Gender and Racial Equity in the U.S. Military Occupational Distribution
Abstract
Several researchers have pointed out gender and racial inequities in military occupational distribution. Women in ethnic minorities, particularly Blacks, are overrepresented in certain nontechnical, core support occupations (e.g., medical, administrative support) and, conversely, are underrepresented in certain technical, core occupations (e.g., science, technology). Reports suggest that the lower incidence of Blacks in the more prestigious occupations is owed to Blacks' generally poorer performance on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). Categorical data generated by race (White, Black, Hispanic), gender (male, female), occupational code, and Mental Category for the approximate 1.4 million enlisted personnel in the DoD Services (June, 1988) were analyzed by multiple chi square. The variable of interest was AFQT Mental Category and whether it predicted personnel assignment to four selected occupational codes --two core technical, two administrative support. Results indicate disparities exist and that women, Blacks, and Hispanics were consistently underrepresented in the core technical occupations, while White males, regardless of DoD Service or Mental Category, were at least at parity in those codes and in a preponderance of instances were significantly overrepresented.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 1988
- Accession Number
- AD1059939
Entities
People
- Harold E. Cheatham
Organizations
- Pennsylvania State University