Women in the Infantry - The Effect on the Moral Domain
Abstract
This monograph examines the effect of allowing women into the infantry in the U.S. Army. It focuses on aspects of the moral domain cohesion, bonding, morale and stress. It attempts to answer the question: Will small level infantry unit (i.e. crew, team, section, squad and platoon) cohesion be affected by the introduction of women into the infantry ranks? The monograph first establishes the nature of infantry combat and the importance of the moral domain in motivating and sustaining the infantryman in battle. The monograph then examines two psychological phenomena in the presentation of two theoretical frameworks to understand the group dynamics of primarily all-male groups. The first phenomenon is male bonding. The second phenomenon is the dynamics of groups towards tokens . Tokens are members of a group who have physically recognizable traits and who make up less than fifteen percent of the group. Finally, the paper reviews the scientific, historical, and anecdotal evidence supporting or refuting the theories. The monograph concludes that, although the evidence is inconclusive, there is sufficient evidence to approach the decision of allowing women to enter the infantry ranks cautiously. Sexual harassment problems that have occurred over the last fifteen years in integrating women into the military may support predictions of the theoretical frameworks explored in the body of the monograph.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 12, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA262478
Entities
People
- George T. Woods Iii
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College