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Work environment factors pose retention barriers

• Experiences with poor leadership can have a negative impact on work environments and can cause women to leave; there is also a scarcity of female role models.
• Perceived gender bias and discrimination can make women feel less valued and not respected.
• Concerns about sexual harassment and assault persist.
• Women experience stress related to perceived unfairness of weight standards and procedures for measuring body fat.
• Members experience burnout due to feelings of being undermanned and overworked.

Career factors matter but resonate less than work environment for women

• Female berthing restrictions can reduce opportunities for women to get sea time, which in turn can limit advancement.
• Women find the assignments process frustrating and unpredictable, and repeatedly receiving assignments in undesired locations can drive women out.
• Potential civilian opportunities factor in decisions.

Family is viewed as an essential factor, regardless of marital or parental status

• Frequent transfers and remote locations can limit a civilian spouse's career.
• Managing two successful active-duty careers is challenging for dual Coast Guard couples, especially when there is a lack of colocation.
• Deployment separation and repeated transfers can be stressful for children; it can also be difficult to find affordable, quality child care.
• Women often feel they need to "time their pregnancies" to fit within their career milestones and can face noncompetitive evaluation reports and stigma due to pregnancy restrictions and parental leave.
• Dating, developing friendships and support networks, or caring for aging parents can be challenges because of frequent moves and underway requirements.

The U.S. Coast Guard aims to attract, recruit, and retain a workforce from all segments of American society. Currently, however, women leave the active-duty Coast Guard at higher rates than men. This report documents the results of a mixed-methods study designed to help identify the root causes of female attrition in the active-duty Coast Guard. The study conducted a statistical analysis of Coast Guard personnel data to examine gender differences in retention trends and whether certain career and personnel characteristics could help explain the gender gap in retention. The study also conducted 164 focus groups with 1,010 active-duty Coast Guard women to better understand potential barriers to female retention; 27 focus groups with 127 active-duty men were also conducted to help identify retention factors that resonate with both men and women and those factors that may be unique to women. Based on the study findings, the report provides recommendations to help mitigate identified barriers and improve female retention within the Coast Guard.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Trends in the Retention of Women Across the Military and in the Civilian Workforce

• Chapter Three

  Focus Group Findings on Key Retention Factors

• Chapter Four

  Quantitative Findings on Gender Differences in Retention

• Chapter Five

  Recommendations

• Appendix A

  Summary of Previous Studies on Women in the Coast Guard

• Appendix B

  Overview of Focus Group Participants

• Appendix C

  Focus Group Protocols

• Appendix D

  Qualitative Coding Approach and Coding Guide

• Appendix E

  Detailed Description of Data and Quantitative Methods

• Appendix F

  Detailed Regression and Decomposition Results

• Appendix G

  Exploratory Analysis of Weight and Body Fat Standards