Historical Role of Women in US Military

An art exhibit was put on display March 8^th in Fall River, MA. It is located on the second deck of USS Massachusetts and is an art exhibit that women around the world can be proud of. It is an exhibit that offers a look into the role of women in the American military over the years. It was inaugurated weekend of March 8th during an annual conference dedicated to women who serve in the military. It also coincided with International Women’s Day. More than 200,000 women are in active duty military service currently which makes up about 15% of the military. Women today can serve in almost any unit in the military but they are still banned from ground combat. The exhibit highlights the condescending tone the military once took toward women who wanted to participate in the war effort. This shows how far women have come in the military. The exhibit was created by Laurie Carlson who is a textile artist from Arlington. Ms. Carlson hopes to expand the exhibit and already has more materials for exhibits than she has space for. The exhibit opens to the public this summer.

This exhibit shows the progress that women have made since the beginning of the fight for women’s rights. At the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls Cady Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott stood up for women’s rights in 1848 when the movement began. It wasn’t until August 26, 1920 that the 19^th amendment to the us constitution became a law and all women could vote in the presidential elections. Now less than 100 years later women can fight alongside men in war and they have memorials dedicated solely to them.