Female and Male Air Force Student Pilots: Attitudes toward Mixed-GenderSquadrons, Career Issues, and Combat Flying

摘要

Air Force officers beginning pilot training were surveyed regarding theiropinions and attitudes toward their flying and military careers. Differences between women and men were found in long term goals, opinions regarding mixed-gender squadrons, POW concerns, and combat attitudes. Of particular interest are the facts that a large percentage of men believe that work situations will be worsened by the inclusion of women and that a large percentage of women believe flying in combat should be optional. Background: The integration of women into military aviation roles has largely been dictated by administrative action. The U. S. Army Aviation Flight Program was opened to women in 1973 (Voge and King, 1996), the U. S. Air Force began training women to be pilots and navigators in 1976 (Jones, 1983), and the U. S. Navy began training women to be naval flight officers in 1979 (Baisden, 1992). In 1993, many of the restrictions on women flying combat missions have also been lifted (U. S. Government Printing Office, 1992). These changes have occurred mostly for socio-political reasons, and many questions regarding the impact of these changes have not been answered.