Gender Integration in the Military

Featured

  • Petty Officer 1st Class Krystyna Duffy, a boatswain's mate assigned to Coast Guard Station Golden Gate in San Francisco, drives a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat near the Golden Gate Bridge, February 8, 2018, photo by PO3 Sarah Wi/U.S. Coast Guard

    Research Brief

    Why Do Women Leave the Coast Guard, and What Could Encourage Them to Stay?

    Mar 29, 2019

    Women leave the Coast Guard at higher rates than men. Focus groups raised concerns about work environment, career issues, and personal life matters. More inclusive personnel policies could help the Coast Guard address these concerns and retain more women.

  • U.S. Army specialist in a door-to-door exercise at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, June 20, 2014, photo by Spc. Charles Probst/U.S. Army

    Report

    The Behavioral Health of Minority Service Members

    Feb 1, 2021

    Members of minority groups make up a larger percentage of the U.S. military than ever before. Identifying whether and where behavioral health disparities exist among them can help the Department of Defense better address troops' mental health needs and improve force readiness.

Explore Gender Integration in the Military

  • News Release

    News Release

    Lack of Diversity in U.S. Coast Guard Greater in Higher Ranks; Comprehensive and Sustained Changes Recommended to ...

    Women and racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented at all levels of the United States Coast Guard—especially in higher ranks and among senior leadership—and comprehensive changes across the organization are needed to improve diversity rates among all ranks.

    Aug 11, 2021

  • Members of a U.S. Coast Guard Officer Candidate School class and an NOAA Basic Officer Training Course class at a graduation ceremony May 9, 2017, photo by PO3 Nicole Barger/U.S. Coast Guard

    Report

    How the U.S. Coast Guard Could Increase Its Diversity

    Women and racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the United States Coast Guard, especially in higher ranks and senior leadership. Changes are needed across the personnel lifecycle, from recruiting to career development, advancement and promotions, retention, and climate.

    Aug 11, 2021

  • News Release

    News Release

    Sexual Assault, Harassment Likely to Persist in U.S. Military Without Bold Action

    Sexual assault and harassment may continue to undermine the U.S. military unless the Department of Defense takes bold steps such as hiring dedicated, well-trained prevention staff and revisiting the chain of command for reporting incidents.

    Jul 19, 2021

  • A U.S. Marine Corps drill instructor prepares to initiate "Lights," the start of her platoon's morning routine, photo by Sgt. Dana Beesley/U.S. Marine Corps

    Report

    Countering Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military

    The Department of Defense has taken significant steps for more than a decade to address sexual assault and sexual harassment in the U.S. military. And yet these behaviors remain a persistent problem. To reduce rates of sexual assault and sexual harassment, efforts should focus on the current state of prevention.

    Jul 19, 2021

  • U.S. Army paratroopers move to an assembly area at Normandy Drop Zone, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, February 1, 2019, photo by Sgt. Taylor Hoganson/U.S. Army

    Commentary

    Military Must Better Understand Sexual Assaults to Combat Them

    Sexual minorities in the U.S. military represent about 12 percent of the active-duty population. But they account for an estimated 43 percent of those who are sexually assaulted. This raises critical questions for the Pentagon as it tries to reduce the 20,000 sexual assaults in the ranks each year.

    Jun 22, 2021

  • A formation of U.S. Army soldiers with III Corps and Fort Hood honor the American flag as they lower it during the Retreat ceremony, March 27, 2014, photo by U.S. Army

    Report

    The Risk of Sexual Assault to Sexual Minorities in the U.S. Military

    Service members who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, or who did not indicate that they identify as heterosexual, represented only 12 percent of the active component population in 2018. But they accounted for about 43 percent of all sexually assaulted service members that year.

    Jun 1, 2021

  • A U.S. Army sergeant, part of a Female Engagement Team in Afghanistan, gathering information from women so that blankets and winter clothing can be distributed to the women and their families, photo by Spc. Kristina Truluck/U.S. Army

    Multimedia

    The Future of the Special Operations Forces

    An overview of testimony by Linda Robinson presented before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations on March 26, 2021.

    Apr 19, 2021

  • Army Sgt. 1st Class Cory Christiansen, a member of the Para-Commandos, U.S. Special Operations Command’s parachute team, jumps out of an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft over Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Nov. 15, 2019, photo by Air Force Airman 1st Class Dwane Young/U.S. Department of Defense

    Testimony

    Special Operations Forces Culture and Climate

    What the nation asks of its special operations forces shapes who they are and what they do. Two decades of counterterrorism focus have led to an unbalanced and overused force. How can policymakers and military leaders rebalance the force to meet changing demands and address systemic issues such as its lack of diversity?

    Mar 26, 2021

  • Blog

    Most Popular RAND Research of 2019

    The search for lasting solutions to difficult policy problems starts with facts. Here are the 10 research projects that rand.org readers engaged with the most in 2019.

    Dec 24, 2019

  • Kimberly Curry Hall summarizes research on improving female retention in the Coast Guard.

    Multimedia

    Improving Gender Diversity in the U.S. Coast Guard

    For active-duty women, many complex factors influence the decision to stay in or separate from the Coast Guard. In this video, RAND's Kimberly Curry Hall summarizes research on these factors and makes recommendations for improving female retention in the Coast Guard.

    Sep 1, 2019

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: July-August 2019

    This issue spotlights a strategy to reduce roadway deaths to zero; a school principal initiative that yielded positive results for schools and students; and a data-driven effort to enhance equity in a major U.S. city.

    Jul 1, 2019

  • Blog

    Hong Kong, Education Reform, Baghdad: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on lessons for state education reform, retaining women in the U.S. Coast Guard, recounting the Battle for Baghdad, and more.

    Jun 14, 2019

  • The U.S. Coast Guard Academy Class of 2019 reports to campus on R-Day, June 29, 2015, photo by PO2 Cory J. Mendenhall/U.S. Coast Guard

    Commentary

    Why Women Belong in Coast Guard Crews

    The Coast Guard benefits from the heightened respect that colleagues show each other in mixed-gender units, allowing personnel to focus and excel at their tasks at hand. When the Coast Guard zeroes in on evidence-based and appropriate accommodations for women and their physical capacities, as well as with parenting and family life, it will benefit everyone in uniform.

    Apr 18, 2019

  • News Release

    News Release

    Women Leave U.S. Coast Guard at Higher Rates Than Men; More Equitable Personnel Policies Could Help Narrow Gap

    As at other military services, women leave the active-duty Coast Guard at higher rates than men. To retain a diverse workforce the Coast Guard should continue to pursue more inclusive personnel policies, such as augmenting workforce gaps during parental leave, minimizing the impact parental leave has on evaluations and promotion, and expanding opportunities for leadership development training.

    Mar 29, 2019

  • The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Stratton stands by to offload 34 metric tons of cocaine in San Diego on Monday, Aug. 10, 2015, photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Kelley/Defense Visual Information Distribution Service

    Report

    Improving Gender Diversity in the U.S. Coast Guard: Identifying Barriers to Female Retention

    This report documents the results of a study designed to help identify the root causes of female attrition in the active-duty Coast Guard and develop recommendations to help mitigate identified barriers to Coast Guard female retention.

    Mar 29, 2019

  • Report

    Report

    A Survey System to Assess Abuse and Misconduct Toward Air Force Students in Occupational Specialty Training

    This report provides recommendations for how the Air Force's survey system for monitoring abuse and misconduct in Basic Military Training can best be adapted for use in technical training and flying training environments.

    Mar 5, 2019

  • Multimedia

    Why So Many Military Women Think About Suicide

    In this episode of Veterans in America, we discuss why women in the military face a much higher risk of suicide than civilian women. We meet two women who attempted suicide and learn how they found help.

    Nov 11, 2018

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: November-December 2018

    This issue spotlights RAND's research on how providers can better meet the health care needs of veterans; life as a U.S. Army private; and Air Force efforts to improve leadership opportunities for women.

    Nov 6, 2018