Gender Issues: Information to Assess Servicemembers' Perceptions of Gender Inequities Is Incomplete

Highlights

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO conducted a study on inequalities or perceptions of inequalities in the treatment of men and women in the armed forces, focusing on: (1) perceptions of gender inequities found in various surveys and studies of male and female servicemembers; and (2) what available data and studies reveal about those perceptions.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Department of Defense	To provide DOD and service officials with information to address perceptions of gender inequities in position prerequisites and skill utilization, the Secretary of Defense should direct the services to assess whether requirements for skill or specialties that are presently closed to women or have only recently been opened to women are being inappropriately used as prerequisites for positions that are otherwise open to women.	Closed – Implemented The Office of the Secretary of Defense funded a research study to be conducted by RAND Corporation. RAND published its study, "The Status of Gender Integration In the Military," in August 2002. The study focuses on perception of gender inequities in position prerequisites and skill utilization.
Department of Defense	To provide DOD and service officials with information to address perceptions of gender inequities in position prerequisites and skill utilization, the Secretary of Defense should direct the services to assess whether men or women are receiving an equal opportunity to work within the area of their military specialties.	Closed – Implemented The Office of the Secretary of Defense funded a research study to be conducted by RAND Corporation. RAND published its report, "The Status of Gender Inequities In the Military," in August 2002. The report focuses on the perception of gender inequities in position prerequisites and skill utilization.

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