• Moving Up the Ranks

  Posted Tuesday, June 24, 2008 2:58 PM | By Kara Hadge
  
  
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  I'm encouraged by the announcement from the Department of Defense yesterday about the nomination of Army Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody to the position of four-star general. If the Senate confirms her nomination, Dunwoody will be the first woman to attain a status that historically has been achieved through combat jobs, which women are not allowed to hold. What's especially promising about her nomination is the fact that the government lifted its own barrier to recognize her achievements and capabilities by allowing her to circumvent the combat route.
  
  Still, there is plenty of progress left to be made. Only five women have attained the next status beneath Dunwoody's, that of lieutenant general, as CNN reported. Dunwoody's success shows potential, but having one woman at the top does not change the fact that so many others ranking below her have yet to rise up.
  
  I wonder how long it will take for other women in the military to move up the ranks as Dunwoody has over the last 33 years. Her nomination was announced the same day The New York Times reported that women in the military are more likely to suffer under the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, which requires gay members of the military not to reveal their sexual identity. According to the Times article, the percentage of women discharged from the Army last year under that policy increased from 35 percent to 46 percent, although females only make up 14 percent of the Army as a whole. How can women battle gender stereotypes to attain the top positions if many of them are being kicked out due to other types of discrimination?
  
  In an ideal world, Dunwoody's nomination will shatter that glass ceiling for all of her talented female comrades to follow in her wake; in reality, it may take a while for women to be treated equally alongside their male counterparts in the military. Let's hope for the former. And if we reach that goal, perhaps the United States will be ready to reconsider the prospect of a female commander in chief by the 2012 presidential election.
  Filed under: military, glass ceiling
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