Establishing Gender-Neutral Physical Standards for Ground Combat Occupations: Volume 2. A Review of the Military Services' Methods

Abstract

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Military Subsidization of Human Capital and Gender Stratification in the US Economy

“…While the military may always be fundamentally masculine to some extent, there is still room within the military framework to shift the institutional culture and the types of jobs offered away from their current hypermasculine form, such as offering more noncombat positions. Implementing gender-neutral physical fitness standards, as well as creating more flexibility, autonomy, work-life balance, and diversification of career tracks could all help level the playing field between men and women in the military (Hardison, Hosek, and Saavedra 2018; Keller et al 2018). Society must also work to dismantle restrictive masculinities and femininities based on false essentialist dichotomies (Maruska 2009), giving both women and men a greater variety of career opportunities.…”

“In Iraq, We Were Never Neutral”: Exploring the Effectiveness of “Gender-Neutral” Standards in a Gendered War

“…While there are accounts of women serving as snipers and spies during World War II, these stories are the exception, and, asGoldstein (2001) notes, are likely inflated.5 Even in the "unconventional" wars such as Vietnam, the military focus remained on body counts as a measure of success.6 For a detailed discuss of the methodology used by each of the Services and the reasoning behind the differences seeHardison et al, 2018 7 Estimates from the director of the military history department at the Army War College.8 While the Services vary on the exact standards and skills, they all include a measured run time, ability to carry a 160-200 lb "dummy," and various strength tasks including pull-ups, pushups, and marches while carrying a heavy load.9 In 2019, the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services issued a series of recommendations on clearly identifying and communicating the differences between physical fitness and occupational standards. As of the time of this writing, they have not yet been addressed by the Secretary of Defense or any of the Service Secretaries.…”