Female Politicians With Military Backgrounds

Female Veterans in U.S. Politics

Alisa Chang's article "Female Vets Say They'll Put Country First, Even On Capitol Hill" addresses a pressing matter in the contemporary U.S. -- female veterans who are interested in having a political career.

The fact that many of these respective women fought in a series of conflicts in recent decades provided them with a more complex understanding of their country's politics and of ways they could improve the system as a whole. As a consequence, they want to get actively involved in making reform possible and one of the most effective methods of doing so is to become politicians.

When regarding things from a point-of-view involving feminism, it would be safe to say that U.S. female veterans joining political communities play an important role in improving the way that women in general are seen. Individuals in the U.S. today are thus influenced to acknowledge the fact that women are not as fragile as society is inclined to believe. By starting to consider the image of a woman as a veteran and as an influential politician, people gradually come to accept the fact that they need to change their perception regarding gender differences and that they have to accept the idea that women are equal to men.

Republican Wendy Rogers is among the veterans who decided to candidate for a position in Congress and her case is probably one of the most interesting regarding female veterans joining political communities. Her campaign uses the name "Lt. Col. Wendy Rogers," this further contributing to the idea that she uses feminist attitudes in an attempt to shape the way that voters see her. The website promoting her also contains pictures of the veteran alongside of military planes that she flew during her stay in the army. All of these concepts demonstrate the fact that she understood how her background would influence a voter's understanding of her and thus concentrated on making it clear for all voters that she is much more than just a simple woman looking to get a position in Congress.

Joni Ernst, an Iowa veteran running for a position in the U.S. Senate, also supports the idea that female veterans interested in political roles have a tendency to use feminist ideas in their campaigns. "She likes to mention she grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm, but if anyone has lingering doubts about her toughness, Ernst will remind people that she commands the largest battalion in the Iowa Army National Guard." (Chang)