same ideologies and the same subculture in military culture. This is a perception and stereotype that many people have about men in the military. At the same token, many view the opposite as well, with men in the military having respect and pride. The first stereotype is reinforced in this cartoon, showing the views that the “military culture” has for women.
This cartoon shows that the women in combat are constantly having to defend themselves. The women in the cartoon have a briefcase of reports labeled “sexual assault victims” that they are presenting to the military justice system. The military justice system turn on the women with guns and from the looks on the faces of the women, the one woman is not quite sure what to do or what to think. The other woman pipes up and says, “So, this is what they mean by ‘women in combat.’” She is saying that trying to fight for these sexual assault victims and their cases is just like fighting in combat. She makes that parallel, and compares the level of difficulty and how hard that it is. This is a bit of an exaggeration, but it is what the cartoonist does to communicate this point.
With this particular aspect of sexual assault in the military, there is no indication of a dominant belief by the public. What this cartoon does, is it sways that opinion and encourages the belief even harder of how hard these women are fighting for the rights of these women and for what they deserve. The framing in this cartoon is similar to the whole of the sexual assault cartoons in the military at the time. It frames the women as victims and the leadership in the military, or the military justice system, as “bad guys.”
With this particular aspect of sexual assault in the military, there is no indication of a dominant belief by the public. What this cartoon does, is it sways that opinion and encourages the belief even harder of how hard these women are fighting for the rights of these women and for what they deserve. The framing in this cartoon is similar to the whole of the sexual assault cartoons in the military at the time. It frames the women as victims and the leadership in the military, or the military justice system, as “bad guys.”