This Man's Military: Masculine Culture's Role in Sexual Violence
Abstract
The central goal of this thesis is to determine whether or not there is something inherent in US military culture that makes members of the Department of Defense \201DoD\202 more prone to sexual assault than their civilian counterparts. The author assesses the role of masculinity in defining the organizational culture of the DoD, and seeks to apply social scientific analysis to the problem of sexual assault in such a culture. Using organizational change theory as an analytical lens to military culture, the author highlights areas that warrant further discussion in a holistic effort to combat sexual assault in the professional military ranks. The conclusion is that there is a demographic proclivity toward sexual violence in the DoD which is aggravated by the generational gap between senior leaders and those most at risk of assault, and that to address the challenge head-on the military must view the problem as one of military culture. The writer first reviews the contemporary academic literature on organizational culture and defines the method of evaluating cultural characteristics in US military service. Next, the author evaluates the case of sexual assault in the military today, including a definitional and legal review and relevant statistical facts, in order to objectify military culture in the theoretic form. After describing contemporary military sexual assault issues, the author applies organizational and psychoanalytical theory to military culture in order to highlight any areas that can be exploited to reduce sexual violence. The final section of the work offers how organizational change theory can be used to change military culture to combat sexual assault, and highlights areas that require further study to fully understand the problem.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA620971
Entities
People
- Peter J. Lee
Organizations
- Air University