Navigating the boundaries: Army women in training

Abstract

This study examines the cultural tactics military women employ in US Army officer training in order to gain acceptance and integration into the institution, with a particular focus on their gender performances and gendered interactions. Based on a three-year, three-site ethnographic study of Army officer training, along with in-depth interviews with 17 female cadets, the study finds that women employ tactics from three main categories: emphasizing the feminine, embracing the masculine, and keeping a low profile. The study also provides evidence that Army women use tactics from multiple categories, and demonstrates how their tactics shift based on situation, context, and audience.

Citation

Furia, S.R. (2010), "Navigating the boundaries: Army women in training", Williams, C.L. and Dellinger, K. (Ed.) Gender and Sexuality in the Workplace (Research in the Sociology of Work, Vol. 20), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 107-126. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0277-2833(2010)0000020008