FOR years we have been hearing that women are just like men except for a few minor anatomical differences and therefore all (lucrative) occupations that were once male should be opened to women. No sooner is this transformation enacted by government or corporations in some specific arena than it is openly admitted that women are very different from men and the workplace must be transformed to accommodate these differences.

An announcement by a Naval commander typifies this phenomenon. The Navy once decided it must have women sailors because women are just like men. Now the Navy says it can’t retain women sailors because women are not just like men. From the AP:

The Navy retains female sailors at half the rate it holds on to men. One result is that it doesn’t have enough senior enlisted women on some ships stationed overseas, leaders of the Navy say. 

The Navy’s top commander for personnel said the service has repeatedly learned problems develop if a ship has many junior enlisted females but no senior enlisted women on board to mentor them.

Vice Adm. William Moran told reporters during a visit to Pearl Harbor on Thursday he thinks the fundamental reason is that women want to start families and need more time to do so. This often makes women choose between staying in uniform and starting a family, he said.

“What can we do different that doesn’t make that choice so hard? Or gives them an opportunity to go and then come back?” Moran said.

And:

Legislation before the U.S. Congress may also help. The Military Opportunities for Mothers Act would enable women giving birth an additional six weeks off unpaid, for a total of three months of maternity leave.

Just take in the chilling, Communistic ugliness of that phrase for a moment: The Military Opportunities for Mothers Act. What a wonderful euphemism for institutionalized child abuse. What a succinct summary of the reduction of woman to a unit of production and tool of the State-God.

Hey, wait a minute.

The “emancipation” of women was supposed to make the world gloriously more peaceful because women would counterbalance the aggressiveness of men. What happened? Feminism hasn’t led to fewer wars, but it has led to “Military Opportunities for Mothers Acts” and other such Orwellian developments. Do you think a single child in the history of the human race ever wished his mother had military opportunities? Does any normal, healthy and good man wish his wife had “military opportunities?”

Vice Admiral Moran is all but admitting that the project of integrating women into the Navy was a mistake. If there cannot be enough senior enlisted women until there are enough senior enlisted women, then there will never be enough senior enlisted women. But the Navy as an institution faces an unremitting state of guilt. It is illegitimate because it has not achieved equality.

Terry Morris writes:

“What can we do different that doesn’t make that choice [the choice between starting a family and pursuing a career in the Navy] so hard?”

I think what he means to say is something like “what can we do different that makes that choice less difficult?” But that’s beside the point. What he’s really trying to get at is what can be done to accomodate junior enlisted women in their desire to start a family that will also assure an acceptable (whatever that is currently, and whatever it will be in the future) female retention rate?

I dunno, open daycare facilities on U.S. warships and aircraft carriers?

In response to Mr. Morris, I can only say, this is where the lies hit the fan. It’s just so darned difficult to transform the military. The fact is, it is problematical, isn’t it,  to put a daycare facility — you know, one of those places where crayon-colored furniture is supposed to offset the prison-like atmosphere and impersonal supervision — on a submarine. Maybe they could have daycare ships that trawl behind with bright flags signaling that they are non-combatants — part of the family-friendly Armed Forces.

— Comments —

James P. writes:

Will submarines and aircraft carriers have day cares?

Why not… the Death Star did!

According to Death Star officials, the idea for the center sprang up after a number of parents complained about the lack of quality, affordable child care options on the Death Star.

“As a stormtrooper and father of three, I’m very excited about the new day care center,” Death Star citizen Ralph Sedgwick said. “It’s a safe, nurturing environment, one in which my child will learn.”

Added Gail Lindon: “For years I took my daughter to work because I couldn’t afford a nanny. Do you have any idea how hard it is to operate a tractor beam with a two-year-old pulling at your leg?”

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