McKinnon / Harrell This project supports the dissertation research of an anthropology student from the University of Virginia, studying the change in the culture of the US military brought about by changes in gender and marital roles in US society. The student will study how the military is reacting to changes from the old system where officers were expected to be married and officers' wives were expected to provide vitally important but unpaid services to advance their husband's career, while enlisted men were expected to be unmarried. In the contemporary military, officers and enlisted personnel are no longer all male; officers' wives may tend to pursue their own careers and be less willing to perform volunteer services for the military, and many enlisted personnel are married. Using anthropological techniques of participant observation, structured long interviews and formal life history interviews, at two army bases focusing on one battalion at each base, the student will examine the challenge and the personal as well as institutional response to changing gender and class roles. This research is important because it will advance our understanding of how the military is coping with social change. In addition it will help train a young social scientist.
