Okay guys and gals...
I have been considering joinin up in the Air force and I wanted to know the pro's and con's of females being in the military. I have heard alot of opinions from soooo many different people, and i can see the good and bad in many cases, but please tell me what you think and why...I'm very interested in hearing what you think.
Oh, and this is military in general-so in other words, guys from all other branches, this is not the place to tell me why i should NOT go into the Air Force..lol Thanks.
Kendra
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If at first you don't succeed, RE-NOCK!
The military is pretty much what you make it ,
but in my four years in the Navy I don't remember once seeing women get treated with respect unless it was enforced . Sexual harrassment is rampant , and most of it gets ignored . From what I see these days not much has changed in that department . On the plus side women in the service usually get less demanding assignments and are more likely to be excused from heavy physical labor other than mandatory excercise programs in training . If you go in expecting to be treated as an equal then be prepared to face disappointment .
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Kevin Haendiges
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http://hunting-indiana.com
If you go in expecting to be treated as an equal then be prepared to face disappointment .
Only way to get treated like an equal is to step up and act like one. In my almost 14 years in the Air Force I have yet to see any woman do so. Watch what happens as soon as deployments start coming down. A large portion of the Air Force ends up pregnant and non-deployable. Just a hint, it ain't the guys getting pregnant to shirk their duties. As I said before, you want respect and to be treated as an equal then earn it just like everyone else does.
I was in so long ago that I can't really comment on what to expect these days. Women in the Navy were treated OK when I was in. I worked with quite a few and they were as good as any of the guys and they earned their respect. They did get hit on a lot.
As to the Air Force, from my experience I would go Air Force if I were to do it again.
If you go in expecting to be treated as an equal then be prepared to face disappointment .
Only way to get treated like an equal is to step up and act like one. In my almost 14 years in the Air Force I have yet to see any woman do so. Watch what happens as soon as deployments start coming down. A large portion of the Air Force ends up pregnant and non-deployable. Just a hint, it ain't the guys getting pregnant to shirk their duties. As I said before, you want respect and to be treated as an equal then earn it just like everyone else does.
Yup, work and perform just like anyone else, expect no special treatment, and give none. That will earn you respect.....based on 31 years experience as of August.
huntress06,
The military is an honorable proffesion. I would imagine you have or will hear alot of negatives with resepct to joining. My daughter is a Jr in High School. She is seriously considering the military(USAF). I had no input as to her interest and have stayed more or less neutral. She is anxious to speak with a recruiter and other females in the military. I'm really proud that she is showing a genuine interest for all the right reasons. She has heard numerous "negative" comments with respect to any interest in military. None from anybody with past or present military duty.
The military offers a multitude of career opportunities along with travel,meeting and working with people from all walks of life. Don't forget about educational benifits!
It will instill a sense of honor,duty,respect,discipline that few civilian professions can profess.
I did my 4yrs active duty in USAF got out,went to school on GI bill. I did something I never thought I would do - I joined the USAF Reserves and stayed in another 21yrs and retired in 98. I don't regret a minute of time served. A very close family friend is a lady who made Chief Master Sgt two years ago. That is the highest rank an enlisted person can obtain. She is a Load Master on C5's.
It is all about what you make it.
Look at it this way if you don't like it - Get out after your 4yrs is up. Maybe join the Reserves. Or - join the Reserves,if you like reserves you can transfer to Active Duty status. Last but no least Military duty makes for great Resume Material!
Speaking for the Marine Corps, women Marines are definately a small minority, I think about 10% of so of the total force. In my company of roughly 200 Marines, we has two female Marines, one officer and one enlisted. To be honest, the officer (1st Lt.) wasn't too bad, but the enlisted one wasn't worth her weight in dog s***. She whined and complained about everything, including the fact that she was expected to do her job and pull her weight. She always found an excuse not to PT, not that she could keep up with the company during a formation run anyway. On top of being a s***bird, she also had a real attitude and thought herself untouchable because she was female. She eventually got FAP'd over to admin just to get rid of her.
One thing I will say is that with a lot of woman Marines, the term "woman" can be used loosely. A lot of the females were more butch than the guys...enough to make Clinton and his "don't ask, don't tell" flunkies bubble with pride. As for the way women are treated...there is definately some animosity by from the male Marines that are held to higher physical standards and expected to do more and work harder while some females get cut slack. It's not universal, but it is present, and in some cases justified. As for sexual harassment, I can say that while, like any other workplace is happens, it is not, from my observation, as rampant as the press would have you believe. There is virtually no tolerance for sexual harassment, and even an unfounded accusation of sexual harassment could damage or ruin ones career (perhaps one of the reason female Marines knew they could get away with more than their male counterparts).
I cannot speak for the Air Force, but because of the generally less physically demanding workload of most Air Force MOS's, and the larger ratio of women to men, probably puts them on a more equal footing and reduces the animosity. My suggestion is that if you decide to enlist, always give 110%, work hard and show everyone in your unit that you're willing and able to pull your weight, and you will be respected and do fine. Start pulling the "I'm a girl and just can't do that" routine, and you'll quickly become the least favorite person in your unit. Even if you can't do something, at least let everyone know that you're willing to try, and if you can't then try to make up for it but doing more of what you can do well. One last thing, don't take any unjustified crap from anybody and stick up for yourself when you should, but remember that if you are diciplined don't automatically assume that it's because you're female.
I knew a bunch of female "Coasties" when I was in. The military is a very honorable and life changing thing for someone to do. Once you sign on the dotted line - that is IT. There ain't no way out after that. (well technically there is, but you don't want to go that route)....
Bootcamp: The ERA and some women's groups have poked their noses into the military, so now a woman has to do the exact same thing as the guys. There is no "special treatment" if you know what I mean. 20 pushups and 40 situps within a certain time frame? Yup... you got it... The girls are right there on the floor with the guys cranking them off. You also get to qualify on the M-16 along with the guys, and you also get to qualify on the (now) Beretta M92 9mm handgun {why the military phased out the legendary M1911-A1 is beyond me}.
After bootcamp: You go directly to your school for your particular MOS or Rate (Navy/Coast Guard) or you get assigned to a small unit somewhere for a few months until you get orders to the school. The first and foremost thing above all, is KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO BE BEFORE YOU EVEN THINK OF JOINING THE MILITARY!!!! Never, never, never, EVER... join the military without a clue as to what you want to do!!! [&:]
After you schooling: You will get assigned to a unit for roughly 3 or 4 years to wherever you (hopefully) get to choose from. Normally, they give you a huge list of duty stations to choose from. You will rise up in the rankings quickly after bootcamp and school. Then you will have to "compete" on promotion boards and servicewide advancement tests to earn the next stripe. Sometimes, depending on the situation, you can advance right up the line. Other times, you have to wait until next time. Or try again and again and again until eventually someone higher up advances. (which was the case with the USCG when I was in. I busted my a$$ to try to make Chief (E-7) and never could do it. I finally gave up and retired when my last promotion board had 380 First Class Petty Officer Yeomen (E-6) all competing for E-7, and HQ only authorized 4 to get promoted!!! [:-][:'(][&o]
If you keep going: You can reenlist over and over and make a career out of the military. I did! I had a great time and loved the USCG. They taught me a lot over the years. They basically took an 18 year old high school kid with an attitude, kicked him in the a$$ and molded him into a well respected, decorated, serviceman! Also, you can retired early if you want to. You don't have to stay in for the full 20 years. Congress came out with an "early retirement" policy for the services, where a member can opt to retire early at 15 years and still get the VA benefits. You loose a little of the retirement pension though.
Whichever branch of service you decide on doesn't matter. Just know in your heart that you are doing your country a great service by choosing to enlist. The experience, the memories, and the places you will go to are priceless!
Butch A
YN1, USCG (Ret).
1979- 1996 (retired early with 17 years. Now my USCG retirement pension pays my mortage, and I am now a successful computer programmer with a whole new career with a great company!)
Women in the Military
