How do you think Paul Verhoeven went with his treatment of women in Starship Troopers?
Since no one else has taken on this one, I will be happy to take it on, though I warn that it is a bit of a rant and might belong in the unpopular opinions thread 
I think that Verhoeven treats women poorly, as the women keeping falling for the better men-Dizzy for Rico, Carmen for Zander. There is some respect given to women through the "Rodger Young's" captain, who promptly dies on the bridge. So, there is a definite mixing but not equal treatment given the at times the subversive role women take-Rico goes from rank and file to officer and must go and save the girl-not exactly feminist propaganda:
In point of fact, the original book was more pro-women than the film ended up being. I know the film is supposed to be a satire of the book, given Verhoeven's experience with fascism, but its treatment of women is not the best.
In the book, women are not featured as prominently as in the movie, but their role is treated with more reverence and respect than in the film. The captains of the staships are all female, with few exceptions, because females are stated to be better suited to the rigors of flying a starship than men. However, since this is an Army story, the Navy figures little than transportation. However, even Rico's biased perspective on the Navy still shines out praise for women, including his captain.
Verhoeven merely treats the women as set dressings, giving us the token shower scene, the 20 minute joke, and the soldier saving the damsel in distress. Sorry, the book may not be feminist propaganda, but its better than the film.
