This book provides an in-depth analysis of sexual assault in the military from historical and contemporary perspectives, offering suggestions that could change the existing culture and approaches that will reduce or eliminate sexual assault in the armed forces. Sexual assault has been an aspect of the U.S. military historically and is today widely recognized as a significant problem with far-reaching repercussions. How does sexual assault negatively impact not only the victims themselves but also the U.S. military's strength, readiness, and morale? This book answers these questions and documents the problems with reporting and prosecuting sexual assault complaints within our armed forces, examines the current policy and laws to identify what changes are needed, and analyzes recent efforts to prevent sexual assault. Author Rosemarie Skaine introduces the subject with a historical perspective that covers women, men, gays and lesbians, and non-military personnel as the subjects of sexual assault and provides readers with clear definitions of sexual harassment and sexual assault. The chapters explain how sexual assault negatively affects the military's performance as a whole, thereby serving to undermine national security; and covers preventative approaches and legislation intended to change the current military culture. The book also includes a bibliography, tables of key figures, and footnotes and endnotes that fully document the data presented.

Most Americans were shocked when Anita Hill charged U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas with sexual harassment. Not surprisingly, the nation was divided on the Senate hearings on the matter--some believed Hill, others, Thomas. Perhaps the most important result of the hearings was to open the eyes of a majority of the public to the issue of sexual harassment and to begin a dialog on the issue. This work first defines sexual harassment, including operational, sociological and legal definitions, and then provides a history of the issue in the United States and a theoretical framework of why harassment occurs. This is followed by a look at the legal dimension of the problem, with a discussion of pertinent federal and state laws and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) decisions. The incidence and settings (e.g., workplace, housing, religious institutions) are next examined, followed by chapters on sexual harassment in the government, the military, and in education. The book concludes with discussions of strategies for the victims and for employers.

The Mother of All Hooks is a richly detailed description of the United States government's attempts to punish naval officers for sexual misconduct committed at the 1991 Tailhook Association convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. Journalist William H. McMichael describes the institutionalized mind-set that led to that misconduct and, in the face of an oppressive, politically charged investigation, to a large-scale failure to cooperate with government agents. This failure led to further investigative and prosecutorial excesses that ultimately doomed the effort to bring the guilty to justice; many of the guiltiest, hi fact, were given immunity to testify, and escaped severe punishment. At the same time, McMichael makes clear that Tailhook misconduct had been largely condoned for decades, but that senior officials failed to take responsibility for allowing such an atmosphere to flourish. This powerful expose is a shocking, eye-opening read for psychologists, criminologists, criminal justice professionals, and members of the U.S. military. The Tailhook Association convention had become infamous in naval circles for heavy drinking, hard partying, and sexual promiscuity. The most notable such ac-tivity was the "gauntlet"—a hallway lined by men through which selected women were forced to pass, only to be fondled. McMichael provides a rich narrative ac-count of how the United States Navy and the Pentagon mishandled investigation of events at the 1991 convention and subsequent hearings. In addition to exposing that approach's dramatic shortcomings, McMichael also provides insight into the Navy's history of open sexuality by its members while overseas, the fighter pilot psyche, and the larger issue of whether the Navy should be permitted to investigate its own transgressions. While more than thirty admirals eventually received what amounted to a hand slap, more than twenty junior officers received career-killing punitive letters of reprimand in closed-door administrative hearings. The Mother of All Hooks provides absorbing new details for all who think they "know" what hap-pened because of Tailhook—and why.

From Yeomanettes to Fighter Jets addresses a major element of twenty-first century sea power—the integration of women into all military units of the U.S. Navy. Randy Goguen delineates the cultural, economic, and political conditions as well as the technological changes that shaped this movement over the course of a century. Starting with the establishment of the Yeomen (F) in World War I and continuing through today to address the current arguments over the registration of women for Selective Service and the reform of the military justice system, Goguen describes how changes in civilian society affected the U. S. Navy and the role of Navy women. She highlights the contributions of key women and men in the military and civilian spheres who were willing to challenge convention and prejudice to advance the integration of women and make the U.S. Navy a stronger institution. Today women in the U.S. Navy have proven themselves essential to the mission success of the service. They are forward deployed around the world, sharing the same risks as their male counterparts. Some have commanded logistics and combatant ships, including aircraft carriers. They fly and maintain combat and patrol aircraft and serve as crew members on ships and submarines. Some hold major commands ashore and have risen to the highest echelons of navy leadership. Integrating women into the U.S. Navy has been a long and often contentious process, as women strived to overcome resistance imposed by prevailing cultural and institutional norms and patriarchal prejudices. Goguen, a retired naval reserve officer who holds a PhD in military history from Temple University, has written a comprehensive and up-to-date history of women’s integration into the Navy. She argues that throughout the process, the decisive force driving progress was exigency. That exigency took various forms: two world wars, communist expansionism in the Cold War, the ending of the draft and the establishment of the All-Volunteer Force, as well as the political pressures posed by social change, especially the mid twentieth-century feminist and contemporary “Me Too” movements. Despite a deeply ingrained institutional resistance cultivated within an insular, often misogynist, sea-going subculture, today’s U.S. Navy could not meet its mission requirements without women. Goguen asserts, “Exigency is the mother of integration.”

Contains over thirty essays which explore the complex contexts of political engagement--family and intimate relationships, friendships, neighborhood, community, work environment, race, religious, and other cultural groupings--that structure perceptions of women's opportunities for political participation.