That was not directed at you specifically. I'll inject a little anecdote here.
About two years after I got out of the Navy, I attended the wedding of my best high-school buddy, who had recently left the Army. At the reception, my girlfriend (now my wife) and I were seated at the table with all of Davey's Army pals. I didn't hear most of the conversations, but caught a phrase here and there. At some point, my lovely one nudged me, nodding toward an attractive young woman who had been seated across the table from us, and said, "Did you know she was in the Army too?" To which I replied that I did know that. She asked me how I knew. I told her that at one point, I had heard her refer to herself as a "female", and that a civilian would have referred to herself as a "woman". This little bit of heightened perception amazed my dear one, but it was simple to me. After years of hearing my shipmates and myself called "men", while every woman in uniform was called a "female", I had divined a great disparity that irks me to this day. (At this point, I should mention that my eldest daughter is a Staff Sergeant in the US Army, and -- though I will always think of her as my little girl -- she has certainly earned the distinction of being called a woman.)
It is a prejudice that may seem subtle to most, but rings loudly in my ears. The disdain that is shown for women who serve in the military is the product of the fragile egos of men. In my time, we still called women sailors "WAVES" although that had been an obsolete designation for many years. Even our classmates and instructors, who were in the last class to graduate women from NPS for over a decade, did not seem to deserve the respect that they had earned alongside us, and were called WAVES or females -- never women. It seems that we couldn't grasp the reality that these people were our equals in any way.
The Navy itself did not help matters, and appears to be still behind if your previous post is any indication. They would not assign women to the same duties as men, leaving shore and sub-tender billets clogged with women and making it practically impossible for men with less than eight years of active duty to get the hell off of submarines. This bogged down retention (who wants to re-enlist when it only means two more years on a fast attack?) and bred resentment among the men.
The reality is that the limits placed on assigning women to warships, including the still-standing prohibition against women on submarines, has nothing to do with the capabilities of women but the shortcomings of the men who serve on them. It's a dilemma that may never be resolved -- the military relies on young, healthy people to do very difficult jobs, but that youth and vigor comes only at a time of life when young men are at the height of their sexual appetites and being deprived of the means to satisfy them. The navy also requires the leadership of older, well-seasoned leaders. But they can become too protective of young women in their charge.
In the end, the randiness of young sailors and the protective instinct of older ones results in women being a distraction to them that could prove to be dangerous. You are correct in observing that the Navy discriminates against certain people, women, certain ethnic groups, and the disabled. They do and they will because they have to. Perhaps, one day someone will come up with a way to protect the sailors from their own instincts, but until then the disparity that exists is a necessary evil.
My point?
Do not allow the limitations that are placed on you because of your sex to convince you that you are less worthy or less qualified for a job that you can certainly do as well as a man. They exist, not because you and other women are of limited ability, but because your presence limits the ability of men. Treat yourself with the respect you deserve, or you will NEVER get it from anyone else. Start by saying "woman" instead of "female".
P.S. Sorry about the long-winded post. I got on my soap box again and couldn't get off.
