SUMMER 2021
The number of women working in many civilian fields has grow significantly, but only slightly in the military. Why?
By Justice Eileen C. Moore Associate Justice, California Courts of Appeal, 4th Appellate District, Division 3 Justice Eileen Moore served as a combat nurse in Vietnam in the Army Nurse Corps. She was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Cross of Gallantry with Palm. She is a member of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Armed Forces Law, is an advisor to the California Lawyers Association’s Military and Veterans Committee and the Orange County Veterans & Military Committee.he is the author of two award-winning books, Race Results and Gender Results.
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rom the Revolutionary War to present day conflicts, women have proudly served in the military. During World War I, about 35,000 women officially served as nurses and support staff. During World War II, 140,000 women served in the U.S. Army and the Women’s Army Corps, performing critical jobs such as military intelligence, cryptography and parachute rigging. Over 1,000 women flew aircraft for the Women Airforce Service Pilots. In 1948, President Harry Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act into law. That was the first time women were recognized as full members of the armed services. During the Vietnam War, 7,000 American military women served in Southeast Asia. The Pentagon’s Combat Exclusion Policy for women was lifted in 2013, and qualified women were authorized for full combat positions in 2016. Despite the fact that women can now serve in all jobs in the military, the number of women volunteering to serve is only marginally increasing. Meanwhile in the civilian world, the number of women has been rising in many fields, and their economic clout is dramatically increasing. Women are starting and running new businesses at a rapid rate. In politics, women are being elected all over the country. About a third of the lawyers and doctors are women. While the number of female engineers is not that high, younger women are entering the field at a dramatic pace. More and more, women are the breadwinners of the family and 40% of households are
