Career Decisions: Walking the Tightrope, Marriage and Motherhood Issues Facing Today's Female Senior Officers

摘要

To understand the role of women in the Air Force of the future it is important to look at the past and present. Factors women in the military deal with when choosing the Air Force as a career range from competing primarily in a man's world, to fighting for the sovereignty of the United States in a potential armed conflict. The role of women in the Air Force continues to evolve since the 1970s when women began to readily choose the Air Force as a career. As in the civilian work force, the arrival of women on the career scene mandated an awareness of two critical social factors which affect the majority of women marriage and childbirth. It is important for senior officers to review and thoroughly understand these two sociological factors and why this has a significant impact on the Air Force. It is my inclination these two factors, which are in fact personal choices, have more of an impact on the progression of women in the Air Force, than that of any professional barriers such as sex discrimination. An objective analysis of this subject attempts to validate and further explain this theory, thereby providing additional insights and recommendations for Air Force leaders.