THOUGHTS ABOUT INTEGRATING WOMEN INTO COMBAT ROLES AS DEPICTED IN OPINION NEWSPAPER ARTICLES FOLLOWING THE RESCISSION OF THE DIRECT GROUND COMBAT DEFINITION AND ASSIGNMENT RULE

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Date
2015-04-08
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Publisher
Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
This study explored how opinions of women serving in combat roles in the military were portrayed in newspaper opinion articles following the rescission of the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule. Newspaper opinion articles published between January 24, 2013, when the Department of Defense rescission announcement was made, and January 23, 2015 were examined using a qualitative content analysis. The results of the analysis revealed that the newspaper opinion articles favoring the integration of women serving in combat roles viewed integration as the next logical step for the equality of women in the military, an improvement in diversity, an opportunity to expand the military’s problem solving capability, and a means to aid in decreasing the problem of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military. Newspaper opinion articles that opposed the integration of women serving in combat roles viewed integration as unfair toward men, politically motivated, a challenge to military efficiency, and a threat to unit cohesion. Understanding these opinions will help military personnel shape communication messages during the process of recruiting women into the military and specifically into combat roles.
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Keywords
Women in Combat, Combat Exclusion Policy
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