Women In Combat: A Reference Handbook (contemporary World Issues) [Hardcover]

This handbook provides a straightforward account of how women have served in combat roles and explains the ongoing controversy surrounding efforts to legalize combat assignments for female service members.

Women have been excluded from combat roles for most of American history. During conflicts such as the American Civil War, a few women enlisted as men; in some cases, their identities as women were not discovered until after their deaths. Today, the nontraditional battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan have no clearly defined front lines, and many female soldiers have found themselves face-to-face with the enemy. Yet despite the realities of modern warfare, the subject of women serving in combat roles remains highly controversial.

Women in Combat: A Reference Handbookexamines the historical background, current dilemmas, and global context of this contentious issue. The author explores both sides of the argument, presenting information from leading sources and gleaned from personal interviews. Statistical data, primary source documents, a directory of organizations, and print and electronic resources offer additional insight.

The thoroughness of this work, and the impressive list of references concluding each chapter, indicates the enormous amount of research that went into it. . . . Researchers will appreciate the lengthy annotated list of print and non-print resources, definitive glossary, and extensive index. School Library Journal

A new addition to theContemporary World Issuesseries, this work provides a good overview of the issue of women in combat. . . . Overall, this work is a nicely arranged, easy-to-use introduction to the topic. Choice

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