Gender Composition and Group Cohesion in U.S. Army Units: A Comparision across Five Studies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between gender composition and group cohesion in U.S. Army combat support and combat service support units. Five studies were compared in this analysis, including survey data obtained in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm; in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope; in Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy; and in two garrison samples. A higher percentage of women in the unit was strongly associated with lower horizontal cohesion in the Somalia sample, and there was a much smaller association between these variables in the Persian Gulf sample. This relationship was present only among junior enlisted soldiers in one of the garrison surveys but was absent in the other garrison survey and in the Haiti sample. In most cases, a higher percentage of women was associated with lower cohesion. Possible reasons for differences across studies in the strength of the association may include gender differences in support for the mission and differences in deployment circumstances.