Arms and the Enlisted Woman http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Arms-and-Enlisted-Woman-Judith-Hicks-Stiehm/9780877227052

By Judith Hicks Stiehm

Prizes

Explore the experience of American women in the military

About the Author

Judith Hicks Stiehm, Provost of Florida International University, is the author of "Bring Me Men and Women: Mandated Change at the W.S. Air Force Academy."

Reviews

Stiehm, provost of Florida International University, presents a survey of enlisted women in the military that is certainly thorough but quickly bogs down in detail. In the author's view, the principal problem of females in the service is their very presence, which prompts such questions as whether women should be drafted, whether they should serve in combat, whether they can do all the jobs in the military and how to cope with pregnancy, particularly in unmarried servicewomen. Stiehm reports on attitudes in all four branches of the service, among enlisted men and women, both noncommissioned and commissioned officers, as well as the public. Her conclusion: the tension that results from having women in the armed forces is not likely to diminish. This is more a reference work than a book for general readers. Photos. (Apr.)

"A vivid and provocative account... Stiehm's assessment of the myths that sustain 'this man's army' reveals the reasons for enlisted women's ambivalent status--and throws a new light on some of America's real military problems." --Betty Friedan "Digging beneath the accumulated rubble of military studies and statistics, Stiehm discovers that 'defensiveness rather than sense' drives much military policy on women... Her brilliant contrasts of the successive generations of enlisted women illumine the frequent and incongruous shifts of policy which endanger women's careers, and shed light on the obstructions to bonding and networking among military women...not only does Stiehm encapsulate an enormous quantity of useful data on enlisted women, both in her text and in her appendices, but she also tackles the underlying problems, offering for their resolution the stimulating suggestions of an honest, daring, and original mind ranging over little-known territory which the author herself has thoroughly explored." --Minerva "This is potentially a blockbuster book of great importance. The author is a very good writer...her book is not only of interest to military types and to the soldiers themselves but also to feminists concerned with the shape and tenacity of gender roles in our society." --Arlene Kaplan Daniels, Northwestern University "In the author's view, the principal problem of females in the service is their very presence, which prompts such questions as whether women should be drafted, whether they should serve in combat, whether they can do all the jobs in the military and how to cope with pregnancy, particularly in unmarried servicewomen. Stiehm reports on attitudes in all four branches of the service, among enlisted men and women, both noncommissioned and commissioned officers, as well as the public. ...a reference work..." --Publishers Weekly

These books are fresh examples of the two types concerning women in the military--one scholarly and dispassionate, the other journalistic and emotional. Both are well researched and well written, raising questions and attempting answers. Stiehm continues the scholarly work begun in Bring Me Men and Women (LJ 3/15/81) concerning the acceptance of women into the federal service academies. Using the assumption that women should be in the military, she reviews the history of women in the services 1972-82. Her conclusion is that the proportion of women in the military should be raised to that of society at large, with women having a clearly defined, and separate, role. Mitchell assumes that women are a detriment to the military, and that their numbers should be reduced. He presents a carefully constructed case to show the deleterious effects of women in the military, using the ``manly'' myth of the military that Stiehm questions. He concludes that the presence of women lowers the standards and morale of the services, thereby weakening the national defense. Stiehms's contribution is the more important. However, Mitchell's does clearly present one side of the debate. Comprehensive libraries as well as those needing current materials on women in the military may want both.-- Edward Gibson, Alderson-Broaddus Coll. Lib., Philippi, W. Va.