US military has more work to do integrating women, report finds
By Meghann Myers
Women have made real operational contributions, according to the report, but they are still underrepresented. (Chief Master Sgt. Jaimee Freeman/Air Force)
Though women have technically been welcome in any military specialty since late 2015, it’s been a slow process to integrate them into all units, according to a report released Thursday by the Rand Corp.
The U.S. and its partner nations will need to continue to integrate women, at all ranks, to be able to solve complex security challenges, the report said, using the “Women, peace and security” concept developed by the UN in 2000. As it currently stands, women make up 18% of the Army. In the Marine Corps, the representation is half that.
In 2020, DoD published its own Women, Peace, and Security Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan, which aimed to not only ensure women hold varied positions throughout all parts of the department, but that partner nations fostered the same participation for women while ensuring human rights protections for women and girls in their respective countries.
The RAND study points out that the military is still walking a fine line between touting women and men as having the same capacity to serve while celebrating the different perspectives women bring to the table.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-military/2023/10/20/us-military-has-more-work-to-do-integrating-women-report-finds/
