Download or read book Addressing Barriers to Female Officer Retention in the Air Force written by Kirsten M. Keller and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Women are underrepresented among the Air Force's senior leadership compared with their representation among the lower ranks. One factor contributing to this underrepresentation is that women tend to leave the active duty Air Force at higher rates than men. This report documents the results of a qualitative study designed to better understand the factors that female Air Force officers consider when deciding whether to remain in or separate from the active duty Air Force. The study conducted a total of 54 focus groups with 295 female Air Force officers in the spring of 2016 from across 12 different Air Force installations. The report describes the key retention factors identified through these focus groups and provides recommendations for improving Air Force policies and programs to help address potential barriers and improve female officer retention."--Publisher's description.

Download or read book Women in a Man s Air Force written by Matthew J. Burrows and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 93 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Women make up seven percent of total general officers in the United States Air Force compared to 21 percent women in the remaining officer ranks of colonel and below. Why is the percentage of women general officers in the Air Force significantly lower than the percentage of women officers in the ranks of colonel and below? This thesis tests five hypotheses to better understand the disparity. Two structural hypotheses address rules-based barriers for promotion and retention and two cultural hypotheses address cultural norms that could provide barriers for promotion and retention. A fifth hypothesis, gendered organizations, asserts that women leave the Air Force before becoming eligible for general officer because they are subject to the negative effects of being women in a hypermasculine organization. While the first four hypotheses provide insight and background information to the research question, the gendered organization hypothesis offers a new way to look at the problem. Women officers must navigate a hypermasculine culture where they are required to exhibit enough feminine traits that they conform to expected gender norms, while also exhibiting enough masculine traits to be effective."--Abstract.

Download or read book Postpartum Policies for Military Mothers written by U. S. Military and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2018-11-22 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Women are leaving the military at a higher rate than their male counterparts. While there is no one reason that women are separating, work-family balance issues have often been noted as a cause. Recently, the Air Force released multiple policies that could help increase the retention of women in the military including increased maternity leave, increased post-partum deployment deferment, increased exemption time for post-partum fitness assessment, and the career intermission program. This research conducted a literature review in conjunction with interviews of women that are currently serving in the military to determine the effectiveness of these policies to increase the retention of women. The literature review looked at each policy in depth and compared these policies to both the government civilian sector and the private sector. Women from different career fields, ranks and family situations were interviewed to gain a better understanding of why women continue to serve or separate and their perspectives on the new policies. The research concluded that these policies have the potential to increase retention, but that predicting retention is difficult because each career field is different and an individual's priorities change over time. It was determined that the Air Force is viewed as family friendly and supports a good work-family balance but is limited by its mission that must be accomplished.Due to the lack of information to answer the question of "why" women are leaving the service at this time, this research provides a starting point by gathering information from 10 female officers that are currently serving in the Air Force. Each of these women was interviewed to collect information about their perspective on retention when they first joined the service compared to their current perspective. The new policies were only recently released so it is too early to determine whether these policies will increase the retention of women officers during this critical timeframe. The research serves as a launch-point for future work by identifying any trends or themes. It will also capture initial reactions to the new policies. This is qualitative research to build the understanding of "why" women leave the Air Force and to provide other avenues to help increase the retention of women in the Air Force. This research explores the topic of retention, specifically where it ties into family, motherhood, and the work-family balance. This paper will first analyze the literature surrounding this topic. Once the knowledge gaps are identified, it will lay out the methodology to execute the qualitative research. Then there will be an analysis of the interviewee responses, identifying common themes among the women. Finally, it will draw a conclusion on the impact of the new policies with recommendations on how the Air Force can move forward to resolve this problem of retention in the future.

Download or read book Socioeconomic Determinants Impacting Air Force Officer Retention written by Scott E. Payne and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis analyzes retention and attrition behavior of Air Force captains with four to 11 years of service, extracted from 1985 DoD Survey of Officer and Enlisted Personnel. All occupations were examined except medical, dental, nursing, chaplain, and legal professions. Logistic regression models were estimated for all officers. These models included demographic, attitudinal, and economic data. The results showed that as Air Force captains with four to eleven years of military service gained more experience, they were more likely to leave the military. Total family income was found to have a negative effect on retention. Separate models estimated retention behavior by marital status and gender. Gender and total family debt were significant for married officers. The models contrasting men and women indicated that advanced degree attainment had a negative impact on female retention. The predictive capabilities of the models were evaluated. Recommendations for follow-on studies also discuss limitations of this analysis which may be addressed in future DoD surveys. (kr).

Download or read book Leaning in written by Hillary N. Anderson and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The United States is facing a return to great power competition with rising regional powers and technological advancements of increased automation, hypersonic weapons, networked sensors, and artificial intelligence, which has the potential to change the character warfare. Due to this shifting global and technological landscape, the United States Air Force must attain and retain the best talent from across the country to meet our nation’s demands. Women account for over fifty percent of the college-educated workforce, but only twenty-one percent of the officers in the Air Force. The rate of female officers joining the Air Force has remained stagnant for decades. However, the intelligence officer career field has produced a statistically significant higher percentage of female officers across grades from O-1 to O-6 over the last fifteen years. This project strives to answer the following research questions: Why is the intelligence career field able to attain and retain female officers in higher proportions than the Air Force average? Are there remaining obstacles for continued service for these officers? Through empirical data and research, this study highlights the importance of career interest, career path flexibility, strong female representation, mentorship, and female role models, which allows female Air Force intelligence officers to succeed and thrive in a traditionally male-dominated environment."--Abstract.

Download or read book Improving Demographic Diversity in the United States Air Force Officer Corps written by Nelson Lim and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Despite the Air Force's efforts to create a force that mirrors the racial, ethnic, and gender differences of the nation's population, minority groups and women are underrepresented in the active-duty line officer population, especially at senior levels (i.e., colonel and above). This report examines the reasons for this, with the goal of identifying potential policy responses. The authors analyzed data from multiple sources on Air Force eligibility, youths' intention to serve, accessions, retention, and promotion. A key finding is that African Americans and Hispanics are underrepresented in the Air Force compared with the nation's population mainly because they meet Air Force officer eligibility requirements at lower rates (e.g., they are much less likely than whites to have a college degree). Another reason for lower representation of minorities and women among senior leaders is that, once in the military, women and minorities are less likely to choose career fields that give them the highest potential to become senior leaders. In addition, female officers have lower retention rates than male officers, and the reasons for this are not clear. Finally, the authors comprehensively examined the Air Force promotion system and found no evidence to suggest it treats women and minorities differently than white men with similar records. The authors recommend that the Air Force should seek comparable quality across ethnic/minority groups in the accession processes, since competitiveness even at this stage is a predictor of promotion success. More racial/ethnic minorities and women who are cadets and officers should be in rated career fields, which have the highest promotion rates to the senior ranks."--Publisher's website.

Download or read book Identifying and Evaluating Potential Barriers and Discrimination Resulting from the Use of ma am in the United States Air Force written by Cory P. Stephenson and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 7 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "As of 2017, United States Air Force (AF) personnel included 258,978 enlisted Airmen, of whom 51,780 were women, and 62,640 officers, of whom 13,296 were women (Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, 2020). Both biological (sex-based) and cultural (gender-based) differences between the men and the women serving in the AF result in differing standards and treatment of those two groups. Some examples of where this can be seen are in the dress and appearance standards of Air Force Instruction (AFI) 36-2903 (2020), the fitness assessment charts of AFI 36-2905 (2013), and the customs and courtesies of AFI 34-1201 (2020). The AF should be concerned that unnecessary disparate treatment of men and women contributes to a culture and climate where women who are officers are subject to barriers that prevent them from progressing as far professionally as their peers who are men. Forms of address used by subordinates for officers, “sir” for men and “ma’am” for women, result in the sex of an officer being noted in every conversation that an officer has with a subordinate. Whether that results in any unlawful discrimination or barriers that women in the AF face should be explored and, if necessary, addressed."--Introduction.

Download or read book Hemorrhaging Her written by Anne-Marie Contreras and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The AF’s retention of female operators is at the forefront of its personnel issues. So far, the research on the retention of females in operations has focused on a multitude of survey analyses noting challenges in the difficulty of balancing a career and family, gender bias, and geographic instability. Although the AF has attempted to resolve some of these issues, it has not yet found success. This paper argues that the AF can improve the retention of female operators by addressing the problem through a capability gap investigation. Using a Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) analysis, this paper will identify new. At the tactical level, increasing the availability of female flight suits and female urinary devices, adopting the Army’s additional body armor sizes, and approving two-piece flight suit wear across all MAJCOMS can be implemented immediately. At the operational level, increasing female instructors at operator training bases, getting “two in the pool” as board members and nominees for selection boards, and maximizing simulator opportunities to maintain currency while pregnant or injured will take time, but must begin to be assessed now. Other recommendations such as eliminating the maximum number of females attending operator training, categorizing operator female and minority O-5s as high potential officers (HPOs), and improving bathroom facilities as a high interest item for new and upgrading major weapons systems (MWS) can be tackled in the near term. Finally, at the strategic level, increasing the number of female General Officers, reviewing anthropometric standards for MWS operator requirements, and updating the incentive pay program to counter pregnancy penalties must be addressed by senior leadership as soon as possible. It is time to go further and more quickly—allowing women to achieve as much as possible, for as long as possible, within the military system"--Abstract.

Download or read book Winning the Retention Wars the Air Force Women Officers and the Need for Transformation written by Lieutenant Colonel Usaf La Disilverio and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2012-09-25 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Air Force and the national defense mission are the big losers when talented individuals choose to separate early. Although specific separation figures are not available, analysis of the percentage of men and women by commissioned years of service in the Air Force indicates that women separate prior to retirement more frequently than men. The percentages of men and women remain steady through eh first four years, the typical period of post-commissioning commitment. By the fifth year, the number of women drops two percent, and by the following year, the number of women drops an additional four percent, with corresponding increases in the percentage of men. The percentage of women continues to decrease gradually through year twenty, the point of retirement eligibility. Having determined that women separate from the Air Force prior to retirement eligibility more often than men, Lt. Col. Laura DiSilverio wanted to find out why. The only people with the answers were the women who had separated, so the author developed a survey to elicit the reasons for separating. The results of this survey of 1,000 women appear in this paper. The first chapter demonstrates why the Air Force needs women. It makes the demographic case and presents research results showing the value of diversity in general and the value of women leaders in particular. The second chapter presents the survey results, analyzes why women separate from the Air Force, and lists the types of programs that might retain them. The final chapter looks at the feasibility of implementing some programs that might help the Air Force retain more of its talented members.

Download or read book Strategies for Increasing Female Navy Officer Retention written by Angela Holcombe Walker and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The complexity of the global environment, driven by rapid and profound change, requires a globally dominant fighting force. To adequately protect and defend the security of the United States, the Department of Defense must maintain warfighting superiority through innovation and diversity of thought (SECNAV, 2016; Scoppio, 2012). More than five years have passed since the 2011 Military Leadership Diversity Commission reported to President Obama and members of Congress that “top military leaders are representative neither of the population they serve nor of the forces they lead” (p. xvi). Females are underrepresented among senior military leadership. Increasing the number of female service members adds new competencies and improves the effectiveness of military operations (Egnell, 2013, 2016).Though women constitute more than half of the U.S. population, women represent only 17.3% of the U.S. military officer corps and a mere 6.7% of the upper most leadership flag ranks of admiral and general (DMDC, 2016a, 2016b; Howden & Meyer, 2011). Research reveals the moral and business case for gender diversity and the advantages of female leadership traits. Barriers to retention include actual and anticipated maternal separation anxiety linked to children and the general stresses linked to separation from children, family, and household. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe effective strategies for Navy officer mothers to embrace a long-term deployment thus enabling the choice to remain in the armed forces and thereby increasing female officer retention. Human capital theory (Becker, 1962, 1993), diversity management theory (Thomas,1991), and social role theory (Eagly, 1987) form the theoretical framework explaining the importance of investing in people, effectively managing diversity and inclusion, and exploring gender roles and associated stresses respectively. This study utilized interpretative phenomenological analysis to reveal mothers’ experience of leaving a child due to a military deployment. Appreciative inquiry formed the basis of assembling positive perspectives and strategies. Analysis identified themes and strategies to be shared with Navy leadership in an effort to improve female officer retention. Findings revealed role issues for deploying military mothers, the importance of the child’s age in creating deployment success, and the criticality of support networks"--Abstract.

Download or read book Changing Demographics and the Impact on Air Force Officer Retention written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Retention is a primary concern for the U.S. Air Force today, and the Air Force needs to explore all avenues of retention for its officers. The Air Force should carefully evaluate the impact of changing demographics on its officer retention. A review of the demographic studies performed by the Air Force Chaplain Office in the early 1980s and the National Families and Work Institute in 1997 reflect the trend towards an increasing concern for a work/life balance among both military members and their civilian counterparts. As the labor shortage for professional skills continues, the Air Force must look for innovative ways to retain its officers. The private sector leads the way with creative programs that are diversified enough to attract both the career professionals who aspire to be a CEO one day, and the career-family professionals who more highly value the balance of a strong family and successful career. Many of the programs begun by private industry are viable options for the Air Force; it only depends on how high a priority the Air Force places on retaining its professional corps. The Air Force should also consider adopting family support programs implemented by other armed forces, such as the Royal Australian Air Force. Improving family support programs is an important step in modifying the current career progression plan for officers. Implementing a dual-track career progression program will allow officers to choose options that provide a better career/family balance without sacrificing certain career success. This career flexibility, which has already proven successful in the private sector, will be one more strong factor in retaining quality officers.

Download or read book Opportunities for Women in the Air National Guard Are We On Track written by and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For years women have struggled to break through barriers shaped by traditions and myths. Although the military has historically been a masculine institution, substantial changes in the Armed Forces in recent decades, such as the All-Volunteer Force in 1973, have brought about gender integration and increasing numbers of women serving in the military. This paper examines the advances female officers have made from approximately 1976 through 1996 in the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserves and active duty Air Force. The paper makes a serious attempt to determine whether or not women officers in the Air National Guard have the same promotion opportunities and leadership positions available to them as female officers in the Air Force Reserves and the active duty Air Force. While analyzing promotion and advancement opportunities of Air National Guard female officers, the paper compares these findings to female officers in both the active duty Air Force and Air Force Reserves. Several tables and graphs show statistics from 1976 through 1996 on female officer rank distribution, career fields, leadership positions, and corps growth. Findings show the Air National Guard has expanded its emphasis on female officers opportunities in all career fields, indicating major reversals from policies of two decades ago. The Air Force Reserve field grade and company grade officer female percentage rates were much greater than the active duty and Air National Guard, which were similar. In 1996, the Air Force Reserves had the highest female/male officer ratio, with the active duty second, and the Air National Guard last. The final chapter identifies common trends among the three services, trends specific to the Air National Guard which affect the female officer corps, and recommendations for future studies.

Download or read book Balancing Gender Representation written by Joseph LaSalle and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This research seeks to investigate strategies to increase female retention rates in the Air Force. It does this by providing background of the problem with three reports: 2020: GAO Report on Female Active-Duty Personnel, September 2021: Department of the Air Force Inspector General’s office Disparity Report on Gender, and November 2021: Addendum of the Department of the Air Force Inspector General’s September 2021 Disparity Report. Lastly, the author provides recommendations. The following are the author’s recommendations: lead advocacy to expedite restarting and securing diverse membership to the Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS), the creation of the Air Force ad hoc committee within DACOWITS to provide recommendations on the most recent disparity reports, creation of a standardized Diversity and Inclusion competencies framework that is enforceable, expansion of the miscellaneous separation code, and an annual status report on the progress of current changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice signed into law by the President."--Abstract.

Download or read book Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government written by United States Government Accountability Office and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2019-03-24 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Policymakers and program managers are continually seeking ways to improve accountability in achieving an entity's mission. A key factor in improving accountability in achieving an entity's mission is to implement an effective internal control system. An effective internal control system helps an entity adapt to shifting environments, evolving demands, changing risks, and new priorities. As programs change and entities strive to improve operational processes and implement new technology, management continually evaluates its internal control system so that it is effective and updated when necessary. Section 3512 (c) and (d) of Title 31 of the United States Code (commonly known as the Federal Managers? Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA)) requires the Comptroller General to issue standards for internal control in the federal government.

Download or read book Removing Hidden Barriers Using CHAT to Examine How Women Shape Their Military Experience written by Kyle Bellue and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using Critical Military Studies (Basham & Bulmer, 2017; Duncanson & Woodward, 2016), this exploratory case study analysis describes how women officers made sense of their gendered experience within the military, and uses agency, as defined by Post-structural feminism (Davies and Gannon, 2005), to highlight how women are shaped by their environment. The purpose was to both observe how women officers perceived military gender beliefs and practices and analyze how those perceptions shaped how they learn to participate in the military, as well as to analyze how those experiences helped them reshape gender beliefs and practices within the military. I also used Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) (Engestrm, 1996, 2001, 2014; Sawchuk, 2003) to describe how women officers learn to participate within the military by observing their actions and motives within their overall activity of becoming an officer and then observing the resolution of contradictions found within that activity. I observed six U. S. Air Force women officers attending Air Command and Staff College. Even though the U. S. Air Force recently removed barriers for women seeking to work in careers historically offered only to men, women described several hidden barriers to their participation that continued to thrive within the military culture. This forced women to perform adaptive acts of resistance like avoidance and acceptance, as well as over-preparing and over-excelling, which could have long-term impacts that could distance men and women officer more from each other and discourage inclusivity. If the U. S. Air Force intends to formulate policy regarding the removal of barriers, it needs to also address cultural barriers that sometimes remain hidden yet are deeply rooted in the cultural expectations of what it means to be a member of the military forces..

Download or read book An Analysis of Retention Issues of Scientists Engineers and Program Managers in the US Air Force written by Derek William Beck and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States Air Force is having a difficult time retaining their technical officers, who are critical to the success of their research, development, and acquisitions of major military and defense systems. A statistical analysis is conducted on survey data collected, and the analysis seeks to explain the reasons why officers, mostly junior in rank, leave the Air Force after only a short time on active duty. This retention problem leads to fewer higher-ranking officers, since the military only hires from the bottom up. Results of the research show that about 47% of junior officers have intent to leave the Air Force after their initial commitment, which is 4 to 5 years. With nearly half of the Air Force's incoming officer leaving after their initial commitment, the problem is very serious. Job satisfaction and the closely related Air Force assignment system are shown to be the primary problems for junior officer retention. The thesis concludes with recommendations to Air Force leadership on where to focus their retention efforts. Special emphasis is given on how the Air Force may address tangible components of job satisfaction. Policy change recommendations that affect satisfaction levels with the assignment system are also given.

Download or read book Advancement and Retention Barriers in the U S Air Force Civilian White Collar Workforce written by Kirsten M. Keller and published by . This book was released on 2021-07-31 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Air Force experiences challenges in maintaining a demographically diverse civilian workforce. This report documents the results of a study designed to better understand the challenges that Air Force civilian women, racial/ethnic minorities, and individuals with disabilities in General Schedule (GS) (and equivalent) positions may face in advancing to higher pay grades as well as factors they consider when deciding whether to remain with the Air Force. The study analyzed Air Force personnel data to identify demographic differences in advancement and retention patterns and conducted focus groups and interviews with close to 300 participants to better understand potential advancement and retention barriers. The report describes key findings related to differences in advancement and retention and provides recommendations for potential changes to Air Force policies and practices to help grow and retain civilian talent from across all demographics.