In recognition of the integral part women play in the all-volunteer force, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 directed us to conduct a study on any inequalities or perceptions of inequalities in the treatment of men and women in the armed forces that are tied to statutes and regulations governing the armed forces. The purpose of this report is to (1) identify perceptions of gender inequities found in various surveys and studies of male and female servicemembers and (2) examine what available data and studies reveal about those perceptions. There was no legal prohibition of women serving in direct ground combat roles. The local policies and practices of military commanders can also affect assignments. However, no study has addressed the specific issues. According to one study,some Army men believe that because women cannot be assigned to combat units, they have more opportunities to take advantage of training opportunities that make them more competitive for career advancement and promotions. A few men and women have expressed concerns about the equity of the promotions process. We found no studies that directly addressed whether service assignment policies and practices or the ground combat exclusion policy have an inequitable impact on career opportunities of men and women. Consequently, we examined the data submitted by the services as part of their annual equal opportunity assessments to determine whether men and women were selected at similar rates for promotion, key assignments, and professional military education. Analysis of 60 key assignment selection boards showed that, of those being considered, the military as a whole selected men and women for key assignments at similar rates in 32 of the selection boards in fiscal years 1993 to 1997 (see table 2.3). Recommendations

To provide DOD and service officials with information to address perceptions of gender inequities in position prerequisites and skill utilization, we recommend that the Secretary of Defense direct the services to assess whether requirements for skills or specialties that are presently closed to women or have only recently been opened to women are being inappropriately used as prerequisites for positions that are otherwise open to women and men or women are receiving an equal opportunity to work within the area of their military specialties. Different Fitness Standards for Men and Women Do Not Necessarily Constitute a Double Standard

Many servicemembers believe that the services’ physical fitness standards are measures of one’s ability to perform in a combat environment or are related to a specific job or occupation. The Commission concluded that since physical fitness standards are established to promote the highest level of general wellness in the armed forces and are not aimed at assessing capability to perform specific jobs or missions, it is appropriate to adjust the standards for physiological differences among servicemembers. Furthermore, DOD said that developing standards for general fitness and health is a complex matter, where academic and research experts often differ on conclusions and research.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO conducted a study on inequalities or perceptions of inequalities in the treatment of men and women in the armed forces, focusing on: (1) perceptions of gender inequities found in various surveys and studies of male and female servicemembers; and (2) what available data and studies reveal about those perceptions.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) some perceptions of inequality in the area of career opportunities involve various local assignment policies and practices established by unit commanders; (2) some women have raised concerns about being assigned to clerical and administrative positions instead of positions requiring the technical skills in which they were trained; (3) some women believe that they are being denied opportunities to serve in positions that are legally open to them because of perceived unjustified prerequisite requirements for a certain kind of experience that is closed to women; (4) however, no existing studies show the extent to which such practices take place or are inequitable; (5) researchers have found perceptions among some men and women that the Department of Defense's (DOD) policy restricting women from occupations and units involved in direct ground combat affects their opportunities for promotions and career advancement; (6) no study was found that specifically addressed whether the ground combat exclusion policy has an inequitable impact on the career opportunities of men and women; (7) consequently, GAO examined the data submitted by the services as part of their annual equal opportunity assessments, and its analysis showed that the military selected men and women for promotion at basically similar rates over 80 percent of the time and selected men and women for key assignments and professional military education at similar rates approximately half of the time; (8) in those cases where the selection rates differed, no clear pattern of a systematic advantage to either gender emerged; (9) a RAND study stated that many servicemembers believe that fitness standards are a measure of one's ability to perform in a combat environment, and that lower fitness standards for women amounts to a double standard; (10) however, the physical fitness program is intended only to maintain the general fitness and health of military members and fitness testing is not aimed at assessing the capability to perform specific missions or military jobs; (11) DOD officials and experts agree that it is appropriate to adjust the standards for physiological differences among servicemembers by age and gender; and (12) many military women have also expressed concerns about the fairness of the services' body fat standards.