Gender and War
Gender and War.War is a gendered phenomenon, one with meaning for the relative status of men and women within American society. Times of national emergency create enormous possibilities for change, and often threaten foundational social hierarchies, such as gender, race, and class relations. Yet many of the new opportunities for traditionally marginalized groups have historically been circumscribed by powerful ideological constructions of the meanings of war. These social myths define war itself as a masculine undertaking and delineate the differential duties prescribed for men and women during wartime. White men (and by the late twentieth century, all men) were expected to protect “their” figurative women, homes, and families, especially through military service. Women's ostensibly passive role as protectees during war highlights their efforts to maintain these same homes and families, thereby supporting their men, and...
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