Arnot discusses the basis of a fraternal pact within "Feminist Politics and Democratic Values in Education". She sees the traditional privileges of the masculine as a way to legitimise their automatic right to that of power in public life and at the same time, their sexual rights over women. Sexual supremacy is a huge problem within the hyper masculine background of the military, with women being actively discouraged to come forth and report their issues. Out of the potential 26 000 victims within the last year only 3374 were actually reported. Following this, sixty two percent of the victims who stated they reported were retaliated against either professionally, socially or administratively. There is a tendency to call on culture when faced with situations that would normally be unacceptable within society, and this is extremely destructive behaviour( Arniel, 2006, pg 26).
The sexual assault epidemic within the military is well known and yet is extremely hard to combat as there is a stark gender inequality in the way in which women are perceived within military zones. There is a creation of their own culture based on norms they saw to be as acceptable including the exposure of genitalia and sexually explicit jokes.When deployed, the men often engage in crude sexual acts, leaving women within the team questioning their participation. Kayla Williams, an Arab linguist, often question when their behaviour reaches a level classified as harassment. Williams said, "Is it inclusive or exclusive? I can't answer that. It's complicated."
The all-male military traditions still linger, prompting the treatment of women as second class citizens. This is further supported by actual job inequality: in America women are barred from front line combat and only make up a total of fifteen percent of the 1.4 million active duty service members. Of the military's thirty eight four-syar generals or admirals, only one is a woman. This leads to the view women are both less trustworthy and less serious then their male counterparts. The category of gender itself needs to be seen as implicated in the workings of power, and the perceptions surrounding a gender cultural stereotype( Wadham, Pudsey, Boyd, 2007 pg 9). Additionally, it places them in a position in which it becomes a he said- she said argument when reporting issues. Chris Kilmartin from the American Airforce Academy states that there is this preconceived notion that rapists ted to be ugly, however this is incorrect, "they tend to be more handsome, charming and have more consensual sex than non rapists, and are very good at cultivating the appearance of being a nice guy." Whilst in the public sphere a woman is able to flee such an environment, the military results with them being placed in contact for the period of the contract, and often has extremely negative health impacts including panic attacks, nausea and weight loss.
These issues often culminate in places of education, as there is such a structured environment of supremacy in place. Startlingly, the trends for assault often have roots with those who are in a position of educational authority. The setting up of sexual-assault prevention units within military academies has also produced less than positive results, as is reflected by an Army sergeant first class member of the prevention unit at Fort Hood, Texas, facing allegations in May for " alleged sexual assault, pandering, abusive sexual contact, and maltreatment of subordinates." This highlights the need for sweeping reforms within the militaries educational system, and the necessity of transferring traditional ideals from other educational systems into this old school environment.
Despite many military incursions and political attempts at removing this crisis from the military, the mindsets within it are the slowest to change and that is what needs the most work. The constant publicising of the wrong doings occurring is just a step in the right direction, and the practices within the military itself needs to be looked at. The rules in place to protect women are in fact hurting them even more as they are viewed as inferior beings in a masculine culture and it is only through change in regards to women's rights within the military will we begin to see a sense of gender equality.
Documentary regarding these cases can be found here:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid635367679001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAACpvMpk~,rAvHhAS7JOpa4tlt0CXVebDvGzQCdYY2&bclid=0&bctid=2652236558001
References:
Phillips, A. (2006). What is culture? In Arneil, Barbara and Deveaux, Monique and
Dhamoon, Rita and Eisenberg, Avigail, (eds.) Sexual justice / cultural
justice. London, UK : Routledge, 2006, pp. 15-29.
Sorcher, Sara, 2013, How the Military's 'Bro Culture' Turns Women into Targets. The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/09/how-the-militarys-bro-culture-turns-women-into-targets/279460/
Wadham, Benjamin Allan, Jason Pudsey, and Ross Boyd. "What is Culture?." Culture and education. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Education Australia, 2007. 1-34. Print
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