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Why is it important?
For first year students at a service academy, we did not expect to find any gendered differences in career intentions at this early stage. However, women intended to serve fewer years than men. Interestingly, the role models we thought would be most influential (parents, USNA officers) were not significant in relation to career intentions. Women also intended to marry another service member, but those who expected higher work-family conflict planned to serve longer that likely represents the understanding that dual military couples have a challenging work-family career. Finally, women who had military mothers intended to serve longer than those who had civilian mothers. While we generally find that having a parent in the military increases propensity to serve, it is worth noting that for women on our study, it was only their mothers who influenced their career intentions to serve longer.
Perspectives
Our findings provide some indication that women in non-traditional or traditionally male professions may be more successful in persisting in these fields when they have female role models growing up and in their new profession that they can relate to personally. In the military, these early career women may not find as many women with careers and families aligned with their expectations. Professional affirmation from women who can provide a sense of belonging, identity, and career aspiration may start at the early career stage. Initiatives to provide networking, access and resources such as the Naval Academy's Women's Network and Lean In Circles may be part of the solution until there is a larger and more visible population of women. Alternatively, men are largely absent as role models and professional mentors for women and should be encouraged to actively engage early career women in professional mentoring.
Dr David G Smith
United States Naval Academy
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Gender and the Military Profession, Armed Forces & Society, July 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0095327x15626722.
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