Family planning in the U.S. military: The gendered experiences of servicewomen

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie K. Erwin
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Military Family ◽  
Military Women ◽  
Women In The Military ◽  
Professional Careers ◽  
Women's Participation ◽  
Family And Work ◽  
The Military ◽  
The U.S

LAY SUMMARY Balancing family and work is always challenging for working women; however, military service presents especially nuanced and unique challenges to women serving in the U.S. military. Family planning, and in particular marriage and children, have distinct impacts on servicewomen’s professional careers. Their chosen professions often intersect and detract from their family planning choices. Within a larger study of gendered experiences, women from all four branches of the U.S. military, representing a variety of familial statuses and occupations, noted the complex and challenging intersections of family and work they encountered over the course of their military careers. As in other professions, military women bear disproportionate familial burdens compared with their male counterparts, and challenges pertaining to marriage and children regularly affect their professional careers. However, the military presents heightened professional demands on family planning, including marital status, marital partners’ professions, pregnancy, maternity, and parenthood. These additional challenges women in the military face regarding family planning often run counter to organizational efforts to encourage women’s participation, promotion, and retention in the military.

Numbers Assigned in the Vietnam-Era Selective Service Lotteries Influence the Military Service Decisions of Children Born to Draft-Eligible Men

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Johnson ◽  
Christopher T. Dawes ◽  
Matt McGue ◽  
William G. Iacono
Keyword(s):  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Statistical Analyses ◽  
Selective Service ◽  
Vietnam Era ◽  
The Military ◽  
The U.S

Previous research has reported correlations between the military service records of parents and their children. Those studies, however, have not determined whether a parent’s military service causally influences an offspring’s participation in the armed forces. To investigate the possibility of a causal relationship, we examined whether lottery numbers issued to draft-eligible men during the U.S. Vietnam-era Selective Service Lotteries influenced the military participation of those men’s children. Our study found higher rates of military participation among children born to fathers whose randomly assigned numbers were called for induction. Furthermore, we perform statistical analyses indicating that the influence of lottery numbers on the subsequent generation’s military participation operated through the military service of draft-eligible men as opposed to mechanisms unrelated to service such as “draft dodging.” These findings provide evidence of a causal link between the military service of parents and their children.

When OK is Not OK: Public Concern About White Nationalism in the U.S. Military

2020 ◽  
pp. 0095327X2091839
Author(s):  
Robert Ralston ◽  
Matthew Motta ◽  
Jennifer Spindel
Keyword(s):  
Military Service ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Public Concern ◽  
Military Service Members ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
White Nationalism ◽  
The Military ◽  
The U.S

Are Americans aware and concerned about White nationalism in the U.S. Military? Our large and demographically representative survey suggests that while most Americans suspect at least some presence of White nationalism in the military, many do not view it as a serious problem; particularly self-identified conservatives and respondents who hold highly favorable views toward military service members. However, in a between-/within-subjects experiment embedded in our survey, we show that providing information about the issue of White nationalism in the U.S. Military increases the public’s overall concern about White nationalism in the U.S. Military.

The Combat Exclusion and the Role of Women in the Military

Hypatia ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Wagner Decew
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Women In The Military ◽  
History Of ◽  
Role Of Women ◽  
The Military ◽  
The U.S

I first discuss reasons for feminists to attend to the role of women in the military, despite past emphasis on antimilitarism. I then focus on the exclusion of women from combat duty, reviewing its sanction by the U.S. Supreme Court and the history of its adoption. I present arguments favoring the exclusion, defending strong replies to each, and demonstrate that reasoning from related cases and feminist analyses of equality explain why exclusion remains entrenched.

scholarly journals A Burden and Prevalence Analysis of Chronic Pain by Distinct Case Definitions among Active Duty U.S. Military Service Members, 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 5;23 (9;5) ◽  
pp. E429-E439
Author(s):  
Hunter Jackson Smith
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Case Definition ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Case Definitions ◽  
Chronic Pain Patients ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
The Military ◽  
Pain Patients ◽  
The U.S

Background: Chronic pain is a growing problem in the military, and the methods by which we have to perform epidemiologic surveillance are insufficient. It represents both a public health and military readiness concern, as those who suffer from it experience adverse impacts on work productivity, physiological health, and quality of life. Objectives: This study was designed to assess the prevalence of chronic pain among active component military service members utilizing 2 distinct, published case definitions. It sought to describe the demographics and military characteristics of those receiving chronic pain diagnoses. The study also aimed to provide improved granularity regarding military chronic pain patients’ pain severity and its impacts on their job performance. Study Design: Cross-sectional analysis for 2018. Setting: This analysis utilized data available from the Defense Medical Surveillance System, a database containing longitudinal data on service members. Methods: Patients: The surveillance population consisted of all active component service members from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines of all grades serving at any point during the surveillance period of January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018. Measurement: Diagnoses were ascertained from the administrative records of all medical encounters of individuals who received care through the Military Health System or civilian referrals. Data from patients’ Periodic Health Assessment (PHA) encounters were also utilized to derive more granular data regarding their experiences of pain. Results: Case Definition 1, more specific for identifying chronic pain, identified a more severe subset of chronic pain patients when compared against Case Definition 2, a more comprehensive method for identifying potential chronic pain patients. Case Definition 1 found a higher prevalence of impactful pain (CD1: 36.7% vs. CD2: 23.5%), and Case Definition 1 patients are more likely to be on limited duty and require treatment related to their pain. Several demographic groups were also found to be at increased risk of chronic pain diagnosis, including women, black non-Hispanic, Army, older age, and enlisted. Limitations: First, in utilizing administrative data, this allows for the possibility of misclassification bias. Second, some deployment data still used ICD-9 coding even in 2018, resulting in a minor underestimation by approximately 30 patients and approximately 60 encounters. Third, the prevalence estimates for the demographics were not adjusted for potential confounders. Conclusions: Chronic pain has been difficult to define via administrative and screening data, and as such its burden and prevalence estimates can vary considerably depending on which case definition is used. This is of particular importance in the U.S. military, as these estimates can significantly impact our calculations for force readiness and the protection of our national security. To our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to examine chronic pain across the entirety of the U.S. armed forces and to utilize granular, annually collected PHA data in this way. The results of this exploratory analysis could be used as a template to better characterize the burden of chronic pain from a populationbased perspective and monitor the effectiveness of pain management strategies. Key words: Chronic pain, military, case definition, surveillance, epidemiology

LGBT Military Service Policies in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Goodhart ◽  
Jami K. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Military Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
Psychological Disorder ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Transgender People ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Lgbt People ◽  
The Military ◽  
The U.S

For most of its history, the U.S. military has maintained a policy of exclusion toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people serving in uniform. The justifications for these exclusions have included the view that being homosexual or transgender is a psychological disorder, that it undermines military morale and effectiveness, and a fear that LGBT people would be vulnerable to foreign espionage. Explicit policies banning consensual homosexual sex—and excluding from service those who engage in it—date to the period between World Wars I and II, but de facto efforts at exclusion have existed since the early days of the republic. Regulations governing homosexuals in the military came under pressure in the 1970s and 1980s as societal views toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people changed, and those LGB service members discharged under the policy increasingly challenged their treatment in court. (Public pressure to change regulations governing transgender people in the military arose mostly in the 2000s, though litigation efforts date to the 1970s.) In addition to general shifts in public and legal opinion, the debate over LGB people serving in the U.S. military was affected by the experience of foreign militaries that allow LGB people to serve. United States law began to loosen formal restrictions on LBG people serving in uniform with the passage of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) in 1994, but it still required LGB people to serve in secret. Changing public perceptions of LGB people and problems implementing the ban galvanized support for eliminating such restrictions. In 2010, President Obama signed legislation repealing DADT and removing all restrictions on LGB people serving in the military. However, transgender people do not enjoy the same rights. The Trump administration has revised Obama-era rules on transgender service members to enable greater exclusion. The issue is being contested in the courts and appears ripe for further political and legal dispute.

Female Empowerment and the Chain of Command: Women in the U.S. Military

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany Sanford-Jenson ◽  
Marla H. Kohlman
Keyword(s):  
Public And Private ◽  
Women In The Military ◽  
Reproductive Health Care ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
Full Participation ◽  
Chain Of Command ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Armed Services ◽  
The Military ◽  
The U.S

The U.S. military has garnered considerable scrutiny over how successfully it has incorporated women into full participation. With the formal infusion of women into the Armed Services in the last half of the twentieth century, scholars have begun to examine women’s military experiences as they have entered into new occupational roles, putting women ever closer to controversial combat-related work. Accompanying these increased career opportunities are age-old risks reported in the civilian workplace, including the increased likelihood of harassment, rape, discrimination, subjugation, and other types of gender-based inequality. This chapter provides a detailed synthesis of myriad social movement experiences for women in the military as they have sought to define new roles and participate more fully in the all-volunteer forces. Specifically, the chapter examines sexist practice, combat inclusion, sexual victimization, expansion of reproductive health care, veteran’s benefits, and legal avenues for women’s social movements both in public and private spheres.

The Military ACL

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (02) ◽  
pp. 118-122
Author(s):  
Matthew Posner ◽  
David Tennent
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Military Service Members ◽  
Anterior Cruciate ◽  
Injured Knee ◽  
The Military ◽  
The U.S

AbstractAnterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in the U.S. Military Service members have a 10-fold higher incidence than that of the general population due to the physically demanding aspects of military duties. Although some controversy exists on the specific techniques or reconstruction, these injuries are uniformly reconstructed due to the requirements of their occupation and the effect of these injuries on their future careers. As such, understanding the care of the military Service member's ACL may help optimize the care of the physically active injured knee.

Making military and Veteran women (in)visible: The continuity of gendered experiences in military-to-civilian transition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya Eichler
Keyword(s):  
Military Service ◽  
Women Veterans ◽  
Military Women ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Care And Support ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Military

LAY SUMMARY This study explores how gender and sex shape the military-to-civilian transition (MCT) for women. Thirty-three Canadian women Veterans were interviewed about their military service and post-military life. MCT research often emphasizes discontinuities between military and civilian life, but women’s accounts highlight continuities in gendered experiences. Military women are expected to fit the male norm and masculine ideal of the military member during service, but they are rarely recognized as Veterans after service. Women experience invisibility as military member and Veterans and simultaneously hypervisibility as (ex)military women who do not fit military or civilian gender norms. Gendered expectations of women as spouses and mothers exert an undue burden on them as serving members and as Veterans undergoing MCT. Women encounter care and support systems set up on the normative assumption of the military and Veteran man supported by a female spouse. The study findings point to a needed re-design of military and Veteran systems to remove sex and gender biases and better respond to the sex- and gender-specific MCT needs of women.

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