Marine boot camp study calls for mixed-gender drill instructor teams
By Hope Hodge Seck
Friday, Oct 21
The Marine Corps has received the findings of a detailed independent study on gender-integration at boot camp.
But Marine leaders say the service may not be able to implement one of the study’s top recommendations: making sure every recruit is trained by both male and female drill instructors.
Completed by the University of Pittsburgh under a $2 million contract, the 739-page study report covers a two-year period in which investigators interviewed DIs and recruits, observed training at both Marine Corps recruit depots and gathered physiological data on performance, sleep and stress through wearable devices and saliva samples.
The study compared results from three main groups: a series track, which included female recruit companies training alongside male companies; an integrated company, made up of two female recruit platoons and four male platoons in a single unit; and a male-only company.
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2022/10/21/marine-boot-camp-study-calls-for-mixed-gender-drill-instructor-teams/