Contemporary Sexism in the South African Navy

The military traditionally embraces highly sexist attitudes. Over the past decade, the South African Navy (SAN) has been exposed to an increasingly progressive political environment. This study investigated contemporary expressions of sexism in the SAN. A representative sample of 476 sailors completed the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, Modern Sexism Scale and Sexist Attitudes towards Women Scale, where they scored higher than any available published samples. The scores indicate high levels of sexism generally, and a denial of the existence of discrimination. Ultimately, it appeared that, while the political environment may influence the expression of sexism, the liberalisation of South African society has not ameliorated the levels of sexism in the SAN.