Cheryl Dudley

Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

JoAnn McAllister

Abstract

Women were officially allowed to serve in combat positions when the 1993 Combat Exclusion Policy was lifted in 2013. There was little research to date on how these changes may have influenced the recruitment, retention, and promotion of female naval officers. The purpose of this study was to explore female naval officers' perceptions on how lifting the combat exclusion policy impacted the factors of recruitment, retention, and promotion within the military. A generic qualitative study supported exploring perceptions of female naval officers who experienced combat duty regarding these issues. Using feminist security studies as the conceptual framework, this study focused on inquiry of individuals' thoughts, attitudes, and subjective perceptions based on their everyday experiences. Through individual semi structured interviews with 10 female naval officers who experienced combat duty, thematic inductive analysis revealed the lifting of the combat exclusion policy was perceived in a positive manner. Further, all participants experienced gender-based discrimination and expressed the need to work harder than their male counterparts to be successful. Combat experiences were deemed challenging but provided many opportunities to learn and to make a difference. This qualitative study may help to fill the gap in the literature about how changes in gender combat policies are perceived by female naval officers who are assigned to combat positions. This study may provide some knowledge on the unique phenomenon of women in combat and could also be used in social work theory and practice to benefit policymakers to promote positive social changes within the military.

Download

Share

 
COinS