Gender norming

Gender norming is the practice of judging female military applicants or recruits, or female employees or job applicants in the civilian workforce, by less stringent standards than their male counterparts. This is sometimes seen as a useful and effective affirmative action policy, to increase the proportion of women in male-dominated professions, particular the US military's officer corps. Physical standards are lowered, taking into account the lesser (average) upper-body strength of women, and "fitness" in particular is determined in relation to the average woman, hence the term "norm" referring to the average woman.

The US military has adopted gender norming at West Point, calling it a system of "equivalent training". This has the objective of ensuring that positions are filled with a gender-balanced mix, and requires that women are given less physically challenging tests than men to attain the same fitness rating.

Male Marines must complete a fifteen-mile march carrying a forty-pound pack and weapons in five hours, while women must march ten miles with twenty-five pounds and no weapons in three and a half hours. The U.S. Marine Corps also has used a hand grenade that only 45 percent of females can throw far enough so they are not injured by its explosion.

Opponent of gender norming, Walter E. Williams, wrote, "Officers who insist that females be held accountable to the same high standards as males are seen by higher brass as obstructionist and risk their careers".

Books and Other Resources Dealing with Gender Norming

"CONSTRUCTING THE CO-ED MILITARY" DUKE JOURNAL OF GENDER LAW & POLICY, Volume 14:815 2007 Elaine Donnelly This 138 page paper examines the political and ideological background surrounding the development of a co-ed military as well as the impact the rapid influx of women into the military has had.

Weak Link: The Feminization of the American Military July, 1989 by Brian Mitchell

More recent books by the same author are available, but this book does give a meticulously researched and detailed view of the rational for increasing the percentage of women in the military from about 3 percent in 1972 to about 14 percent today. Describes the issues surrounding the integration of the service academies and the dramatic lowering of standards to ensure that gender diversity goals were met.

Women in the Military: Flirting With Disaster December 1, 1997 by Brian Mitchell

This books is a follow up to Brian Mitchell's 1989 book, Weak Link: The Feminization of the American Military. In this book Brian Williams lays out the case that boosting participation of women in the military by implementing gender-normed standard and giving preferential treatment to women has severely damaged military readiness and capability.

A Kindler, Gentler Military: How Political Correctness Affects Our Ability to Win Wars 2001, by Stephanie Gutman As part of research for this book Ms. Gutmann visited boot camps, army bases, naval ships; speaking spoke with officers, sergeants, sailors, airmen, and soldiers. What she found and reported was a reality being ignored by politically correct politicians, news media and officers: an institution in turmoil. Gutmann lays out why the destruction of the military warrior culture to make it more pleasant place for women i putting our future war-fighting capabilities at risk. A good summary of the book by Dr. Marian Horvat can be found here http://www.traditioninaction.org/bkreviews/A_010br_KinderMilitary.htm.

"The Cowardly Push to Get Women Into Combat" by Mark Thompson Time Magazine July 25, 2013

This article makes the case that the move to push women into combat roles is motivated by politics and ideology with military effectiveness being almost completely ignored.

See also

• Affirmative action
• Equal opportunity