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"A Woman in the Army is Still A Woman": Recruiting Women into the All-Volunteer Force
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services, to enrich the morale of the members of the Women’s Army Corps, and, more
importantly, to help the Army transition to a volunteer force” (ibid.:193). Thus, at the inception of the AVF, the Army’s research indicated that it should try to appeal to women’s desire for
equal opportunities and keep up with women’s entry into nontraditional fields, at the same time that it tried to reassure women and men that women could serve and retain their femininity. The
Army planned to increase the size of the WAC incrementally from 12,400 in fiscal year 1972 until it reached 23,500 in fiscal year 1978 (ibid.).
In anticipation of the end of conscription, the Army began advertising heavily for (mainly
male) recruits in the beginning of fiscal year 1972 (Summer 1971). Almost all of the ads in the
sample from 1971 and 1972 tout job training and other benefits, like travel. They present the Army as a job with good benefits and a place to learn a skill, figure out what you want to do, and
get ready for college
5
. In addition to emphasizing jobs, they feature “regular guys” hanging out
together. Many show smiling, approachable young men in civilian clothes. The ads mainly
target and show men, making explicit references to “the guys.”
Some of the advertisements do, however, include women among groups of men, like an ad
from 1972 which claims, “We’ve got over 300 good, steady jobs,” and shows a crowd of Army personnel in a various kinds of uniforms. The picture includes two female nurses, but also a
woman in uniform. The Army made visual references to women as soldiers earlier and more frequently than the other services pictured female members of the military.
In my sample, two ads from this early period are explicitly aimed at women. In 1972, an
Army ad instructed young women on “ How to tell your parents you want to join the Army,”
which seems to presume that the Army expected female potential recruits to face some resistance from their families. The ad mentions job training, salary, vacations, education, and the chance to
mature. It presents several possible job fields—“medical, dental, personnel management, communications, stock control, data processing, or administrative procedures”—all of which are
fairly traditional for women.
Another ad from 1972 posed the question, “What’s new for women in today’s Army?”
The answer included new job opportunities, “over 300 in all” because “almost every job open to men is now open to women,” new travel opportunities, and new uniforms. The Army promises:
5
A few ads stand apart from this trend, and highlight aspects of the Army more commonly associated with military
masculinity, like challenge and dominance. An ad focusing on Airborne says “When you jump, it’s just you,” and it talks about “the jolt in your gut.” Another ad features the M60-A1 Tank, under the title “Think Enormous,” contrasting the tank with a small, gas-efficient car. A third ad promises “You get 12 matches, a knife, some twine, and 3 days to enjoy yourself.” These ads, however, are outnumbered by a very wide margin by those which advertise job skills and benefits.
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services, to enrich the morale of the members of the Women’s Army Corps, and, more
importantly, to help the Army transition to a volunteer force” (ibid.:193). Thus, at the inception
of the AVF, the Army’s research indicated that it should try to appeal to women’s desire for
equal opportunities and keep up with women’s entry into nontraditional fields, at the same time
that it tried to reassure women and men that women could serve and retain their femininity. The
Army planned to increase the size of the WAC incrementally from 12,400 in fiscal year 1972
until it reached 23,500 in fiscal year 1978 (ibid.).
In anticipation of the end of conscription, the Army began advertising heavily for (mainly
male) recruits in the beginning of fiscal year 1972 (Summer 1971). Almost all of the ads in the
sample from 1971 and 1972 tout job training and other benefits, like travel. They present the
Army as a job with good benefits and a place to learn a skill, figure out what you want to do, and
. In addition to emphasizing jobs, they feature “regular guys” hanging out
together. Many show smiling, approachable young men in civilian clothes. The ads mainly
target and show men, making explicit references to “the guys.”
Some of the advertisements do, however, include women among groups of men, like an ad
from 1972 which claims, “We’ve got over 300 good, steady jobs,” and shows a crowd of Army
personnel in a various kinds of uniforms. The picture includes two female nurses, but also a
woman in uniform. The Army made visual references to women as soldiers earlier and more
frequently than the other services pictured female members of the military.
In my sample, two ads from this early period are explicitly aimed at women. In 1972, an
Army ad instructed young women on “ How to tell your parents you want to join the Army,”
which seems to presume that the Army expected female potential recruits to face some resistance
from their families. The ad mentions job training, salary, vacations, education, and the chance to
mature. It presents several possible job fields—“medical, dental, personnel management,
communications, stock control, data processing, or administrative procedures”—all of which are
fairly traditional for women.
Another ad from 1972 posed the question, “What’s new for women in today’s Army?”
The answer included new job opportunities, “over 300 in all” because “almost every job open to
men is now open to women,” new travel opportunities, and new uniforms. The Army promises:
5
A few ads stand apart from this trend, and highlight aspects of the Army more commonly associated with military
masculinity, like challenge and dominance. An ad focusing on Airborne says “When you jump, it’s just you,” and it
talks about “the jolt in your gut.” Another ad features the M60-A1 Tank, under the title “Think Enormous,”
contrasting the tank with a small, gas-efficient car. A third ad promises “You get 12 matches, a knife, some twine,
and 3 days to enjoy yourself.” These ads, however, are outnumbered by a very wide margin by those which
advertise job skills and benefits.
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