Female officers in the Canadian militia : attitudes toward service and combat
Date
1986
Authors
Rothermel, Katherine Frances
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Abstract
War has been an intimate part of human existence since the beginnings of time. The struggle for resources and territory has necessitated the formation of armies. These armies have in themselves required vast amounts of resources, the most notable being "manpower".
Women have not been part of the formal organizational structure of an army with few exceptions, until quite recently. The increasing utilization of women in the Armed Forces during the 1970's sparked the beginnings of sociological research.
Significant questions revolve around the current quotas on female participation, occupational restrictions, and women in combat. The present study examines female officers in the Canadian Armed Forces Militia, and their views concerning the expansion of female participation in the Forces. Of interest is how these attitudes relate to specific demographic, military and social psychological attributes.
Personal interviews and a mailed questionnaire were developed to gather the data. The survey was distributed to a convenience sample of 118 officers across Canada. A total of 90 responses were recovered. A statistical analysis consisting of crosstabulations was performed to obtain Chi-square or Somer's d for each association.
The majority of female officers favoured an expanded inclusion of women in the Forces with two exceptions; women in combat roles (i.e. 1nfanteer) and admitting lesbians. The sample was also split with regards to the question of a standard of physical strength and fitness required of women if in combat. Further research is required to provide definitive answers as to the relationship between these attitudes and the attributes of interest (i.e. age, length of service, and religiosity).
Specifically, the relationship between rank and androgyny, and religiosity and attitudes, must be examined in detail. In addition, research must be conducted comparing male/female, civilian/military, Regular Force/Reserves and officer/other rank samples in order to determine the relationship between attitudes and the unique characteristics of the military environment.
Attention must be directed to addressing this issue of expanding female participation in the military as the trend of social change indicates that a policy of restricted female involvement in the Forces will be untenable in the long run as it precludes utilization of a significant resource.