{"id":45733,"date":"2019-04-18T21:00:08","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T21:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/04\/18\/why-do-so-many-women-leave-the-coast-guard\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:48:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:48:03","slug":"why-do-so-many-women-leave-the-coast-guard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/04\/18\/why-do-so-many-women-leave-the-coast-guard\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do so many women leave the Coast Guard?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new study offers few definitive conclusions for why fewer women choose to stay in the Coast Guard compared to men, but it offers several reasons why they want to get out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report<\/a>, released a few weeks ago by the non-profit RAND Corporation<\/a>, was commissioned by the Coast Guard and is the first study in nearly 30 years to look at women in the service\u2019s ranks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fewer female enlisted or officer Coast Guard members make a career in the service or even stick around at the four-year or 10-year mark, according to the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compared to their male counterparts, 12 percent fewer female Coasties will stay in the service after a decade in uniform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 23 percent of male officers will serve a 25-year career in the Coast Guard, while 15 percent of women officers will do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the enlisted side, just 5 percent of women will serve 25 years, while 12 percent of their male counterparts hit that point, according to the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A new study attempts to account for why the Coast Guard struggles to retain women in the ranks. (Image courtesy RAND Corporation).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Coast Guard\u2019s Office of Diversity and Inclusion commissioned the survey to ferret out root causes behind lower retention rates of women and to get recommendations on how to fix that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s part of an effort started last year by the service to look at challenges affecting the workforce in general. A final plan and report are expected next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At his annual State of the Coast Guard address last month, Adm. Karl Schultz<\/a> pointed to several changes already in the works, including revamping the regs that disqualify single-parent enlistments, loosening weight standards and easing tattoo restrictions, part of a larger effort to convince more women to say in the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re small ripples that will lead to a groundswell of cultural change,\u201d Schultz said. \u201cInclusion allows for development of the critical bonds that will put us on a course to mission success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rand\u2019s study cautions there are no \u201csilver bullet\u201d solutions to the retention woes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the achievements of women in the military, the services largely remain a boy\u2019s club, and the 164 focus groups with 1,010 Coast Guard members interviewed for the study revealed women voicing concerns about problems shared with women in the other armed forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Issues raised included having to tolerate inappropriate comments uttered by male peers, who also exclude women from group activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome reported that, when a woman does interact with male peers, she can be subjected to rumors of engaging in a sexual relationship, with any stigma being placed on her, not him,\u201d the study states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coast Guard women also raised sexual harassment and assault problems as reasons for lower retention rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome participants commented that units with only one or two women assigned and units in remote, isolated environments also tended to experience sexual harassment or assault more often than other units,\u201d the study states.<\/p>\n\n\n\t