Gender-Related Effects on the Veterans’ Welfare

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Lack of Physical Education among Women
Mental Issues in the Warfare
Poverty Rates among Veterans
Correlation between Phenomena that Affect Welfare of Soldiers
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Military service is a highly esteemed practice that is available for all genders currently. As cited in Military (2019, para. 4), “women now make up 20 percent of the Air Force, 19 percent of the Navy, 15 percent of the Army and almost 9 percent of the Marine Corps,” which indicates a significant role of female participants in the military. For any gender, warfare always has been a demanding profession. The complicated conditions require volunteers to have a certain level of skill, physical and mental capacity, and ability to overcome post-combat difficulties and traumas so that to return to the realities of civilian life. US military, for example, formulated a set of rules for entering its units for the reason of preventing the further negative consequences of serving. Thus, individuals that do not meet the requirements may restrain from experiencing the unfavorable impact that war can produce on them. Recently some endeavors were made to reduce the demand for services for women. Some may view it as a positive change since more females now can employ, but the situation is more complex. The lack of conformity to requests may cause a decrease in female veterans’ welfare, so the requirements should remain strict to avoid adverse outcomes.

Lack of Physical Education among Women

First of all, the issues concerning the female level of readiness for entering the military service start to emerge during the school period, in physical education classes. Physical activities are essential for mental and corporal health, which are crucial for future soldiers. In addition, training can cause a higher possibility of employment and further personal growth (Pharr et al., 2020). Regardless of these apparent advantages, women tend to be less initiative in sports. For example, there is a significant difference between the numbers of male and female partakers in high school athletic programs (Statista, 2021a; Statista, 2021c). The rates are as said despite the fact that the amount of schools proposing such activities for girls has increased (Statista, 2021b). Such circumstances may be the reason for the general inability of women to meet the physical standards for the service (Spoonts, 2021). Thus, evidence suggests that females are likely to dismiss the available training, although it can affect their future endurance vital to the minimum destructive participation in military campaigns.

Mental Issues in the Warfare

Secondly, the insecurities and mental stability of the applicants should be considered during the selection as they can provoke the development of other psychological disorders during service. For instance, the costs of the previous century’s wars are high percentages of PTSD cases among veterans (How Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Affects Combat Soldiers, n.d.). Moreover, depression is relatively often observed after involvement in combat, especially in women’s lives (Liu et al., 2019). Already existing illnesses may act as stimuli for the latter. According to information provided by the National Institute of Mental Health (2020), “certain symptoms may be more common in women than in men, and the course of the illness can be affected by the sex of the individual” (para. 1). This means that women regularly pertain to people easily afflicted with mental disorders because of violence, aggression, and stress always present in warfare. However, male soldiers’ struggle should not be ignored either as every person with diseases requires treatment or, more relevant, prevention of disorders’ appearance. Therefore, definite criteria for determining the ability to withstand psychological problems are needed regardless of combatants’ gender.

Poverty Rates among Veterans

Lastly, the welfare of troopers depends on their future socialization which can be interrupted by several factors. Primarily, poverty resulting from working in low-paying companies causes a shortage of resources to access all the commodities needed for everyday life (Fact Sheet: Hunger and Poverty in the Military Community, 2021). Despite educational opportunities for the soldiers delivered by the military organization, veterans’ penury rates are still high (Military, 2017). Moreover, the situation with low income is identical to that of depression: women after the service more frequently obtain lean jobs (Fact Sheet: Hunger and Poverty in the Military Community, 2021). Furthermore, these disadvantages are supplemented by impediments to engaging in social life. Namely, difficulties in employment may delay starting a family life as financial stability is essential for such a step. Becoming a parent involves even more financial confidence; hence, it is probably complicated to adapt to the civilian habitat. The ensuing consequence is social isolation or loneliness due to the reasons mentioned. In brief, veterans often encounter troubles when they try to employ, which prompts adverse effects on their social adaptation.

Correlation between Phenomena that Affect Welfare of Soldiers

The enumerated occurrences are interrelated and influence each other in a correlative manner. Low physical capacity may endanger the life of a soldier or inflict them with becoming physically or cognitively impaired. This, in turn, leads to acquiring psychological or psychiatric issues that interrupt the service and further well-being of a troop. Next, economic problems emerge; likewise, maladaptation is the primary explanation for the phenomenon. Subsequently, as provided in statistics from the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (n.d.), more than 15 veterans per day end their life. For female combatants, the current social conditions are so that participating in military campaigns might take significant effort and initial biological characteristics for a woman not to be affected and even destroyed by the warfare. Namely, there is not enough encouragement in schools for girls to view physical education as important. Mental diseases present in a more significant amount of females, contrasting with males, and poverty rates are likely to be attributed to social factors of the society. Thus, the idea of diminishing the requirements is not relatable currently since new applicants employed by such standards will be facing negative consequences in the future. The demands for military service should be kept equal for any gender to reduce the chance of low wellness of the troops.

Conclusion

To conclude, the military service requests specific properties from the applicants. These requests are based on the fact that war and death are equally dangerous occurrences for physical and mental health. Veterans of any gender suffer from PTSD and depression, as well as occasional unemployment and poverty. The complications of adaptation in society are crucial to understanding suicide among troops that started a civilian life. Indeed, gender affects the preparation for the service, passing the test when entering a military institution, the service itself, and life after it. Statistics suggest that females are at more risk to become subjects of the mentioned issue. To prevent this, equality may be a more effective policy than inclusiveness of specific biological and social traits that women possess from birth or acquire from the environment.

References

Fact sheet: Hunger and poverty in the military community. (2021). Bread for the World.). Web.

How post-traumatic stress disorder affects combat soldiers. (n.d.). Verywell Mind. Web.

Liu, Y., Collins, C., Wang, K., Xie, X., & Bie, R. (2019). The prevalence and trend of depression among veterans in the United States. Journal of Affective Disorders, 245, 724–727. Web.

Military. (2017). Education support programs for the military. Web.

Military. (2019). With a historic number of women in uniform, the vet community is about to change. Web.

National Institute of Mental Health. (2020). Women and mental health. NIMH. Web.

Pharr, J. R., Lough, N. L., & Terencio, A. M. (2020). Sociodemographic determinants of physical activity and sports participation among women in the United States.Sports, 8(7), 96. Web.

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