Sexual Harassment in the Military
Anonymous
SOC 402 CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL PROBLEMS & THE WORKPLACE
Professor Douglas Nelson
October 21, 2013

Sexual Harassment in the Military

The topic of discussion is sexual harassment in the United States military. My paper will identify the scope and nature of this problem while specifying how it has affected the military as a whole. Additionally, I will identify how this problem can be either mitigated or solved utilizing a variety of social controls. Throughout this paper, I will support the fact that sexual harassment is an ongoing problem in the military and recommend changes that could provide potential social or economical benefits if implemented.

The scope and nature of sexual harassment in the United States military is one of great magnitude because of the profound effect it has on the individual service member and the organization as a whole. “In a 1995 U.S. Department of Defense survey of active-duty men and women in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, 70.9 percent of female personnel and 35.8 percent of male personnel said that they had experienced sexually harassing behaviors in the previous 12 months” (Antecol & Cobb-Clark, 2001). While these statistics are almost 20 years old there is still relevance. A survey in today’s military might show results that reflect a decline in the percentages or occurrences; however, in an organization that is targeting zero tolerance one claim is one too many.

In my personal experience, sexual harassment has severely affected the military work environment in a number of ways, situations, and circumstances. According to Giraffe (2011), sexual harassment is a persistent issue that many face in the workplace from a social standpoint. From the perspective of being part of a work environment where harassment is taking place, it lowers levels of trust and camaraderie significantly, creates confusion and discontent, and ultimately takes away from the mission in cases where a service member must be removed from a work center if in fact the accuser works there as well.

The reality is that many service members have been victims of sexual harassment yet have chosen not to report it to anyone. When this is addressed, the common response that I have heard is that they feel it would not make a difference, that they would be jeopardizing their careers, or that it happens all the time as if it is the norm. Thought processes like these are a large contributing factor as to why this issue continues to exist and why the perpetrators continue to believe they can get away with it.

The implementation of good leadership along with continuing education to ensure service members are aware that this type of behavior is wrong is a must. Many feel that they are alone or they are not sure who to talk to. One of the best ways I have found to help bring light to the subject is to simply discuss it openly. I constantly strive to communicate with my Marines and make them feel empowered by discussing topics like this. Sometimes this is all it takes to give that one person the intestinal fortitude to stand up and say that what is happening to them is wrong. Although this is one of many examples, there must be continuous improvement to decrease and eventually end sexual harassment.

If these numbers cannot be decreased to lower levels, the ability to maintain good order and discipline in the military stands to suffer. Sexual harassment is a well known subject across many nations throughout the world. This topic has afflicted the military for about as long as it has existed. Social and cultural factors are major contributors when it comes to this subject and play a large role in American culture overall. Culturally, sexual harassment is a behavior that only some men and women display as a result of situational factors as well as personal factors.

Service members are in major need of reassurance that actions are being taken to establish an environment where sexual harassment is not tolerated. According to Firestone & Harris (1994), the examination of the individual experience and understanding of sexual harassment in the military revealed that there is a pervasive pattern of sexual harassment as it pertains to women. Many female service members have lost faith in the system and are advocates that even with proposals of more stringent actions for those who violate the harassment will continue. This is not the intended message that senior officials would like to convey and proves to be statistically challenging.

In the Marine Corps specifically, annual training is given to all members pertaining to sexual harassment. Different topics are discussed from what defines sexual harassment to the different types of reporting available. Also, in each unit, the Commanding Officer appoints a Uniform Victim Advocate as someone who is identified throughout the command as the official representative to report cases of sexual harassment to. This gives the victim the option to report their case as restricted or unrestricted which varies the level of involvement the command has in dealing with the details until a full investigation has been conducted. This does not limit the victim in regards to whom they can speak to; it simply provides a subject matter expert that is trained to handle these situations.

The military basis the needs of the service primarily on statistics gathered by entities such as the Uniformed Victim Advocate. Annually, thousands of service members are surveyed and the results are staggering. Not only are there reports of sexual harassment, the numbers for unwanted sexual contact are relatively high as well.

Another specific fact supported by statistics is the number of cases that have resulted in sexual assaults and a litany of scandals that have been exploited by the media. One example of this is the “now-famous Tailhook Convention precipitated the current rage of congressional inquiries and a flurry of legislation” (Danis, 1992, Jul 26). This example details the culmination of more than 100 military Officers across the Navy and Marine Corps accused of assaulting a multitude of women and a handful of men over the course of four days in 1991. This claim further solidifies military involvement in sexually motivated harassment to validate the beliefs of society. Additionally, this claim serves as deterrents for those who aspire to serve their country.

While the military has clear and concise rules and regulations that are designed to curtail the occurrence of sexual harassment many men and women are still subjected to such treatment. Military Commander are constantly pursuing innovative ways and training methods in an effort to achieve the desire end state of the military which is zero incidents and the confidence of service members in the system to protect those victimized. Sexual harassment is a sensitive subject that tugs at the heartstrings of society. Society views America’s military force as an elite organization and as America’s hero. Behavior such as sexual harassment tarnishes that image. The military must do more to ensure this type of behavior does not become the norm. Every effort must be made to weed out those who feel they are above the law.

The aforementioned claims prove to have great relevance in the war on sexual harassment and essentially imply that the efforts to combat this type of behavior are failing at an alarming rate. There continue to be reports of incidents despite training and harsher punishments. Additionally, there are still many victims who are not confident in justice being served who do not come forward. There are training efforts geared towards educating services members on the effects of such behavior; efforts to shed light on how this ultimately affects the mission yet harassment still occurs. In order to reduce sexually harassment to the lowest level, every service member from Commander to the victims has a vital role.

Discussion has resulted favorably in support of the stated thesis. It has been revealed that sexual harassment continues to threaten those in uniform. Furthermore, research shows evidence that this is the cause of many service members hanging up their uniforms and exiting their respective branches of the military. From my analysis, I have substantiated that sexual harassment activities in the military contribute to potential psychological, job related, and health related outcomes. Throughout this paper, I have supported the fact that sexual harassment is an ongoing problem in the military as well recommended changes that could provide potential social or economical benefits if implemented.

References

Antecol, H., & Cobb-Clark, D. (2001). Men, women, and sexual harassment in the U.S. military. Gender Issues, 19(1), 3-18. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/217434518?accountid=32521

Danis, D. (1992, Jul 26). MILITARY WOMEN: IN SEARCH OF RESPECT DESPITE THE CASES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT, WOMEN STILL PROUDLY SERVE THEIR COUNTRY. BUT THE MILITARY MUST DO ITS PART TO END THE ABUSE. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/278021071?accountid=32521

Firestone, J. M., & Harris, R. J. (1994). Sexual harassment in the U.S. military: Individualized and environmental contexts. Armed Forces and Society, 21(1), 25. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/236487407?accountid=32521

Giraffe, V. (2011).Contemporary social problems and the workplace. San Diego, Bridgepoint Education, Inc.