• DOI:10.1177/0095327X06287883
• Corpus ID: 145096104

Attitudes toward Expanding Roles for Navy Women at Sea

@article{Iskra2007AttitudesTE,
  title={Attitudes toward Expanding Roles for Navy Women at Sea},
  author={Darlene M. Iskra},
  journal={Armed Forces \& Society},
  year={2007},
  volume={33},
  pages={203 - 223}
}

• Darlene M. Iskra
• Published 1 January 2007
• Sociology
• Armed Forces & Society

This article explores the discourse and gendered constructions that surrounded the debates on expanding seagoing roles for women in the U.S. Navy between 1978 and 2000. By comparing arguments against the expansion of women's seagoing roles across multiple years, it is possible to assess whether the arguments about women's exclusion have essentially changed. The arguments against expanding women's roles were framed in the context of diminishing military effectiveness based on stereotypical notions of women's capabilities. The arguments in favor of expanding women's roles were also framed within the construct of military effectiveness, with an emphasis on equal citizenship responsibility and democratic values. These results show a consistency of discourse throughout the periods studied.