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Dissertation
Culture Change In The Military And Society Viewed Through The Life Course Of A Select Group Of Women Military Careerists Born Between 1940 And 1960
University of West Florida Libraries
Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida
2014
Abstract
This critical ethnography explored culture change in general society and the U's. military from the standpoint of and through the life course of women who were military careerists born between 1940 and 1960 and having served between 1961 and 2010. Gradual changes in societal constructions of gender and in the military's institutional two-tiered rules allowed women of this cohort to serve in expanding numbers of military occupations. Intensity sampling located 35 women who were careerists, willing to provide insightful narratives of their experiences and observations, and, following an inductive research process, data were collected, aggregated, analytically triangulated, and thematically coded. The women in this study placed high value on their military affiliation and experience, prizing their time in the military as an opportunity to serve, and motivating them toward high levels of achievement and personal strength. Yet, decades of successful service, achievements in command, medals for courage and exemplary performance, and engagement in conflict have been insufficient to legitimize women's service for a segment of the general population and some in the military. Dissimilarities emerged in the level of acceptance granted to women working in traditional or woman identified roles and domains and those working in fields perceived and positioned as masculine. Some women venturing into male dominated areas were penalized physically or psychologically. Others faced professional barriers and careers truncated by individuals in positions of power, whose values, beliefs, or preferences did not include roles for women in military service. Most women cited more equitable experiences after changes in military policies in the mid-1990s. While those serving in occupations consistent with traditional views of women's roles enjoyed high levels of acceptance, with few exceptions, those who worked outside traditional roles were not routinely successful in achieving a permanent status of legitimacy and transferability throughout their careers, finding their capability and place challenged as they advanced or attempted to advance. As service opportunities for women in the military continue to expand into formerly male preserved domains, the legitimacy of women's place in military service must be authoritatively validated and unwaveringly sustained if women are to achieve and enjoy their earned status.
Details
- Title
- Culture Change In The Military And Society Viewed Through The Life Course Of A Select Group Of Women Military Careerists Born Between 1940 And 1960
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Publisher
- University of West Florida Libraries
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 263
- Copyright
- © 2014 Patricia Kay Gleich
- Identifiers
- 99380090739606600
- Academic Unit
- School of Education
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- Education; University of West Florida; Doctor of Education (EDD)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida