UMD Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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    A MIXED METHODS STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF GENDER INTEGRATION ON PERCEPTIONS OF WOMEN IN U.S. ARMY COMBAT UNITS
    (2022) Miller, Catherine J.; Reuter, Peter H; Kleykamp, Meredith A; Public Policy; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    In 2013, the Ground Combat Exclusion Policy (GCEP) for the United States military was eliminated, and in December 2015 Secretary of Defense Ash Carter opened all ground combat military specialties and positions to women without exceptions. Using primary survey data that I collected in 2021 from the 33 active-duty Army brigade combat teams (BCTs), this dissertation explores the effects of exposure to serving with women on male opinions about gender integration in the combat arms, perceptions of women’s capabilities (physical fitness and mental toughness), and predicted effects of gender integration on unit cohesion and unit performance in the formerly all-male Infantry and Armor branches of the Army. This mixed methods study explores the following question: To what extent does exposure to serving with female soldiers and officers in combat units help explain differences in male support for gender integration, and perceptions about its effects? Since the policy change is fairly new, a natural experiment in military assignments provided an opportunity to learn about how exposure impacts male soldier opinions in formerly all-male units. Women have been assigned in clusters to some Army Infantry and Armor units but not others due to their small numbers. At the time of the survey, there was still significant variation in exposure to serving with women in Infantry and Armor units, so exposure is examined as a treatment variable to determine if male opinions differ by unit level of exposure. The women in these newly integrated units, as well as the men and women in the associated combat support units that have been gender integrated for decades, are also included in the analysis for comparison. The findings demonstrate that the presence of women within a formerly all-male Infantry or Armor platoon or squad, and exposure to a female leader, predict that a male respondent is significantly more likely to support gender integration in the combat arms, perceive that female soldiers in their units are physically fit and mentally tough enough to be effective in their military jobs, and is less likely to worry about gender integration effects on unit cohesion and performance.
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    Assessing Gender Equity in the Workplace: A Case Study
    (2015) Wahl, Mary Grace; Garza, Mary A; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Background: Women currently represent 47 percent of the workforce, and these rates have been steadily climbing since the 1970s. The presence of gender discrimination in the workforce has been documented and measured, although not extensively, in the form of qualitative and quantitative studies, court cases, and legislation passed. There has been even less effort focused on its reciprocal, the fostering of gender equity in the workplace. This study examines staff perceptions of gender equity in the workplace, both in the office setting and in the overseas programmatic efforts of the organization. Methods: The organization in the case study, Lutheran World Relief, is a small-scale faith-based international development organization, and the study population is its domestically-based staff located at its headquarters office. This study utilizes a cross-sectional quantitative methods approach by conducting an anonymous survey. Results/Summary: The survey had a 53% staff response rate. This study showed that the organization's staff have overall positive perceptions of its gender equitable workplace culture as well as its programmatic efforts overseas. Main areas of improvement include financial resources allocated for gender integration and improving technical capacity of staff. The study results will guide the organizations' efforts to improve its office culture and programmatic efforts, and this organization sets a strong example of the importance of organization-wide reflection around and prioritizing of gender equity.