The Gender Power Structure of the U.S. Military: A Feminist Institutionalism Analysis

This thesis provides a feminist institutionalism analysis of the gendered power structure of the U.S. military. It argues that femininity is placed in a disadvantaged position to masculinity in the U.S. Armed Forces, even as formal policies evolve and move the U.S. military toward formal gender equality. This thesis utilises aspects of new institutionalism theory to analyse how institutional change has occurred in respect to the gender power structure. It explicates processes of change that have occurred in the U.S. military and highlights the role of both agency and structure in the evolution of the institution. It also explores what factors of the institution continue to discriminate against women in order to explain why more change has not yet occurred, as of 2013. In order to evaluate the above issues, this thesis draws on data from interview and survey respondents to explicate their experiences in order to provide a clear picture of the masculine-oriented informal norms of the U.S. military institution. It also provides a case study of sexual assault in the military to evaluate the tension between stagnant informal norms and advancing formal policies. This thesis argues that the disadvantaged status of women in the U.S. military can be explained by evaluating the past formal policies and informal norms and values of the U.S. Armed Forces.