Part one

Despite the fact that more women hold public office than ever before, women are widely underrepresented in politics today. For this discussion, read chapter 13 in your text and review the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) website to see which countries have the largest percentage of women in their national governments. Next, address the following:

• After looking at the international rankings of women in national governments, how would you describe it? What surprises you about the international rankings? How does the United States compare to other countries?
• Describe the difference between symbolic and substantive representation.

Suggest (and describe in detail) at least one solution to increase the number of women serving in the United States Congress.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length.

Inter-Parliamentary Union. (2015, September 1). Women in national parliaments (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..Retrieved from http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm

Part two

The U.S. Military, like most institutions in our society, reinforces and rewards traditional gender norms. In particular, a specific type of masculinity that emphasizes aggression and stoicism is rewarded by the military. In this discussion you will explore how the organization of the institution around ideals of masculinity and femininity makes it such a gendered environment. For this discussion review the following:

• Wendy Kaminer’s article (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. on gender issues in the Army
• Dave Philipps article (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. on gender integration of the Marines
• Adam Johnson’s TEDx Talk (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. on Masculinity in the Military

Antonia Hoyle’s article (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. on Katrina Hodge, who won the Miss England competition while serving in the British army.

Next, address the following:

• What are the gender norms that are reinforced and valued by the institution of the military?
• In Chapter 8 you read about how social institutions can reinforce traditional conceptions of gender even if the people involved in those institutions want to change them. In what ways does the institution of the military reinforce traditional notions of masculinity and femininity outside of the individual soldiers?
• Explain three of the most popular reasons that women’s participation in military combat roles has been opposed. How do these justifications reinforce traditional notions of masculinity and femininity? Do women need to conform to ideals of masculinity to properly serve in the military? Are there dangers to women maintaining feminine ideals while also serving in the military?

Discuss some of the consequences of maintaining rigid traditional gender ideologies related to masculinity and femininity in the military. Are there potential consequences for challenging rigid traditional gender ideologies related to masculinity and femininity in the military?

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length.

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