Sexist ideology and the evaluation criteria used to assess women's integration into the army

This article is a reaction to the 1978 Evaluation of Women in the Army report issued by the U.S. Army. It looks at the criteria used in women's evaluation in terms of the sexist ideology prevalent in the military system. Those issues which are identified by the Army as problematic and which affect policies regarding women's full integration into the Army are discussed at length.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Sociological Society in April, 1983. I am indebted to Nijole V. Benokraitis for her comments at that time. I would also like to thank John Sibley Butler, Susan Marshall and Marie Crane for their helpful comments. Any opinions, conclusions, and recommendations, whether expressed or implied, are those of the author.