When you are asked to think of gender roles and what their generally "accepted" norm is, many people will have the same answer. Men are masculine workers. Women are feminine housewives. A gender role is defined as "the image projected by a person that identifies their femaleness or maleness" (Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon). This means that a gender role shows a sense of gender identity - or at least what the general population believes should be the identity. These gender roles are causing the most noticeable issues in the workplace. The problems in the workplace include every aspect of any career, including how the position is earned, salary, and treatment of the worker. The military is infamously known as being a career that does not have gender equality. And many people are wondering how and when this will change. Women are outraged at the restrictions that are put on which military jobs they can take and how they are treated by the other members. With the gender roles that are known by today's society, there are many instances of sexual assault against the "weaker side" and this is something that needs to be changed immediately with awareness and training.

However, recent societal changes are showing a drastic increase in the push to annihilate these gender roles and create a balanced and unbiased level of what is accepted for each gender. One of these changes is the comeback of feminism. According to Ada Limon, a poet and member of the Ms. Foundation for Women, feminism is "not simply about equal rights for women, but it's about a larger sense of equality for all human beings" (Limon para 4). This is an article in response to a social media campaign called #31Days of Feminism which was conducted during the month of March in 2016. This is one of the many pushes for a balance of gender in the workplace and in general society.

When it comes to the United States military, women have been slowly becoming more and more prevalent in combat operations in an effort to smack down the gender stereotypes that surround them. This began in 1993 when women were allowed to fly fighter-jets in the Air Force and continued in 2011 when the Navy opened their submarines for females to climb aboard (Thompson 54). For such a long time, women had been barricaded from combat due to not being as strong, fast, and tough as a man. Currently, men compose 85.5% of all active duty service members (Bell and Turchik 26). However, the feminist movement has been trying to make a change from the olden norm that the military is a male-only workforce. Jamie R. Abrams, a law professor at University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, clams that  "extensive feminist advocacy has challenged the masculine military culture, which has left military women excluded, assaulted, harassed, and marginalized" (Abrams 304). This push is causing a barrier between the men and women, each feeling like they need to fight for themselves and their own gender. Unfortunately, because women are seen as the weaker sex, it causes them to be the victims of this assault, harassment, etc. "It frames women as outsiders, breaking into a male institution, and casts men as insiders, defending the institutional culture as necessary to military efficacy" (Abrams 304). With men feeling like their place is being attacked by women, they can react violently, reasoning that "women don't belong there anyway" and that females have a vulnerability about them, resulting in a worse military experience. However, men say that they are susceptible to a gender role that they are battling too. This extreme masculine and strong expectation for military men overwhelms what they believe their role is, which is to be a caregiver and a protector (Abrams 304). The typical male gender role is looked at with a negative perspective, which gives them a reason to fight back as well. For both genders, there needs to be a revision of what their role is. If men would see that women can be just as worthy of a place in combat as they are, then less sexual assault would occur. Also, if the male gender role was seen in a more positive way, women would feel that they were not intruding on a "masculine" environment, but more of a "protective" one. If the gender roles were not a factor in military positions, then it would be easier for women to integrate into combat roles and for military men to not be seen as angry and aggressive.

This issue of sexual assault and harassment is a huge problem that both genders battle as members of the military. Sexual harassment is defined as unwanted sexual attention, whether it be physical or verbal, that has an effect on the victim (Barth et al. para 5). Sexual assault and sexual trauma come together to form military sexual trauma, which is known as MST in the military (Barth et al. para 1). In a study conducted to determine the amount of MST for each gender, it was found that 41% of women experienced MST while only 4% of men did (Barth et al. para 3). This huge gap between the percentages is alarming and is demanding that something be done. In a similar experiment, patients that are receiving treatment for PTSD at a VA (Veterans Affairs) clinic were tested and it became clear that 77.4% of women were in the intensive special program for PTSD due to military sexual assault (MSA) with 5.8% of men there for the same reason. This ended up being 15.1% of the entire sample size (Tiet et al. 97). Unfortunately, it was also reported that those experiencing any kind of military sexual trauma were at a higher risk for PTSD, substance abuse, depression, and aggression (Tiet et al. 92). These are all clear dangers to the lives of those who experience this terror and are due to a preventable problem that corrupts our military system. 

When it comes to answering the question regarding how to fix the problem of military sexual trauma, the answer is not barring women from the workforce. If women were deprived of the ability to serve as a combat military member, then that would be a statement that women are not good enough to be in the military, that their gender role of daintiness and fragility overpowers their individual ability. Several measure are being taken to ensure that women soon receive the same chance of serving in combat as males do. One of these occurred in 2013, when the Defense Secretary, at the time it was Leon Panetta, issued that the qualifications and physical demands of those in combat positions should be reevaluated to allow for women to assume these roles (Thompson 54). Air Force, Navy, and Army have all approved for the potential possibility of women being able to take on any role available as long as they are qualified, which includes meeting the physical demands. However, the Marines are not on the same page, due to their belief that all ground-combat should be strictly male. The intensity, toughness, and strength required for these positions exceeds the woman's ability. Jude Eden, a sergeant, agrees that this claim is backed up by the report of only 2% of male were injured while a much higher 13% of female Marines were injured in infantry training (Thompson 54). The issue of the gender roles comes into play again because these are the reasons why people are hesitant to letting women into these positions. Melissa S. Herbert, a Professor of Sociology at Hamline University with a Ph.D and a J.D argues that "a 'real woman' doesn't want to do 'men things'" (Herbert 2). This means that women would not want to do the brutal killing and harsh side of the military combat job. However, women argue that the only thing that would ever hold them back from doing the job would be the fear of excelling and being referred to as a lesbian for being "manly" (Herbert 2). This is also something that needs to change. Women who excel at their job should be looked at in the same way that men who excel at their job are looked at. With the argument that women are physically inept at succeeding in these positions, this can be countered that women know what they are getting into and will prepare in every way that they can to get rid of all obstacles in their way. But none of this can happen without women first being allowed to take part in these positions. The gender role should be forgotten and pushed aside and women should be able to prove themselves and make their own "gender role" in the military position that they are striving to achieve.

Once women are given the chance and ability to take on any position they would want, the problem of military sexual trauma needs to be prevented. With the increasing accounts of MST there is increasing worry from military leaders, lawmakers, and parents. The most important thing that can be done in the prevention of MST is reporting it. The problem cannot be fixed unless it is brought to full attention to show the true extremity of it. Colonel Bryan Hernandez, US Army, shared the training that he provides new military members with. This begins with BCT, basic combat training, which is part of IET, initial entry training, that all service members must go through (Col. Hernandez 97). "In BCT, there is a critical window of opportunity to turn the tide against sexual assault by establishing a proper moral foundation for the newest soldiers in our Army. However, this can only be successful if there is a collective group of professional cadre enforcing proper systems and procedures ... " (Col. Hernandez 97). This is reinforcing the brotherhood, sisterhood, and overall camaraderie between the soldiers to provide a safe and comfortable environment. Being able to bond with those around you can reduce the sexual harassment by not wanting to put anyone you know and care about into a bad situation like MST. The campaigns that are put into effect for everyone to know about is referred to as SHARP - Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention. "...he or she is assigned a battle buddy and given instruction on SHARP. This immediate training establishes acceptable and unacceptable behavior, together with standards of personal and professional conduct, and provides education about sexual assault and harassment." (Col. Hernandez 97). With this quick training and acknowledgement, this campaign allows all soldiers to be immediately aware of the options they have when it comes to responding to a potential act of MST. The idea of a battle buddy is ingenious because it gives he or she a person to confide in, trust, and be there for them if a bad situation occurs. SHARP really boils down to having close connections with those in your unit to be able to have such a strong bond and sense of discipline that MST shouldn't even be a possibility. Col. Hernandez argues that "if a unit has a universal climate of high standards for both the personal and professional conduct of its soldiers, there is less chance of misconduct. Conversely, if low standards and indiscipline are permitted by its leaders, incidents of maltreatment will tend to permeate a unit's ranks" (Col. Hernandez 100). If or when an act of MST happens, the reporting process is next and extremely important. This draws attention to the issue for everyone to know that it is not okay and that everyone must be treated with respect. Hernandez also argues that "recent media attention on increased reports of sexual assaults in the military seems to suggest an increase in actual assaults, the increase may instead be indicative of improving confidence by soldiers in the reporting system ... " (Col. Hernandez 98). This is an extremely important point because with these new policies and programs for sexual trauma prevention, it is constantly being reinforced how important it is to come clean and confide in a leader about the experience for it to be fixed. These implemented programs give both awareness and solutions to the problem of sexual assault and can be very beneficial in decreasing the number of MST instances.

However, even though Colonel Hernandez has an orderly system of SHARP training to his soldiers at Fort Jackson, that does not remain the same nationwide. Holland, Rabelo, and Cantina, three women that work in the Departments of Psychology and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan conducted a study on a sample size that included service members of all branches and formulated results based on the institution (branch) and the individual (gender, rank). The results of this study would then show the efficacy of the SAPRO (Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office). The SAPRO is responsible for monitoring and ensuring the proper training on military sexual assault (Holland and Rabelo 299). The data gathered formulates the conclusions that "Air Force personnel had the greatest access to comprehensive sexual assault training. Conversely, those in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard reported the least access to training and, when trained, the lowest content exposure" (Holland and Rabelo 299). This shows that the quality of training does indeed vary from branch to branch. This is a problem because if it is not evenly enforced, then certain branches could potentially not understand the severity of MST and have an increased account number and when looking at the number of sexual assault accounts, the Air Force did have the lowest results due to its accessible and comprehensive training (Holland and Rabelo 299). These results show that the good use of training by the Air Force does decrease the number of instances of sexual assault. If all branches had the same comprehensive training that the Air Force did, then the numbers of MST accounts would continue to decrease. On the individual level however, it is clear that training needs to continue throughout the military career. Victims of sexual assault were found to be higher in the new members, meaning that those who had been in the service for a longer time were the perpetrators. This means that "it is crucial for sexual assault training to continue throughout Service members' military careers. Post-training activities and refreshers strengthen the effectiveness of training programs." (Holland and Rabelo 299). Individual results also shows that service women were dissatisfied with the content of the training, stating that it was "lacking" (Holland and Rabelo 299). This makes sense because females are the ones who are victimized more over men and they understand that they are at a higher risk for being assaulted. Based on these results, women are wanting for an even more comprehensive training for men to truly see the detrimental effects of MST. To combine all of these issues into one solution, the SAPRO for every branch should come together to formulate a mandatory standard training that everyone must go through every year. This would solve the problem of variation between branches, the problem of those with longer military careers not having the proper reinforcement of training, and the women could voice their opinions of what more needs to be added for an all around better awareness and prevention program.

With the solution of abolishing sexist gender roles and allowing women to have all-access to the male-dominant military along with the use of proper training in awareness and prevention of military sexual trauma, there could be a significant decrease in the number of account of MST. Women should no longer be seen as the delicate and frail sex and men should no longer be seen as the dominant and strong sex. There should be an equilibrium between the two, for each are strong and independent genders. If women began earning their positions just like the men do, a type of respect could be formed between the two sexes and the gender role issue could completely disappear, especially with the aid of programs like SHARP. With all of these factors, sexual trauma in the military could significantly decrease and become a more pleasant and safer environment for those serving our country. No one should have to live in fear of sexual assault and harassment, no matter what the gender.

