全球智库信息集成服务系统

Research Indicates Gender Integration Has Not Been a Primary Cause of Cohesion Problems

• In general, cohesion within gender-diverse groups improves over time.
• Cohesion should increase as women demonstrate the ability to perform at high levels.
• Negative impacts on cohesion can be prevented or mitigated by leadership and cohesion-building activities.

The Experiences of Foreign Militaries Provide Valuable Lessons

• Recruiting and retaining women for combat arms occupations can be challenging.
• Successful integration programs have a clear implementation plan.
• Human resource management policies need to support integration: Targeted recruitment and retention policies can attract women into combat arms occupations and retain them in those occupations.
• Leadership commitment and accountability are vital to successful gender integration.

Civilian Fire and Police Departments Provide Useful Insights

• Equipment and uniforms must meet the needs of women.
• Small-unit dynamics and discipline need to be closely monitored.
• Integration challenges change and mature over time.

There Will Be Both One-Time and Recurring Costs with Integration

• The number of women entering the infantry will be modest, and the increase in representation will be slow.
• Women will have higher levels of attrition during training and fewer months of infantry service than men, but overall costs are expected to be modest compared to recruiting and retention budgets.
• The Marine Corps will be able to make up any shortfall in the infantry effectively through increased recruitment, increased retention, or both.

This study for the U.S. Marine Corps consisted of four tasks: (1) review the literature on the integration of women in ground combat and other physically demanding occupations, (2) conduct interviews with representatives of organizations that have integrated women into physically demanding occupations, (3) estimate the costs of potential initiatives to promote successful gender integration, and (4) develop an approach for monitoring implementation of gender integration of the infantry. RAND researchers present a historical overview of the integration of women into the U.S. military and explore the importance of cohesion and what influences it. The gender integration experiences of foreign militaries, as well as those of domestic police and fire departments, are examined for insights on effective policies. The potential one-time and recurring costs associated with integration are estimated as well. The report culminates in a summary of previous monitoring efforts and broad strategic monitoring issues, as well as recommendations to the Marine Corps for implementation.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  History of Integrating Women into the U.S. Military

• Chapter Three

  Research on Cohesion

• Chapter Four

  Insights on Critical Mass

• Chapter Five

  Lessons Learned from the Experiences of Foreign Militaries

• Chapter Six

  Lessons Learned from the Experiences of Domestic Police and Fire Departments

• Chapter Seven

  Integrating the Marine Corps Infantry: Representation and Costs

• Chapter Eight

  Developing a Monitoring Framework

• Chapter Nine

  Cross-Cutting Implications and Recommendations for Implementation

• Appendix A

  Rubric for Evaluating USMC Infantry Characteristics

• Appendix B

  Summary of FDNY Postintegration Lawsuits

• Appendix C

  Regression Results

• Appendix D

  Monitoring Framework

• Appendix E

  Approach to Developing a Monitoring Framework