Off The Grid: Marine Corps Study Finding All-Male Units Outperform Mixed-Gender Units Sparks Debate

Lawmakers have ordered a briefing with those involved with the Marine Corps study that claimed all-male units outperform units including women.

A recent Marine Corps study stating all-male combat units perform better than combats including women, has sparked debate and a lawmaker briefing.

This news comes just as the Pentagon is preparing to open all combat jobs to women. Representative Susan Davis said in a statement:

"We will be gathering folks together who have been part of that study and having a briefing on it soon.”

The Marine study pointed out females in the mixed-gender unit were slower, less accurate in their shooting and more easily injured than the all-male group.

Founder and program director for “Soldier’s Heart” who advocate for women in combat told USA Today the study published in early September doesn’t question the military culture itself— suggesting men might not perform well with women. She also added women have to put up with sexual harassment by fellow troops, denying the credibility of where the study came from.

In a similar point, representative Martha McSally said lawmakers have not seen the study, but she has concerns the study is biased as female marines felt they were thrown under the bus, according to The Hill.

The military services have until the end of September to request an exception to the order on whether any combat jobs should remain closed to women.

Written by

Kanika Lal

Kanika Lal moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career as a host, writer, and producer. She currently works for Ora TV’s NewsBreaker where she constantly keeps up with the latest stories, writes, and broadcasts them from Ora studios. Kanika began her love for journalism at The Hollywood Reporter as a digital news producer and red carpet correspondent. She had the honor of interviewing Anderson Cooper, John Mayer, Cate Blanchett, and covered the 71st Annual Golden Globes. After a rewarding and solid year, she then took her skills a step closer to her passion: hosting. You can catch her recapping television shows under Maria Menounos’ AfterBuzz TV as well as hosting and producing a Bollywood show for Menounos’ Popcorn Talk network. Kanika thrives on self-expression, and she achieves that through Indian classical and contemporary dance as well as hip-hop. She also has small but growing acting credits under her name, as she strives to branch out creatively. Kanika thrives on discovering hidden stories and engaging with a variety of people. She hopes to have an influence in the world of arts, pop culture, politics, and science.

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