Policies, Practices, and the Effect of Gender Discrimination on the Integration of Women Officers in the Department of the Navy

This thesis explores the impact of gender discrimination and institutional bias on the integration of women officers in the Department of the Navy. Semi-structured, in-depth personal interviews with 61 women Navy and Marine Corps officers were the major source of data. This thesis includes an examination of the phenomenon by which gendering processes occurs within society, organizations, and the military; a historical review of women's roles in the military and of the social forces that influenced their participation; and identification of structures and practices that have maintained and promoted masculine hegemony within the military. An explanation of the interview protocol establishes the methodology used to obtain nine major themes from analysis of data. The themes explicate barriers to women's integration as well as factors that seem to enhance their assimilation. The conclusion provides recommended actions to foster the full integration of women into the sea services. Women officers in the department of the Navy, Gender bias in the U. S. Navy and Marine Corps, Combat exclusion policies and women officers, Discrimination against women in the military