permitted women to fill combat-support positions, at least for the duration of World War II. Greater progress came after World War II with the Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948. This would be the first time that women were permitted to serve in the military during peace-time. However, each branch had a two percent limit on the number of women that could be enlisted at any one time, and promotions were very restricted (Valceanu 22). Certainly, this shows advancement for women in the military, but it was merely due to the shortage of men available for military duty. Equality for women in the military was definitely not a consideration at this time.While women would also serve during the Korean War and the Vietnam War, there was little progress until the 1970's. In 1972, women comprised only two percent of all military personnel, ninety percent of which were in "traditional female medical and administrative positions" (Binkin 10). It would appear that there was very little progress during the twenty-three years since the passage of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948. The restrictions placed on the number of women enlistments, combined with the military's attitude toward women, created an impasse that would prove difficult to break through.The Equal Rights Amendment would turn these military issues into political ones, and women would begin to challenge the military's policies regarding women as being unconstitutional (Holm 266). This was a time of progress for women, socially, politically and economically. Women would demand equality with men and would fight the exclusion from previously male-only professions. It would logically follow that this would carry over into the military. Unfortunately, this would prove to be a difficult and lengthy, but not impossible, battle.In 1989, seven hundred seventy women were deployed in the invasion of Panama, and Captain Linda Bray would become the first woman to c...
