Gender Issues: Pioneer Program Promotes Respect, Dignity
By Master Sgt. Heather Stanton, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. —
The Cadet Wing is a year into a pioneer program that discusses the benefits of gender diversity and equality within the Air Force.
“This program is a first among service academies, developed to continue the Air Force’s focus on respect for human dignity,” said Capt. Heather Morris, the program’s officer in charge.
The Gender Forum program began in the fall of 2015, expanding upon the Women’s Forums, to increase gender equality while reducing implicit factors of gender bias and hyper-masculinity.
“A few years ago when I was an Academy flight instructor, a “women’s forum” was initiated to offer female cadets an opportunity to ask questions about gender issues, most specifically geared toward the pilot career field,” said Lt. Col. Lisa Neener, volunteer permanent party facilitator and pilot.
Neener said in the past women may decline a pilot slot for various reasons, including the challenges of balancing their service commitment with their desire to have children. Now, the Air Force offers a longer convalescent maternity leave and the opportunity to apply for the Career Intermission Program.
“As a mom of three children and a pilot my entire career, it was important to me to convey the message that, while not always easy, it can be done,” she said.
The discussions are broken down based on class year.
“The fourth class cadet Gender Forum builds awareness on the social and cultural development of gender and the impact it has on individual behavior, personal values and followership,” Morris said. “Female cadets focus on women’s issues within the Academy and overcoming unique challenges for female cadets, while the male cadets focus on understanding the social pressures of hyper-masculinity and the negative impacts of these attributes in leadership within a diverse military environment.”
The forums designed for third class cadets build awareness on how gender impacts interpersonal relationships with a focus on treating wingmen with respect and dignity, according to Morris.
“An additional focus of this Gender Forum is to foster understanding of how gender impacts interactions with others, including leaders and followers,” Morris said.
Both the fourth and third class cadet forums are separated based on gender to allow for open and honest discussion. However, second and first class cadet discussions are co-ed to relate to active duty military matters and personal life development.
“The second and first class discussions further awareness on gender, individually and inter-personally, with an additional focus on group cohesiveness and cooperation, and build awareness on organizational gender-related issues,” Morris said.
Cadet attendees believe the Gender Forums are relevant to all cadets who will be the Air Force’s future leaders.
“The topics are relevant to being at the Academy and being a woman in the Air Force and how to cope with some of the things we might face,” said Cadet 4th Class Grace Orahood. “I think it was interesting to talk about all the perceptions we know about, and how they relate to being in the Air Force and the Academy as a woman. The new part was learning about it from this perspective. You learn a lot about societal perception but it was really interesting to see how it applies here. We can use what we learn here and carry it on with us and hopefully help people in the future.”
According to Neener, the cadets seem to benefit from the discussions.
“The cadets I engaged with all offered opinions on stereotypes, as well as feelings and descriptions of what it might be like to not conform to society’s view of women,” Neener said. “I think they appreciated the conversation and knowing that the Air Force takes these issues seriously. While the military has made huge efforts to eliminate these biases, they still exist and members need to be armed with the tools to identify and handle situations.”
The forums are mandatory for all cadets. There are eight sessions scheduled during the fall.