Overview Report

2016 Workplace and Gender
Relations Survey of Active Duty
Members
Overview Report

Additional copies of this report may be obtained from:
Defense Technical Information Center
ATTN: DTIC-BRR
8725 John J. Kingman Rd., Suite #0944
Ft. Belvoir, VA 22060-6218
Or from:
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/order.html
Ask for report by DTIC # AD1032638

OPA Report No. 2016-050
May 2017

2016 WORKPLACE AND GENDER RELATIONS
SURVEY OF ACTIVE DUTY MEMBERS

Ms. Lisa Davis, Ms. Amanda Grifka, Ms. Kristin Williams, and Ms. Margaret Coffey, editors

Office of People Analytics (OPA)
Defense Research, Surveys, and Statistics Center
4800 Mark Center Drive, Suite 06E22, Alexandria, VA 22350-4000

2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members

2017

Acknowledgments
The Office of People Analytics (OPA) is indebted to numerous people for their assistance with
the 2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members (2016 WGRA), which
was conducted on behalf of Major General Camille Nichols, Director, DoD Sexual Assault
Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO).
Policy officials contributing to the development of this survey include Dr. Nathan Galbreath
(Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness, Sexual Assault Prevention
and Response Office) and Ms. Shirley Raguindin (Office of the Under Secretary of Defense,
Personnel and Readiness, Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity). Service
officials contributing to the development and administration of this assessment include Dr.
Jessica Gallus (Army), Dr. Paul Garst (Department of Navy, SAPRO), Mr. Paul Rosen and Ms.
Kimberly Lahm (Navy), Ms. Melissa Cohen and Dr. Jessica Zabecki (Marine Corps), Mr. James
Thompson and Ms. Aileen Richards (Air Force).

OPA Research Team
Principal Investigator
Elizabeth P. Van Winkle, Ph.D. a
Project Management
Kristin Williams, Division Director a
Maia Hurley, Ph.D., Team Lead a
Lisa Davis, Survey Lead a

Survey & Analysis Team
a

Lisa Davis
Amanda Grifka c
Laura Severance, Ph.D. b
Ashlea M. Klahr, Ph.D. b
Jason Debus, Ph.D. b
Ron Vega, Ph.D. b
Joe Luchman, Ph.D. b
James Khun b
Samantha Daniel, Ph.D. a
a

Office of People Analytics
Fors Marsh Group
c
Abt SRBI
d
Westat
b

ii | OPA

Data Operations & Processing Team
Margaret Coffey, Operations Lead
Mary Padilla b
Michael Siebel b
Hunter Peebles b
William (Xav) Klauberg b
Kimberly Hylton b
David Lee a
Sue Reinhold a

a

Statistical Analysis & Weighting Team
Dave McGrath, Branch Chief a
Eric Falk, Lead a
Jeff Schneider a
Jeff McLeod b
Bob Fay, Ph.D. d
Minsun Riddles, Ph.D. d

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Table of Authors
Section/Chapter
Executive Summary

Author(s)

Page

Ms. Lisa Davis, Dr. Elizabeth P. Van
Winkle, and Dr. Laura Severance

v

Ms. Lisa Davis and Ms. Amanda Grifka

1

Ms. Lisa Davis, Mr. Eric Falk, and Mr. Jeff
Schneider

19

Chapter 3:
Estimated Sexual Assault Prevalence
Rates

Ms. Lisa Davis and Ms. Amanda Grifka

31

Chapter 4:
One Situation of Sexual Assault with
Biggest Effect

Ms. Lisa Davis and Ms. Amanda Grifka

51

Chapter 5:
Reporting the One Situation of Sexual
Assault

Ms. Lisa Davis and Ms. Amanda Grifka

103

Chapter 6:
Sex-Based Military Equal Opportunity
(MEO) Violations

Ms. Amanda Grifka

143

Ms. Amanda Grifka and Ms. Lisa Davis

165

Mr. Michael Siebel and Ms. Amanda
Grifka

217

Mr. Hunter Peebles, Ms. Amanda Grifka,
and Ms. Lisa Davis

231

Mr. William Xav Klauberg, Ms. Lisa
Davis, Ms. Amanda Grifka, and Mr.
Michael Siebel

285

Dr. Laura Severance, Dr. Jason Debus, and
Ms. Lisa Davis

313

Chapter 1:
Introduction
Chapter 2:
Survey Methodology

Chapter 7:
One Situation of Sex-Based Military
Equal Opportunity (MEO) Violation
With the Biggest Effect
Chapter 8:
Training on Topics Related to Sexual
Assault and Sexual Harassment
Chapter 9:
Military Workplace Climate
Chapter 10:
Perceptions of Unwanted GenderRelated Behaviors in the Military
Chapter 11:
An Analysis of Men Who Indicate
Experiencing Sexual Assault

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2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members
Chapter 12:
The Continuum of Harm: Workplace
Factors and Unwanted Gender-Related
Behaviors in Association With Sexual
Assault
Chapter 13:
Additional Descriptive Analyses and
Future Directions

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Dr. Ashlea Klahr, Dr. Jason Debus, and Dr.
Laura Severance

345

Ms. Lisa Davis, Dr. Ronald P. Vega, and
Mr. Jeffrey McLeod

355

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Executive Summary
Ms. Lisa Davis, Dr. Elizabeth P. Van Winkle, and Dr. Laura Severance
To address unwanted gender-related issues in the military, each of the Services and DoD has
implemented and expanded sexual assault and sexual harassment programs to provide reporting
options and survivor care procedures. Continuing evaluation of these programs through crosscomponent surveys is important to reducing instances of sexual assault and sexual harassment of
military members. This report presents findings from the 2016 Workplace and Gender Relations
Survey of Active Duty Members (2016 WGRA), a key source of information for evaluating these
programs and for assessing the gender relations environment across the Services.

Study Background and Methodology
Study Background
The Defense Research, Surveys, and Statistics Center (RSSC), within the Office of People
Analytics (OPA) 1, has been conducting the congressionally-mandated gender relations surveys
of active duty members since 1988 as part of a quadrennial cycle of human relations surveys
outlined in Title 10 U. S. Code Section 481. Past surveys of this population were conducted by
OPA in 1988, 1995, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2012. At the request of Congress, the RAND
Corporation conducted the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study (2014 RMWS) of military
members (both the active duty and Reserve components) to provide an independent assessment
of unwanted gender-related behaviors in the military force. The measures for sexual assault and
Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) violations developed by RAND for use in the 2014 RMWS
will be used in Workplace and Gender Relations (WGR) surveys hereafter.
The ability to estimate annual prevalence rates is a distinguishing feature of this survey. Results
are included for estimated prevalence rates of sexual assault and Military Equal Opportunity
(MEO) violations pertaining to sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Historically, to
measure sexual assault, OPA’s WGR surveys have used a measure of Unwanted Sexual Contact
(USC) on surveys conducted in 2006, 2010, and 2012 of active duty members and 2008 and
2012 of Reserve component members. Although the term “USC” does not appear in the UCMJ,
it is used to refer to a range of activities that the UCMJ prohibits, including uninvited and
unwelcome completed or attempted sexual intercourse, sodomy (oral or anal sex), penetration by
an object, and the unwanted touching of genitalia and other sexually related areas of the body.
As originally developed, the goal of the USC measure was to act as a proxy for “sexual assault”
while balancing the emotional burden to the respondent. The intention of the USC measure was
not to provide a crime victimization rate in this regard, but to provide the Department with
information about military men and women who indicated experiencing behaviors prohibited by
the UCMJ consistent with sexual assault and would qualify the individual to receive Sexual
Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) support services.

1

Prior to 2016, the Defense Research Surveys, and Statistics Center resided within the Defense Manpower Data
Center (DMDC). In 2016, DHRA reorganized and moved RSSC under the newly established Office of People
Analytics (OPA).

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2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members

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In 2014, Congressional leaders requested that the Department update their survey metrics to be
more specific with regard to the types of crimes experienced by military members. This new
measure of sexual assault aligns with the language used in the elements of proof required for
sexual assault under Article 120, UCMJ, and meets the requirements of Congress. In 2014, the
Department contracted with RAND to conduct a large-scale survey of active duty and Reserve
component members on issues of sexual assault. RAND developed this new measure of sexual
assault which incorporates UCMJ-prohibited behaviors and consent factors to derive estimated
prevalence rates of crimes committed against Service members. While the terms and acts in this
sexual assault measure are anatomical and more graphic, RAND had reported the measures
provide a reliable estimate of sexual assault. As experiences of behaviors are self-reported on
surveys, such experiences may or may not have been investigated, therefore, conclusions that a
crime occurred may not be made.
To evaluate the differences between the previous USC metric and the new sexual assault metric,
researchers at RAND fielded two versions of the survey: one using the USC question (the 2014
Workplace and Gender Relations Survey) and one using a newly constructed crime victimization
measure aligned with the specific legal definitions of sexual assault and abusive sexual contact as
delineated in the UCMJ (2014 RAND Military Workplace Survey [2014 RMWS]). Using both
measures, and weighting up to the full population for both, they found the estimated rate using
the USC question and the estimated rate using a sexual assault crime index were not significantly
different. The new sexual assault measure was approved by the Secretary of Defense and the
Service Chiefs as the crime victimization measure of sexual assault for DoD and was
incorporated on the 2016 WGRA.2 Chapter 1 of this report provides additional information on
the construction of the sexual assault metric and how follow up questions allow for construction
of an estimated crime rate.
In 2014, RAND also developed new measures of sex-based MEO experiences for the 2014
RMWS that were designed to align with criteria for a DoD-based MEO violation. RAND
developed the new measures of MEO violations that incorporate behaviors and follow-up criteria
to derive estimated prevalence rates. The new measure provides an estimated prevalence rate of
sexual harassment, which includes behaviors that may be consistent with a sexually hostile work
environment and/or sexual quid pro quo, and gender discrimination.3 Chapter 1 provides
additional information on the construction of these metrics.
Survey Methodology
OPA conducts DoD cross-component surveys that provide leadership with assessments of
attitudes, opinions, and experiences of the entire population of interest using standard scientific
methods. OPA’s survey methodology meets industry standards that are used by government
statistical agencies (e.g., the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics), private survey
2

As a new sexual assault measure was used in 2014 and 2016, direct comparisons between survey years prior to
2014 are not possible. Although direct comparisons are not possible, the top-line estimates between the new
measure and the old USC measure are statistically similar as found by the RAND Corporation in their 2014 bridge
study.
3
As experiences of behaviors are self-reported on surveys, such experiences may or may not have been investigated,
therefore, conclusions that a crime occurred may not be made.

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organizations, and well-known polling organizations. OPA adheres to the survey methodology
best practices promoted by the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) for
all scientifically constructed surveys.4
Although OPA has used industry standard scientific survey methodology for many years, it is
important to clarify how scientific practices employed by large survey organizations control for
bias and allow for generalizability to populations. Appendix C contains frequently asked
questions (FAQs) on the methods employed by government and private survey agencies,
including OPA. The survey methodology used on prior WGR surveys has remained largely
consistent across time, which allows for comparisons across survey administrations. In addition,
the scientific methods used by OPA have been validated by independent organizations (e.g.,
RAND, GAO).5 The methodology for selecting the 2016 WGRA sample, based on a stratified
random sampling, is the same as in prior years. However, the methodology used for weighting
the respondents to the population is different. To maintain comparability, OPA used the
generalized boosted models (GBM) used by RAND for this administration, which adjusts for
nonresponse by predicting responses to key survey measures (e.g. sexual assault) on the survey
as well as predicting survey response. Additional details about the complex weighting can be
found in Chapter 2 of the report and in the 2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of
Active Duty Members: Statistical Methodology Report (OPA, 2016a).
Data were collected between July 22 and October 14, 2016. The survey procedures were
reviewed by a DoD Human Subjects Protection Officer as part of the DoD survey approval and
licensing process. Additionally, OPA received a Certificate of Confidentiality from the Health
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at the Department of Health and Human
Services to ensure the respondent data are protected.6
The target population for the 2016 WGRA consisted of active duty members from the Army,
Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard who were below flag rank and had been on
active duty for approximately five months.7 Single-stage, nonproportional stratified random
sampling procedures were used in the 2016 WGRA for the DoD Services. A census of the Coast
Guard was taken for this survey as they have a small population.
4

AAPOR’s “Best Practices” state that, “virtually all surveys taken seriously by social scientists, policy makers, and
the informed media use some form of random or probability sampling, the methods of which are well grounded in
statistical theory and the theory of probability” (http://aapor.org/Best_Practices1/4081.htm#best3). OPA has
conducted surveys of the military and DoD community using these “Best Practices” for over 25 years, tailored as
appropriate for the unique design needs of specific surveys.
5
In 2014 an independent analysis of the methods used for a 2012 survey on gender relations in the active duty force,
which aligns with methods used in the 2016 WGRA, determined that “[OPA] relied on standard, well accepted, and
scientifically justified approaches to survey sampling and derivation of survey results as reported for the 2012
WGRA.” (Morral, Gore, & Schell, 2014, p. 3). In 2010, GAO conducted an evaluation of OPA’s methods. While
they found the sampling and weighting procedures aligned with industry standards and were reliable for constructing
estimates, recommendations on conducting non-response bias analyses were accepted by OPA and are now standard
products for OPA surveys (GAO-10-751R Human Capital).
6
This Certificate of Confidentiality means that OPA cannot be forced to disclose information that may identify
study participants in any federal, state, or local civil, criminal, administrative, legislative, or other proceedings.
7
The sampling frame was developed five months prior to fielding the survey. Therefore, the sampling population
including those active duty members with approximately five months of service at the start of survey fielding.

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OPA sampled a total of 735,329 active duty service members. Surveys were completed by
151,010 active duty members. The weighted response rate for the 2016 WGRA was 24%, which
is typical for large DoD-wide surveys.
OPA scientifically weights the survey data so findings can be generalized to the full population
of active duty members. Within this process, statistical adjustments are made so that the sample
more accurately reflects the characteristics of the population from which it was drawn. This
ensures that the oversampling within any one subgroup does not result in overrepresentation in
the total force estimates, and also properly adjusts to account for survey nonresponse. OPA
typically weights the data based on an industry standard process that includes 1) assigning a base
weight based on a selection probability, 2) adjusting for nonresponse which includes eligibility to
the survey and completion of the survey, and 3) adjusting for poststratification to known
population totals. Further information on this process can be found in Chapter 2.
The remainder of this Executive Summary details the top-line results from the overview report.
The full overview report is not an exhaustive summary of all data points in the survey. Rather, it
provides an overview of the primary prevalence metrics and supporting data to help inform
sexual assault prevention and response within the Department. References to perpetrator/
offender throughout this report should be interpreted as “alleged perpetrator” or “alleged
offender” because without knowing the specific outcomes of particular allegations, the
presumption of innocence applies unless there is an adjudication of guilt. Additionally,
behaviors endorsed by respondents are based on self-reports, therefore, conclusions on whether
the events reported occurred are beyond the purview of this survey. References to “sexual
assault” throughout the report do not imply legal definitions for sexual assault and should be
interpreted as “alleged” events. Additionally, references to “retaliation,” “reprisal,” “ostracism”
or “maltreatment,” or perceptions thereof, are based on the negative behaviors as reported by the
survey respondents; without knowing more about the specifics of particular cases or reports, this
data should not be construed as substantiated allegations of reprisal, ostracism, or maltreatment.

Summary of Top-Line Results
Sexual Assault Among Active Duty Members
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate Estimates
On the survey, active duty members were asked to think about events that happened in the past
12 months and were asked specifically about the following types of unwanted experiences in
which someone:


Put his penis into their vagina, anus, or mouth



Put any object or any body part other than a penis into their vagina, anus, or mouth



Made them put any part of their body or any object into someone’s mouth, vagina, or
anus when they did not want to



Intentionally touched private areas of their body (either directly or through clothing)

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

Made them touch private areas of their body or someone else’s body (either directly or
through clothing)



Attempted to put a penis, an object, or any body part into their vagina, anus, or mouth,
but no penetration actually occurred.

This section provides the estimated overall roll up prevalence rates for members who indicated
experiencing these behaviors, who met the UCMJ-based criteria for experiencing a sexual
assault, and who indicated the sexual assault happened within the past 12 months.
Overall, 1.2% (±0.1) of DoD active duty members indicated experiencing sexual assault in the
past 12 months. This represents approximately 1 in 23 women (4.3%) and 1 in 167 men (0.6%).
Based on a constructed 95 percent confidence interval ranging from 14,041 to 15,748, an
estimated total of 14,881 DoD active duty members indicated experiencing a sexual assault in
the past 12 months. Compared to 2014, the percentage of those who indicated experiencing
sexual assault is a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for women (0.6 percentage points)
and men (0.3 percentage points). While there were downward trends in sexual assault
prevalence for all Services, the statistically significant decrease for DoD women is driven by the
statistically significant decrease for Navy women (1.4 percentage points lower than 2014). For
men, the statistically significant decrease for DoD men overall was driven by the statistically
significant decrease for Army men (0.3 percentage points lower than 2014).
Rates prior to 2014 used the measure of unwanted sexual contact and therefore trends prior to
2014 are not possible due to measurement differences.
Type of Sexual Assault Members Indicated Experiencing
Of all DoD active duty women, 2.2% indicated the unwanted event was penetrative sexual
assault, 2.1% indicated experiencing non-penetrative sexual assault, and 0.1% indicated
experiencing attempted penetrative sexual assault. Compared to 2014, the percentage of women
who indicated experiencing non-penetrative sexual assault showed a statistically significant
decrease in 2016 (0.5 percentage points) as well as for the percentage of women who indicated
experiencing attempted sexual assault (0.1 percentage points). The estimated rate of penetrative
sexual assault remained statistically unchanged for women from 2014.
Of all DoD active duty men, 0.2% indicated experiencing penetrative sexual assault, 0.4%
indicated experiencing non-penetrative sexual assault, and <0.1% indicated experiencing
attempted penetrative sexual assault. Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated
experiencing non-penetrative sexual assault showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016
(0.2 percentage points). The estimated rates of penetrative sexual assault and attempted
penetrative sexual assault remained statistically unchanged for men since 2014.
Details of the Most Serious Assault Members Indicated Experiencing
As survivors of sexual assault often experience more than one assault, the 2016 WGRA asked the
4.3% of DoD women and the 0.6% of DoD men who indicated having experienced a sexual
assault in the past 12 months to consider the assault that had the biggest effect on them. They
were then asked specific questions on the circumstances surrounding this experience. In limiting
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responses to this one situation, overall burden on the respondent is minimized. The following
details are of this most serious assault.
DoD women (48%) were more likely than DoD men (35%) to indicate the most serious behavior
experienced to be penetrative sexual assault, while men (59%) were more likely than women
(43%) to indicate non-penetrative sexual assault was the most serious behavior experienced.
With regard to considering the one situation as involving hazing or bullying, men were more
likely than women to indicate the one situation involved hazing (27% for men and 9% for
women) and/or bullying (39% for men and 24% for women). When asked about alcohol use
during the one situation, women (59%) were more likely than men (39%) to indicate either they
and/or the alleged offender(s) had been drinking alcohol at the time of the unwanted event.
When asked to describe where and when the one situation of sexual assault occurred, the
majority of women and men (73% for both) indicated the assault occurred at a military location.
Women (45%) were more likely than men (25%) to indicate the situation occurred while in their
or someone else’s home or quarters, while men (45%) were more likely than women (27%) to
indicate it occurred while at work during duty hours.
Sexual assault is often not experienced in isolation and behaviors may be present both prior to,
and after, the assault. Over half of DoD women (56%) and DoD men (52%) indicated being
sexually harassed and/or stalked before and/or after the one situation. These findings support the
Department’s emphasis on reporting as a potential way to stop the alleged offender from
continuing or escalating behaviors.
Experiencing sexual assault could lead to members wanting to separate from the Service. In
2016, about one-quarter of women (28%) and men (23%) indicated they took steps to leave or
separate from the military as a result of the one situation they experienced. Future research
could examine whether or not members actually do separate from the Service based on their
experiences of sexual assault.
In general, DoD women who indicated experiencing sexual assault were satisfied with the
response and services they received from a majority of individuals or providers. Specifically
women more likely than men to be satisfied with SARCs (64% for women and 43% for men), a
chaplain (63% for women and 43% for men), and SVCs/VLCs (62% for women 38% for men).
Compared to women, men were more likely to indicate they were dissatisfied with the responses
they received from their chain of command: 53% were dissatisfied with their immediate
supervisor (34% for women), 51% were dissatisfied with their senior enlisted advisor (34% for
women), and half (50%) were dissatisfied with the responses received from their unit
commander/director (31% for women). With the largest levels of dissatisfaction for both women
and men, this suggests there is room for improvement in the level and quality of response from
leadership when members experience sexual assault.
Characteristics of the Alleged Offender in the One Situation
When asked to describe the alleged offender(s) in the one situation, a little more than two-thirds
(67%) of women indicated there was only one alleged offender and the vast majority (94%) of
women indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) men. More than half (58%) of men

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indicated only one alleged offender was involved in the one situation, and compared to women,
men were more likely to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were) women (25% for men and
2% for women) or were a mix of men and women (12% for men and 4% for women). Women
(58%) were more likely than men (43%) to indicate the alleged offender was a friend or
acquaintance.
The vast majority of women (90%) and about three-quarters of men (74%) indicated at least one
of the alleged offenders were in the military, of which, the vast majority (94% of women and
91% of men) indicated they were in the same Service as them. The top three rank selections of
the alleged offender(s) was (were) all enlisted members: E5–E6 (39% of women and 43% of
men), E4 (33% of women and men), and E1–E3 (29% of women and 30% of men). Taking into
account the member’s rank, over half of women (57%) and men (53%) indicated the alleged
offender was ranked higher than them. This suggests those who indicated having experienced
sexual assault are junior enlisted members who indicate being assaulted by someone who is
slightly higher than them but within the enlisted ranks and is an area that could be further
analyzed.
Reporting the One Situation
Most members who indicate having experienced sexual assault do not report to a military
authority. In 2016, women (31%) were more likely than men (15%) to indicate reporting sexual
assault to the military. Of the 69% of women and 85% of men who did not report, men (78%)
were more likely than women (70%) to indicate they never considered reporting and do not plan
to.
For those who reported to the military, over half of women (54%) and men (55%) initially made
an unrestricted report and around one-third initially made a restricted report (35% of women and
31% of men). If restricted reporting was not an option, over half of DoD women (58%) would
not have reported, emphasizing the importance of having a restricted reporting option available
for members who experience sexual assault (results for DoD men were not reportable). For
those that made a restricted report, they could have chosen to convert the report to unrestricted or
an independent investigation could have occurred and resulted in a conversion to unrestricted.
Therefore, the final report disposition for women and men were as follows: 73% of women and
61% of men had an unrestricted report while 18% of women and 23% of men still maintained a
restricted report.
Members who reported their sexual assault to the military were asked to what extent they were
provided information and support after reporting. Of the 31% of DoD women who indicated
having reported a sexual assault to the military, more than half of women indicated they were
provided information on their right to consult a Special Victims’ Counsel (SVC)/Victims’ Legal
Counsel (VLC) to a large extent (60%) and were provided safety planning information regarding
their immediate situation and regular contact regarding their well-being to a large extent (54%
for both). Data were not presented for DoD men due to high margins of error. When asked
more specifically about the extent to which their leadership took positive actions after the
member made a report, women were more likely than men to indicate their leadership expressed
concern for their well-being to a large extent (46% for women and 26% for men). Overall, men
were more likely than women to indicate their leadership did not at all provide positive actions as

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a result of reporting sexual assault. This suggests there is a need for increased leadership support
for males who experience and report sexual assault.
Two of the top three reasons women and men chose to report sexual assault included wanting to
stop the (alleged) offender from hurting others (53% for women and 45% for men) and wanting
to stop the (alleged) offender from hurting them again (42% for women and 47% for men).
Additionally, women also reported because someone they told encouraged them to report (44%)
and 41% of men indicated they reported because it was their civic or military duty to report it.
Based on their overall experience of the reporting process and services available to members
who report sexual assault, 67% of women and 59% of men would recommend others to report
sexual assault should it happen to them.
For members who did not report their sexual assault to the military, the main reason provided
was because they wanted to forget about it and move on (68% of women and 47% of men, both
of which showed a statistically significant decrease from 2014 of 5 percentage points for women
and 17 percentage points for men). The other two main reasons for not reporting included not
wanting more people to know about the assault (58% of women and 39% of men) and they felt
shamed or embarrassed (52% for women and 37% of men).
Members were asked if they could do it all over again, would they make the same decision on
reporting sexual assault. Eleven percent of women and 7% of men indicated they would not
make the same decision to report the sexual assault if they could do it over, which would result
in a drop in the already low numbers of members reporting sexual assault. Almost half of
women (49%) and over half of men (57%) indicated they would make the same decision to not
report, supporting the statement where military members tend to not report sexual assaults to the
military.
Negative Outcomes Associated With Reporting
The Department strives to create an environment where military members feel comfortable and
safe reporting a potential sexual assault to a military authority. To further ensure a safe
environment for reporting, the Department has been monitoring whether repercussions, i.e.,
retaliatory behavior, have resulted from reporting a sexual assault. Specifically, two forms of
retaliatory behaviors have been outlined: professional reprisal and ostracism/maltreatment.
Professional reprisal, used for purpose of this survey, is a personnel or other unfavorable action
taken by the chain of command against an individual for engaging in a protected activity.
Ostracism and maltreatment, however, can be negative behaviors, such as actions of social
exclusion or misconduct against the military member taken by peers or an individual in a
position of authority, because the member reported, or intends to report a criminal offense.
Until 2014, the Department used a general climate measure of “retaliation” to capture these
potential experiences. Survey results on estimated rates of perceived experiences of both types
of retaliatory behaviors by sexual assault survivors have been relatively constant since first
measured in 2006. Specifically, survey findings have consistently shown that more than half of

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female military members8 who made an unrestricted report perceived some amount of retaliatory
behavior.9 Using this general measure, the Department was able to gauge perceptions of
retaliatory behaviors, but this prior measure did not necessarily align with the specific
requirements of policy to allow for an investigation. In 2015, the Secretary of Defense
determined that more detailed information was needed on the circumstances of these perceived
experiences. As a result, the Secretary of Defense directed the Department to “develop a DoDwide comprehensive strategy to prevent retaliation against Service members who report or
intervene on behalf of victims of sexual assault and other crimes.”10
This increased focus led to a number of new initiatives, including the revision of survey
measures to be more consistent with the directives prohibiting retaliation.11 To develop a more
comprehensive measure, which was more consistent with law, but still allowed for measurement
of general negative behaviors, SAPRO assembled a Retaliation Roundtable which included
subject matter experts from across the Department along with other DoD stakeholders. The goal
was to create a detailed set of survey items that more carefully measure ostracism/maltreatment
and professional reprisal so that these outcomes associated with reporting a sexual assault could
be better addressed by the Department.12
The new metric constructed by this group no longer refers to general “retaliation” and instead
uses the terms explained previously for professional reprisal, ostracism, and maltreatment.
Questions were designed to measure negative behaviors a respondent may have experienced as a
result of making a sexual assault report and to account for additional motivating factors as
indicated by the member that may be consistent with prohibited actions of professional reprisal,
ostracism, and maltreatment in the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and military
policies and regulations. This includes the alleged perpetrator having knowledge about the
report and that the actions were perceived to be taken with a specific intent (i.e., to discourage
the military member from moving forward with the report of sexual assault or to exclude them).
Survey questions are only able to provide a general understanding of the self-reported outcomes
that may constitute reprisal, ostracism, or maltreatment and therefore we refer to such outcomes
as “perceived.” Ultimately, only the results of an investigation (which takes into account all
legal aspects, such as the intent of the alleged perpetrator) can determine whether self-reported
negative behaviors meet the requirements of prohibited retaliation. The estimates presented in
this section reflect the active duty members' perceptions about a negative experience associated
with their reporting of a sexual assault and not necessarily a reported or legally substantiated
incident of retaliation. As such, rates for these items are caveated as “perceived.”

8

Data for men were not reportable due to the small number of male respondents in this category.
DMDC (2012), Van Winkle, Rock, Coffey, & Hurley (2014), Morral, Gore, & Schell (2014).
10
Secretary of Defense (2015, May 1).
11
The implementation of Section 1709(a) of the NDAA for FY 2014 requires the Secretary of Defense to prescribe
regulations, or require the Secretaries of the military departments to prescribe regulations, that prohibit retaliation
against an alleged victim or other member of the Armed Forces who reports a criminal offense. The section further
requires that violation of those regulations be punishable under Article 92 of the UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 892 (2012).
12
As legal definitions of retaliatory behaviors change, survey metrics will be re-evaluated to align with such
changes.
9

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Prior to categorizing members as experiencing “perceived” reprisal, ostracism, and/or
maltreatment, members had to indicate experiencing a “potential” retaliatory action and/or
behavior. Specifically, the member had to indicate experiencing any behavior consistent with
professional reprisal or ostracism/maltreatment which would precede the questions to ascertain
the member’s perception of the motivating factors of those perceived retaliatory behaviors.
Therefore, there may be higher percentages of members who experience “potential” behaviors,
but they do not, on their own reflect a “rate.” “Perceived” actions and/or behaviors are those
retaliatory behaviors where potential behaviors were experienced and additional motivating
factors, as indicated by the member, were present. Details about the construction of this new
metric are included in Chapter 1.
Perceived Professional Reprisal. To be included in the estimated rate of perceived professional
reprisal, members must have met the following criteria:


Experienced a sexual assault in the past 12 months,



Reported the assault to a military authority,



Experienced at least one behavior consistent with professional reprisal perpetrated by
someone in leadership (e.g., was demoted, denied promotion, rated lower than deserved,
reassigned, made to perform additional duties, disciplined, etc.),



Indicated the actions experienced were based only on their report of sexual assault (i.e.,
not based on conduct or performance), and



Indicated leadership took these actions to get back at them for making a report, to
discourage them from moving forward with the report, and/or because they were mad at
them for causing problems.

Of the DoD women and DoD men who indicated experiencing a sexual assault in the past year
and reported the assault to a military authority, 36% of women and half (50%) of men indicated
experiencing at least one behavior in line with potential professional reprisal, of which, 19% of
women and 36% of men indicated experiencing perceived professional reprisal as a result of
reporting sexual assault by meeting the additional motivating factors consistent with prohibited
actions to get into the official rate.
Perceived Ostracism. To be included in the estimated rate of perceived ostracism, active duty
members must have indicated the event met the following criteria:


Experienced a sexual assault in the past 12 months,



Reported the assault to a military authority,



Experienced at least one behavior consistent with ostracism allegedly perpetrated by a
peer or someone in a position of authority (e.g., made insulting or disrespectful remarks/
jokes at your expense in public, excluded or threatened to exclude them from social
activities/interactions, or ignored them),

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

Indicated the alleged perpetrator(s) of the actions knew, or suspected, they had made a
report of sexual assault, and



Indicated the alleged perpetrators(s) took these actions to discourage them from moving
forward with the report or discourage others from reporting.

Of the DoD women and DoD men who indicated experiencing a sexual assault in the past year
and reported the assault to a military authority, over half (51%) of women and less than half
(47%) of men indicated experiencing at least one behavior in line with potential ostracism, of
which, only 12% of women and 17% of men indicated experiencing perceived ostracism as a
result of reporting sexual assault by meeting the additional motivating factors consistent with
prohibited actions to get into the official rate.
Perceived Maltreatment. To be included in the estimated rate of perceived maltreatment, active
duty members must have indicated the event met the following criteria:


Experienced a sexual assault in the past 12 months,



Reported the assault to a military authority,



Experienced at least one behavior consistent with maltreatment allegedly perpetrated by a
peer or someone in a position of authority (e.g., made insulting or disrespectful remarks/
jokes at your expense in private, showed or threatened to show private images/photos/
video to others, bullied them, was physically violent to them etc.),



Indicated the alleged perpetrator(s) of the actions knew, or suspected, they had made a
report of sexual assault, and



Indicated the alleged perpetrators(s) took these actions to discourage them from moving
forward with the report or discourage others from reporting and/or to abuse or humiliate
them.

Of the DoD women and DoD men who indicated experiencing a sexual assault in the past year
and reported the assault to a military authority, 38% of women and men indicated experiencing
at least one behavior in line with potential maltreatment, of which, 18% of women and 19% of
men indicated experiencing perceived maltreatment as a result of reporting sexual assault by
meeting the additional motivating factors consistent with prohibited actions to get into the
official rate.
Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or Maltreatment. To be included in the rollup rate of perceived professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or maltreatment, active duty members
must have met criteria for perceived professional reprisal, perceived ostracism, and/or perceived
maltreatment.
Of the DoD women and DoD men who indicated experiencing a sexual assault in the past year
and reported the assault to a military authority, 58% of women and 60% of men indicated
experiencing at least one behavior in line with potential professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or

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maltreatment. Of which, 28% of women and 42% of men indicated experiencing perceived
professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or maltreatment as a result of reporting sexual assault by
meeting the additional motivating factors consistent with prohibited actions to get into the
official rate.
Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination
Sex-based Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) violations are defined as having at least one selfreported experience that meets the criteria for a DoD-based MEO violation of sexual harassment
or gender discrimination. To obtain an estimated prevalence rate for sex-based MEO violations,
two requirements must be met:


Experience of sexual harassment (which includes sexually hostile work environment or
sexual quid pro quo) and/or gender discrimination behavior(s) by someone in the 12
months prior to the survey and



Meet at least one of the follow-up legal criteria required for an MEO violation.

Data in this section includes overall estimated prevalence rates for sexually hostile work
environment, sexual quid pro quo, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and the estimated
overall sex-based MEO prevalence rate. Details on the construction of the sex-based MEO
metrics can be found in Chapter 1.
Sexual Harassment Prevalence Rate Estimates
Sexual harassment includes sexually hostile work environment and sexual quid pro quo. The
estimated prevalence rate for sexual harassment is a “roll up” of those who met criteria for the
estimated sexually hostile work environment prevalence rate and/or those who met criteria for
the estimated sexual quid pro quo prevalence rate.
Overall, 21.3% of DoD women and 5.6% of DoD men indicated experiencing a sexually hostile
work environment in the past 12 months. Compared to 2014, there was a statistically significant
decrease in the sexually hostile work environment rate for DoD men (1.0 percentage point),
driven by a decrease for Army men of 1.7 percentage points from 2014 (6.0%). Fewer DoD
women (2.2%) and DoD men (0.3%) indicated experiencing sexual quid pro quo. Compared to
2014, there was a statistically significant increase in the sexual quid pro quo rate for DoD
women (0.5 percentage points), driven by an increase for Navy women of 1.2 percentage points
from 2014 (3.4%).
If a member indicated they met criteria for either sexually hostile work environment or sexual
quid pro quo, they are combined into the full estimated rate of sexual harassment. As estimated
rates for sexually hostile work environment are typically higher than sexual quid pro quo, the
former construct often drives the estimated sexual harassment rates (i.e., estimated sexual
harassment rates typically align with rates for sexually hostile work environment). In 2016,
21.4% of DoD women and 5.7% of DoD men indicated experiencing sexual harassment in the
past 12 months. For men, this showed a statistically significant decrease of 0.9 percentage
points from 2014, driven by a statistically significant decrease for Army men of 1.7 percentage
points (6.0%).
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Gender Discrimination Prevalence Rate Estimates
Gender discrimination is defined as experiencing behaviors or comments directed at someone
because of their gender that harmed or limited their career. To get into the estimated prevalence
rate for gender discrimination, members must have indicated experiencing one of these behaviors
and endorse a corresponding follow-up item that indicated the actions and/or beliefs harmed or
limited their career.
In 2016, 14.1% of DoD women and 2.0% of DoD men indicated experiencing gender
discrimination in the past 12 months. Compared to 2014, there was a statistically significant
increase in the rate of gender discrimination for DoD women of 1.7 percentage points, which
was driven by a statistically significant increase of 2.5 percentage points for Air Force women
(9.2%).
Sex-Based MEO Violation Prevalence Rate Estimates
The estimated sex-based MEO violation prevalence rate is a “roll up” of those who met the
requirements for inclusion into at least one of the following estimated prevalence rates: sexual
harassment (sexually hostile work environment and/or sexual quid pro quo) and/or gender
discrimination. In 2016, 26.5% of DoD women and 6.8% of DoD men indicated experiencing a
sex-based MEO violation.
Details of the Most Serious Sex-Based MEO Violation
As members who experience a sex-based MEO violation may often experience more than one
violation, the 2016 WGRA asked the 26.5% of DoD women and the 6.8% of DoD men who
indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation in the past 12 months to consider the situation
that had the biggest effect on them. They were then asked specific questions on the
circumstances surrounding this experience. Similar to the sexual assault section, in limiting
responses to this one situation, overall burden on the respondent is minimized. The following
details are of this most serious sex-based MEO violation allegation.
The vast majority of DoD women (95%) and DoD men (92%) indicated the unwanted situation
occurred at a military location, with 92% of women and 88% of men indicating it happened at a
military installation or ship. When asked about how long the unwanted situation continued, 40%
of women and 32% of men indicated the situation continued for a few months. Compared to
2014, there was a statistically significant increase for DoD men who indicated the situation
occurred only one time (28%, increase of 7 percentage points from 2014) and a decrease in those
who said the situation continued for a year or more (21%, down 8 percentage points from 2014).
Similar to the sexual assault one situation, members were asked if they would consider the
unwanted behaviors they indicated having experienced to be hazing or bullying. Forty-two
percent of both DoD women and DoD men indicated they would consider their situation to
involve bullying and 17% of women and 25% of men would consider it as involving hazing.
Men (19%) were more likely than women (13%) to indicate the situation involved both hazing
and bullying, while women (28%) were more likely than men (22%) to indicate the situation
involved only bullying.

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When asked if they took steps to leave or separate from the military based on the reported sexbased MEO experienced they considered to be the most serious, less than one-third of women
(29%) and men (27%) indicated they did take steps to leave.
Characteristics of the Alleged Offender in the Sex-Based MEO Violation One Situation.
Members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation were asked to provide details
of the alleged offender in the one situation they considered to be the most serious. For women,
59% indicated more than one alleged offender was involved (a statistically significant increase
of 22 percentage points compared to 2014), 77% indicated the alleged offender was male (a
statistically significant decrease of 10 percentage points compared to 2014), and 19% indicated
both men and women were involved in the one situation (statistically significant increase of 10
percentage points compared to 2014). With regards to the status of the alleged offender, 95% of
women indicated at least one of the alleged offenders were in the military. Forty-one percent of
women indicated the alleged offender was someone else in their chain of command and 34%
indicated it was their immediate supervisor or some other higher ranking military member. With
regards to the specific rank of the alleged offender, 53% of women identified the alleged
offender as an E5–E6, 36% as E7–E9, and about one-quarter (26%) were ranked E4.
For men, 57% indicated more than one alleged offender was involved (a statistically significant
increase of 11 percentage points compared to 2014), 53% indicated the alleged offender was
male (a statistically significant decrease of 14 percentage points compared to 2014), and 29%
indicated both men and women were involved in the one situation (statistically significant
increase of 13 percentage points compared to 2014). With regards to the status of the alleged
offender, 92% of men indicated at least one of the alleged offenders were in the military. Forty
percent of men indicated the alleged offender was someone else in their chain of command, 32%
indicated it was their immediate supervisor, and 31% indicated they were some other higher
ranking military member. With regards to the specific rank of the alleged offender, 55% of men
identified the alleged offender as an E5–E6, 34% as E7–E9, and more than one-quarter (29%)
were ranked E4.
Reporting the Sex-Based MEO Violation One Situation. Similar to sexual assault, the majority
of active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation chose not to
make a report or to discuss the situation with their supervisor and/or chain of command.
However, rates of reporting to a supervisor or member of their chain of command were higher,
potentially due to the ability to handle a sex-based MEO violation at the lowest level. Of those
DoD women who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation, 50% indicated they
reported and/or discussed the situation with their supervisor/someone in their chain of command.
For DoD men who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation, 37% indicated they
reported and/or discussed the situation with their supervisor/someone in their chain of command.
Additional information about the actions taken as a result of the report can be found in Chapter 7.
Bystander Intervention
Prevention of sexual assault is a major line of effort for SAPRO. Part of this prevention effort
places the onus on each member to uphold the values of dignity and respect and to confront
appropriately those who do not maintain these values. To measure this aspect of prevention, the
2016 WGRA asked active duty members whether they witnessed a potential sexual assault

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situation in the past year, and if so what were their actions in response to observing the situation,
and what led them to decide to intervene.
The 2016 WGRA found that while few members observe potential sexual assault situations, the
vast majority of members took action. Specifically, 8% of DoD women and 4% of DoD men
indicated observing a potential sexual assault situation, of which 92% of women and 89% of men
took action as a result. To get a better idea about why members choose to intervene, the 2016
WGRA asked members what contributed to their decision to intervene. The top three responses
for women and men were it was the right thing to do (95% for both women and men), they were
confident in their ability to prevent a sexual assault (69% for women and 72% for men), and they
had a desire to uphold their core military values (65% for women and 66% for men). Additional
information on bystander intervention, along with training on sexual assault and sexual
harassment, can be found in Chapters 8 and 9.
Leadership Climate
On the 2016 WGRA, active duty members were asked to rate how well members they interact
with across ranks demonstrate positive workplace behaviors and actions. Examples of some of
the behaviors and actions include making it clear that sexual assault has no place in the military,
leading by example by refraining from sexist comments and behaviors, encouraging bystander
intervention, and encouraging victims to report sexual assault. Members were asked how well
each of the following ranking groups demonstrated these behaviors/actions: E1–E3, E4, E5, E6,
E7–E9, O1–O3, O4–O6, O7 and above, and W1–W5.
Overall, DoD women and men indicated members ranked E1–E3 lower overall for encouraging,
promoting, and/or demonstrating positive workplace actions or behaviors, while members ranked
O4–O6 and O7 and above better overall. The results suggest junior enlisted members do not
promote positive workplace behaviors as well as those ranked higher than them, such as senior
enlisted members and officers. Given the large percentage of active duty members indicating
they are being sexually assaulted by the more junior enlisted members, targeted improvements in
positive workplace behaviors and actions are needed for this group of active duty members.
Additional Analyses
An Analysis of Males Who Indicated Experiencing Sexual Assault
The 2016 prevalence rate of sexual assault was 0.6% for DoD men. Given the large male
population in the DoD Services, this equates to a substantial number of survivors. Most of the
research examining sexual assault has focused on women given that they are at higher risk for
sexual assault than men. However, it is crucial to consider the unique experiences of men who
experience sexual assault with an eye toward prevention and response. Therefore, OPA
examined the demographic profile of men who indicated experiencing sexual assault before
turning to an in-depth examination of hazing and bullying, both of which affect men to a larger
degree than women.
Most men who indicated experiencing sexual assault were younger than 25 years of age, enlisted,
and within their first five years of service. Targeting efforts toward this population is especially
important as these individuals are more likely to experience sexual assault.
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One key area in which gender differences emerged is the characterization of the one sexual
assault situation with the largest effect as hazing or bullying, as men were far more likely than
women to characterize the one situation as hazing or bullying. The demographic profile of men
who characterize the one situation as hazing or bullying is largely similar to those who do not,
though small differences were observed for level of education, paygrade, and age. However,
hazing- and bullying-related sexual assault situations differ from non-hazing and non-bullying
situations in several ways. For example, compared to men who did not characterize the one
situation as hazing, men who characterized the one situation as hazing were more likely to
indicate multiple alleged offenders were involved, both men and women were involved, and
alleged offenders were all military members. This fits with the definition of hazing, which
generally involves group members engaging in actions intended to humiliate or otherwise abuse
a potential new group member. Men who characterized the one situation as hazing or bullying
indicated multiple people were often involved and they experienced stalking and/or sexual
harassment before the assault, which may indicate such assaults are planned as opposed to
spontaneous events. This may be an area of prevention where if others (either leadership or
peers) hear about an assault being planned, they may intervene or alert the appropriate party.
The finding that alcohol is less likely to be involved in situations characterized as hazing or
bullying also lends some support to this notion, as it implies that hazing and bullying are not
fueled by impulse-inhibiting substances.
Men who characterized their experience as hazing or bullying were especially likely to indicate
the alleged offender(s) was (were) of a higher rank, which may indicate alleged offenders are
targeting lower-ranking service members. A power differential between the offender and victim
is common in hazing and bullying dynamics and it appears that this finding extends to male
Service members. Men who characterized their experience as hazing indicated lower levels of
satisfaction with support provided by their unit commander/director and immediate supervisor
after the assault. It may be that some higher ranking individuals are permissive of hazing and, at
worst, engage in hazing. Accordingly, it is sensible that hazing victims would perceive lower
levels of support from these individuals. Additional training on prohibitions against hazing and
bullying and how to respond in hazing and bullying situations may be helpful for leadership.
Men who characterized the situation as hazing or bullying were also likely to experience multiple
sexual assault incidents over the past 12 months, which indicates that they are repeatedly
victimized. This is consistent with the definition of bullying, which entails repeated abuse. This
pattern is especially concerning given that repeated sexual abuse is associated with particularly
negative outcomes (Creech & Orchowski, 2016).
Workplace climate perceptions also appear to have a relationship with hazing- and bullyingrelated sexual assault. Men who characterized their sexual assault experience as hazing or
bullying were more likely to perceive high levels of workplace hostility than were men who did
not. Given that alleged perpetrators of hazing- and bullying-related sexual assault are
overwhelmingly coworkers of survivors (i.e., fellow Service members); it follows that survivors
of sexual assault might perceive their workplace as especially hostile. In a similar vein, men
who characterized sexual assault as hazing or bullying were less likely to indicate that their
fellow service members at various paygrades exhibited behaviors consistent with a healthy
climate with respect to sexual assault. Again, if a survivor’s coworker(s) is (are) perpetrating
sexual assault, perceptions of healthy climate with respect to sexual assault are likely to be low.
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It is not possible to determine the direction of the relationship between workplace climate and
the actual occurrence of sexual assault given the data available. However, these results suggest
that environments that are high on workplace hostility and/or have an unhealthy climate with
respect to sexual assault are associated with hazing- and bullying-related sexual assault.
Finally, men who characterized their sexual assault experiences as either hazing or bullying were
more likely to indicate they had taken steps to separate from the military than those who did not
characterize the situation as such. Men who characterized the one situation as bullying were less
likely to indicate that they would choose to remain on active duty if given the choice.
Accordingly, hazing- and bullying-related sexual assault may represent a threat to readiness
given its effect on retention.
Overall, this detailed information on experiences of males who experience sexual assault may be
used to inform prevention efforts with the goal of eliminating these damaging behaviors. Details
on this analysis are provided in Chapter 11.
Continuum of Harm
Scientific survey data provides the Department with force-wide estimated prevalence rates on a
variety of critical measures and allows for data-driven decisions for policies and resources
impacting military members. However, survey data alone may sometimes fail to detect
important patterns and interrelationships within the data. As such, additional analyses can
identify additional findings to help better understand the top-line survey results. For the 2016
WGRA, OPA conducted a number of additional analyses, one of which examined the continuum
of harm among active duty members who indicated experiencing a sexual assault. This full
analysis can be found in Chapter 12.
In the realm of sexual assault, the continuum of harm describes “inappropriate actions, such as
sexist jokes, hazing, and cyber bullying that are used before or after the assault and or supports
an environment which tolerates these actions” (Department of Defense, 2014a). Results from the
2016 WGRA showed that DoD active duty members who indicated experiencing unwanted
gender-related behaviors were more likely to indicate experiencing a sexual assault. More
specifically, those who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation such as sexual
harassment (i.e., a sexually hostile work environment and/or sexual quid pro quo) and/or gender
discrimination were more likely to indicate experiencing sexual assault than those who did not.
Various workplace factors were also assessed in relation to sexual assault because such factors
might contribute to a culture that is tolerant of, or increases risk for, sexual assault. Results from
this analysis demonstrated that high levels of workplace hostility, an unhealthy enlisted and
officer climate with respect to sexual assault, quality of training, and low presence of female
coworkers13 were all related to increased likelihood of sexual assault. Of note, enlisted climate
and workplace hostility had a strong association with sexual assault. While a climate of high
workplace hostility was predictive of higher rates of sexual assault/harassment, a healthy climate
with low workplace hostility had a protective effect against sexual assault, even when sexual
13

Low presence of female coworkers was not a significant finding for DoD men.

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harassment was present. Findings from this analysis support the Department’s increased
emphasis on leadership engagement and a healthy climate when addressing these issues.
Analysis of LGBT Service Members
Prior to 2016, the Department had not established sexual assault and sexual harassment
prevalence rates for those Service members who identify as LGBT. In the civilian sector, rates
of sexual assault and harassment are higher for individuals that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual
or transgender (LGBT). The 2016 WGRA included questions addressing sexual orientation and
transgender identity to gain a better understanding of the risk of sexual assault and sexual
harassment for military members identifying as LGBT and will assist in improved prevention
and targeted response efforts for these members.
To analyze experiences of unwanted gender-related behaviors among members who identify as
LGBT, responses to the sexual orientation and transgender questions were combined to form two
groups: those identifying as LGBT and those who do not. As a result, in 2016 5% of DoD
active duty members indicated they identify as LGBT, with 12% of DoD women and 3% of DoD
men indicated they identify as LGBT.
Overall, DoD members identifying as LGBT were more likely than members who do not identify
as LGBT to experience unwanted gender-related behaviors:


Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate: 4.5% for members identifying as LGBT and 0.8% for
those who do not identify as LGBT,



Sexual Harassment Prevalence Rate: 22.8% for members identifying as LGBT and 6.2%
for those who do not identify as LGBT, and



Gender Discrimination Prevalence Rate: 8.8% for members identifying as LGBT and
3.2% for those who do not identify as LGBT.

Given the increased odds members identifying as LGBT have for experiencing unwanted genderrelated behaviors, further research should be conducted to explore what makes this population
more vulnerable to such crimes. Similar to the research provided on the experience of male
victims, analysis of LGBT members who indicate experiencing sexual assault would provide a
more in-depth look of their experiences and provide the Department with valuable information
on how to better support and increase prevention for this vulnerable population.

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Table of Contents
Page
Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................v
Study Background and Methodology...........................................................................................v
Study Background ......................................................................................................................v
Survey Methodology................................................................................................................ vi
Summary of Top-Line Results .................................................................................................. viii
Sexual Assault Among Active Duty Members ...................................................................... viii
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate Estimates ...................................................................... viii
Type of Sexual Assault Members Indicated Experiencing ................................................ ix
Details of the Most Serious Assault Members Indicated Experiencing ............................ ix
Characteristics of the Alleged Offender in the One Situation .............................................x
Reporting the One Situation............................................................................................... xi
Negative Outcomes Associated With Reporting .............................................................. xii
Perceived Professional Reprisal. ................................................................................ xiv
Perceived Ostracism................................................................................................... xiv
Perceived Maltreatment. ..............................................................................................xv
Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or Maltreatment. .............................xv
Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination .................................................................... xvi
Sexual Harassment Prevalence Rate Estimates ............................................................... xvi
Gender Discrimination Prevalence Rate Estimates ........................................................ xvii
Sex-Based MEO Violation Prevalence Rate Estimates .................................................. xvii
Details of the Most Serious Sex-Based MEO Violation ................................................. xvii
Characteristics of the Alleged Offender in the Sex-Based MEO Violation One
Situation. .................................................................................................................. xviii
Reporting the Sex-Based MEO Violation One Situation. ....................................... xviii
Bystander Intervention ......................................................................................................... xviii
Leadership Climate ................................................................................................................ xix
Additional Analyses ............................................................................................................... xix
An Analysis of Males Who Indicated Experiencing Sexual Assault ............................... xix
Continuum of Harm ......................................................................................................... xxi
Analysis of LGBT Service Members .............................................................................. xxii
Chapter 1: Introduction ...............................................................................................................1
DoD Sexual Assault and Equal Opportunity Programs and Policies .......................................1
DoD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Policies ............................................................2
Program Oversight ...............................................................................................................2
Defining Sexual Assault ......................................................................................................3
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Table of Contents (Continued)
Page
DoD Equal Opportunity Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination Policies ...................4
Program Oversight ...............................................................................................................4
Defining Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination ...................................................4
Measurement of Constructs ..........................................................................................................5
Sexual Assault............................................................................................................................5
Construction of Sexual Assault Prevalence Rates ...............................................................5
Sex-Based Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) Violations .......................................................7
Construction of MEO Violation Prevalence Rates ..............................................................7
Negative Outcomes Associated With Reporting a Sexual Assault ............................................9
Construction of Metric for Perceived Retaliatory Behaviors ............................................10
Perceived Professional Reprisal. ..................................................................................11
Perceived Ostracism.....................................................................................................12
Perceived Maltreatment. ..............................................................................................13
Perceived Ostracism/Maltreatment. .............................................................................14
Perceived Professional Reprisal and/or Perceived Ostracism/Maltreatment. ..............14
Overview of Report ......................................................................................................................14
Survey Content by Chapter ................................................................................................15
Chapter 2: Survey Methodology................................................................................................19
Differences Between 2016 WGRA and 2014 RMWS..................................................................19
Consolidation of Sexual Assault Consent Items ......................................................................19
Consolidation of Sexually Hostile Work Environment Criteria ..............................................20
Changes to Eligibility Criteria: Separated Military Members ................................................21
2016 WGRA Methodology ..........................................................................................................21
Statistical Design .....................................................................................................................22
Sampling Design ......................................................................................................................22
Survey Administration .............................................................................................................24
Data Weighting ........................................................................................................................24
Presentation of Results .............................................................................................................27
Chapter 3: Estimated Sexual Assault Prevalence Rates .........................................................31
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................31
Estimated Past Year Sexual Assault Prevalence Rates ............................................................31
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Page
DoD ..........................................................................................................................................32
Coast Guard .............................................................................................................................36
Estimated Sexual Assault Rates: Prior to Joining the Military, Since Joining the
Military, and Lifetime .................................................................................................................37
Estimated Sexual Assault Rate Prior to Joining the Military ..................................................37
DoD ....................................................................................................................................37
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................38
Estimated Sexual Assault Rate Since Joining the Military ......................................................39
DoD ....................................................................................................................................39
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................39
Estimated Lifetime Sexual Assault Rate..................................................................................40
DoD ....................................................................................................................................40
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................41
Description of Unwanted Events Experienced in the Past Year..............................................42
Number of Unwanted Events Experienced in the Past Year ...................................................42
DoD ....................................................................................................................................42
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................43
Repeat Alleged Offender in Unwanted Events Experienced in the Past Year ........................44
DoD ....................................................................................................................................44
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................46
Considered Any Unwanted Event in Past Year as Hazing and/or Bullying ............................47
DoD ....................................................................................................................................47
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................49
Chapter 4: One Situation of Sexual Assault with Biggest Effect ............................................51
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................51
Most Serious Behavior Experienced in the One Situation .......................................................52
DoD ..........................................................................................................................................52
Coast Guard .............................................................................................................................53
Characteristics of the Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation .............................................54
Number of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation ..............................................................54
DoD ....................................................................................................................................54
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................55

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Page
Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation ...............................................................56
DoD ....................................................................................................................................56
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................58
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation ...................................................59
DoD ....................................................................................................................................59
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................62
Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) ...............................................................................64
DoD ..............................................................................................................................64
Coast Guard .................................................................................................................67
Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation .................................................................69
DoD ....................................................................................................................................69
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................71
Relationship to Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation .......................................................72
DoD ....................................................................................................................................72
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................74
Where and When the One Situation Occurred .........................................................................75
Location Where the One Situation Occurred ...........................................................................76
DoD ....................................................................................................................................76
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................79
When the One Situation Occurred ...........................................................................................81
DoD ....................................................................................................................................81
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................83
Considered the One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying .......................................................84
DoD ....................................................................................................................................84
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................86
Experience of Sexual Harassment and/or Stalking Before or After the One Situation ........87
DoD ....................................................................................................................................87
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................89
Alcohol and/or Drug Involvement in the One Situation ..........................................................90
DoD ....................................................................................................................................90
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................93
Outcomes of the One Situation ...................................................................................................95
Made Member Take Steps to Leave/Separate From the Military ............................................95
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DoD ....................................................................................................................................95
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................95
Received a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam ..............................................................................96
DoD ....................................................................................................................................96
Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................97
Satisfaction With Responses/Services Received From Individuals/Providers ........................98
DoD ....................................................................................................................................98
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................102
Chapter 5: Reporting the One Situation of Sexual Assault ..................................................103
Introduction ................................................................................................................................103
Reporting the One Situation to the Military ...........................................................................103
DoD ........................................................................................................................................103
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................107
Outcomes of Reporting ..............................................................................................................108
Information and Resources Provided After Reporting ..........................................................108
DoD ..................................................................................................................................108
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................110
Positive Leadership Actions as a Result of Reporting ...........................................................110
DoD ..................................................................................................................................111
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................112
Expedited Transfers ...............................................................................................................113
DoD ..................................................................................................................................113
How Aspects of Life Have Changed After Receiving an Expedited Transfer ................114
DoD ............................................................................................................................114
Recommend Others Report Sexual Assault ...........................................................................115
DoD ..................................................................................................................................115
Reasons for Reporting the One Situation ................................................................................116
DoD ........................................................................................................................................116
Reasons for Not Reporting the One Situation .........................................................................118
DoD ........................................................................................................................................118
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................124

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Page
In Retrospect, Would Members Make the Same Decision About Reporting .......................126
DoD ........................................................................................................................................126
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................127
Negative Outcomes Associated With Reporting the One Situation of Sexual Assault ........128
Perceived Professional Reprisal .............................................................................................128
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal ..........................................................................129
Findings From Perceived Professional Reprisal ..............................................................130
Perceived Ostracism...............................................................................................................131
Rate of Perceived Ostracism ............................................................................................131
Findings From Perceived Ostracism ................................................................................133
Perceived Maltreatment .........................................................................................................133
Rate of Perceived Maltreatment.......................................................................................133
Findings From Perceived Maltreatment...........................................................................135
Rate of Perceived Ostracism and/or Maltreatment ................................................................136
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or Maltreatment ...........................138
Actions Following Negative Behaviors From Leadership or Military Peers, Based on
Experiences of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or Maltreatment ...............141
Chapter 6: Sex-Based Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) Violations ...............................143
Introduction ................................................................................................................................143
Estimated Past Year Sexually Hostile Work Environment Prevalence Rate .......................143
DoD ........................................................................................................................................145
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................146
Estimated Past Year Sexual Quid Pro Quo Prevalence Rate .................................................147
DoD ........................................................................................................................................148
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................149
Estimated Past Year Sexual Harassment Prevalence Rate ....................................................150
DoD ........................................................................................................................................150
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................152
Estimated Past Year Gender Discrimination Prevalence Rate .............................................152
DoD ........................................................................................................................................153

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Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................154
Estimated Past Year Sex-Based Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) Violation
Prevalence Rate ..........................................................................................................................155
DoD ........................................................................................................................................155
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................156
Combination of Sex-Based MEO Violation Behaviors Experienced ....................................157
DoD ........................................................................................................................................157
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................160
Considered Any Behaviors in Past Year as Hazing and/or Bullying ....................................161
DoD ........................................................................................................................................161
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................163
Chapter 7: One Situation of Sex-Based Military Equal Opportunity (MEO)
Violation With the Biggest Effect .............................................................................................165
Introduction ................................................................................................................................165
Type of Behavior Experienced in the One Situation as Identified by Members ..................166
DoD ........................................................................................................................................166
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................168
Characteristics of the Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation ...........................................169
Number and Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation ........................................169
DoD ..................................................................................................................................169
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................172
Status and Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in the One Situation .................................173
DoD ..................................................................................................................................173
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................180
Length of Time the One Situation Continued .........................................................................183
DoD ........................................................................................................................................183
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................185
Where the One Situation Occurred..........................................................................................186

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Page
DoD ........................................................................................................................................186
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................190
Considered the One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying .....................................................192
DoD ........................................................................................................................................192
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................194
Situation Made Member Take Steps to Leave/Separate From the Military ........................195
DoD ........................................................................................................................................195
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................196
Reporting/Discussing of the One Situation ..............................................................................197
DoD ........................................................................................................................................197
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................200
Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One Situation ...............................201
DoD ..................................................................................................................................201
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................207
Satisfaction With Reporting/Discussing the One Situation ...................................................209
DoD ..................................................................................................................................209
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................211
Reasons for Not Reporting/Discussing the One Situation With Someone in the Chain
of Command With the Expectation of Action .......................................................................212
DoD ..................................................................................................................................212
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................215
Chapter 8: Training on Topics Related to Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment ..........217
Introduction ................................................................................................................................217
Training on Topics Related to Sexual Assault ........................................................................217
DoD ........................................................................................................................................217
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................218
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Assault Training ............................................................219
DoD ..................................................................................................................................219
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................223
Training on Topics Related to Sexual Harassment ................................................................225
DoD ........................................................................................................................................225
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Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................226
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Harassment Training .....................................................227
DoD ..................................................................................................................................227
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................229
Chapter 9: Military Workplace Climate ................................................................................231
Introduction ................................................................................................................................231
Likelihood to Encourage a Member to Come Forward to Report Sexual Assault
and/or Sexual Harassment ........................................................................................................231
DoD ........................................................................................................................................231
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................235
Bystander Intervention ..............................................................................................................236
Observed a Potential Sexual Assault Situation ......................................................................236
DoD ..................................................................................................................................236
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................240
Actions Taken in Response to Observing Potential Sexual Assault Situation ................243
DoD ............................................................................................................................243
Coast Guard ...............................................................................................................246
Reasons for Intervening ...................................................................................................247
DoD ............................................................................................................................247
Coast Guard ...............................................................................................................249
Positive Workplace Actions/Behaviors Demonstrated by Military Members .....................249
DoD ........................................................................................................................................250
DoD Within Service Comparisons on How Well Members Across Ranks Promoted a
Positive Military Workplace ..................................................................................................254
Made it Clear That Sexual Assault Has No Place in the Military (Q181) .......................254
How Well Members Across Ranks Promoted a Unit Climate Based on Mutual
Respect and Trust (Q182) ................................................................................................255
How Well Members Led by Example by Refraining From Sexist Comments and
Behaviors (Q183) .............................................................................................................256
How Well Members Across Ranks Recognized and Immediately Corrected
Incidents of Sexual Harassment (Q184) ..........................................................................257
How Well Members Across Ranks Created an Environment Where Victims
Would Feel Comfortable Reporting Sexual Harassment or Sexual Assault (Q185) .......259

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How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged Bystander Intervention to Assist
Others in Situations at Risk for Sexual Assault or Other Harmful Behaviors
(Q186) ..............................................................................................................................260
How Well Members Across Ranks Publicized Sexual Assault Report Resources
(Q187) ..............................................................................................................................261
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged Victims to Report Sexual Assault
(Q188) ..............................................................................................................................263
Coast Guard ...........................................................................................................................264
Female Coworkers in the Workplace .......................................................................................266
Female Coworkers Uncommon in the Workplace .................................................................266
DoD ..................................................................................................................................266
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................267
Current Unit/Career Field Recently Opened to Women and the Impact of Opening
Unit/Career Field to Women on Climate ...............................................................................268
DoD ..................................................................................................................................268
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................271
Social Media Use in the Workplace ..........................................................................................273
Military Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media and Compliance With
Social Media Policy ...............................................................................................................273
DoD ..................................................................................................................................273
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................276
Awareness of Abuse of Social Media by Service Member(s) ...............................................277
DoD ..................................................................................................................................277
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................279
Made Appropriate Notifications of Social Media Misuse ...............................................280
DoD ............................................................................................................................280
Coast Guard ...............................................................................................................282
Chapter 10: Perceptions of Unwanted Gender-Related Behaviors in the Military ............285
Introduction ................................................................................................................................285
Perception of Sexual Assault in the Military ...........................................................................285
Perception of Sexual Assault in the Military Over Past Two Years ......................................285
DoD ..................................................................................................................................285
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................287
Perception of Military’s Response to Sexual Assault ............................................................288

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Page
DoD ..................................................................................................................................288
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................291
Perceptions of Sexual Harassment in the Military .................................................................292
Perception of Sexual Harassment in the Military Over Past Two Years ...............................293
DoD ..................................................................................................................................293
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................294
Perception of Leadership’s Response to Sexual Harassment ................................................295
DoD ..................................................................................................................................295
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................297
Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment ................................................................298
DoD ..................................................................................................................................298
Coast Guard .....................................................................................................................301
Predictive Capabilities ...............................................................................................................302
Perceptions of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault .........................................................302
Trust in the Military’s Response to Sexual Assault ...............................................................304
Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment ................................................................307
Chapter 11: Analysis of Men Who Indicated Experiencing Sexual Assault .......................313
Demographic Differences Between Women and Men Who Indicated Experiencing
Sexual Assault.............................................................................................................................314
Demographics Differences Between Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate
Experiencing Sexual Assault .....................................................................................................317
Characteristics of Sexual Assault: Differences Between Men and Women.........................318
Findings..................................................................................................................................319
Rates of Men Who Indicated Experiencing Sexual Assault ............................................319
Male Profile For Those Who Indicated Experiencing Sexual Assault ............................319
Characteristics of the One Situation of Sexual Assault ...................................................323
Satisfaction With Services Received in Response to the One Situation of Sexual
Assault..............................................................................................................................324
Reporting Behaviors ........................................................................................................325
Exploration of Differences Between Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the
Situation as Hazing or Bullying ................................................................................................331

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Page
Hazing ....................................................................................................................................332
Bullying..................................................................................................................................337
Discussion....................................................................................................................................341
Chapter 12: The Continuum of Harm: Workplace Factors and Unwanted GenderRelated Behaviors in Association With Sexual Assault ..........................................................345
Methodology ...............................................................................................................................347
Study 1: Unwanted Gender-Related Behaviors and Sexual Assault .....................................347
Study 2: Workplace Factors and Sexual Assault ...................................................................348
Dominance Analysis of Workplace Factors ....................................................................351
Study 3: Interactions Between Sexual Harassment and Workplace Factors in
Predicting Sexual Assault ......................................................................................................352
Discussion ..............................................................................................................................353
Chapter 13: Additional Descriptive Analyses and Future Directions..................................355
Analysis of LGBT Service Members ........................................................................................355
Self-Report Identification as LGBT.......................................................................................355
Prevalence Rates for LGBT Members ...................................................................................357
Continuum of Harm and Odds Ratios for LGBT Members ..................................................360
Discussion ..............................................................................................................................361
Expanded Sexual Assault Metric ..............................................................................................362
Background ............................................................................................................................362
Methodology ..........................................................................................................................364
Supportive Sexual Assault Reporting Environment ........................................................364
Supportive Leadership/Peer Attitudes Toward Sexual Assault Prevention.....................364
Workplace Aggression .....................................................................................................365
Perceived Ease of Reporting ............................................................................................365
Sexual Assault Prevention Training.................................................................................365
Threatening Social Media Use .........................................................................................365
Depression........................................................................................................................365
PTSD ................................................................................................................................365
Retention Intention...........................................................................................................365
Results ....................................................................................................................................366
Discussion ..............................................................................................................................366
Continuing Assessment ..............................................................................................................367
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Page
Additional Research...................................................................................................................367
References ...................................................................................................................................369

Appendixes
A. Survey Instrument ................................................................................................................373
B. Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................................................431
C. Communications....................................................................................................................437

List of Tables
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.

2016 WGRA Counts of Respondents and Weighted Response Rates ...............................27
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate by Behavior for DoD (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93,
Q95–Q106) ........................................................................................................................35
Unwanted Events in the Past 12 Months Done by Same Person for DoD (Q109) ............46
Any Unwanted Event Consider as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q110, Q121) ........49
Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q113) ..............................58
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) and Member in Same Service in the One
Situation for DoD (Q114–Q115) .......................................................................................62
Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q116) ...................67
Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q117) ................................71
Relationship to Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q118) ......................74
Location Where One Situation Occurred for DoD Women (Q119) ..................................77
Location Where One Situation Occurred for DoD Men (Q119) .......................................78
Location Where One Situation Occurred for Coast Guard (Q119) ...................................80
When the One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q120) ..........................................................83
Considered One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q121) ............................86
Alcohol and/or Drug Involvement in the One Situation for DoD (Q123–Q125) ..............93
Satisfaction With Responses/Services Received From Individuals/Providers for
DoD Women (Q128)........................................................................................................101
Satisfaction With Responses/Services Received From Individuals/Providers for
DoD Men (Q128) .............................................................................................................102
Extent Provided Information/Resources After Reporting Unwanted Event for
DoD Women (Q135)........................................................................................................110
Positive Leadership Action Taken After Reporting Unwanted Event for DoD
Women (Q136) ................................................................................................................112
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Table of Contents (Continued)
Page
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.

Reasons for Reporting the One Situation for DoD Women (Q139) ................................118
Reasons for Not Reporting the One Situation for DoD Women (Q141) .........................121
Reasons for Not Reporting the One Situation for DoD Men (Q141) ..............................123
Reasons for Not Reporting the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q141) ..........................125
Considered Any Behaviors in Past Year as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q49)......163
Number and Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q52–
Q53) .................................................................................................................................172
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q54) ..................177
Employment Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q55) ..........178
Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in Relation to Member’s Rank in the One
Situation for DoD (Q56) ..................................................................................................179
Length of Time the One Situation Continued for DoD (Q57) .........................................185
Location Where the One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q58) ..........................................189
Where the One Situation Occurred for Coast Guard (Q58) .............................................191
Considered One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q60) ............................194
Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for DoD (Q61) .................................................200
Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for DoD
Women (Q62) ..................................................................................................................205
Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for DoD
Men (Q62) ........................................................................................................................206
Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for Coast
Guard (Q62) .....................................................................................................................209
Reasons for Not Reporting/Discussing the One Situation With Someone in the
Chain of Command With the Expectation of Action for DoD Women (Q64) ................214
Reasons for Not Reporting/Discussing the One Situation With Someone in the
Chain of Command With the Expectation of Action for DoD Men (Q64) .....................215
Reasons for Not Reporting/Discussing the One Situation With Someone in Chain
of Command With Expectation for Action for Coast Guard (Q64).................................216
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Assault Training for DoD Women (Q200)..............221
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Assault Training for DoD Men (Q200) ...................223
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Assault Training for Coast Guard (Q200) ...............224
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Harassment Training for DoD (Q202) ....................229
Likelihood to Encourage a Member to Come Forward to Report for DoD Women
(Q177) ..............................................................................................................................233
Likelihood to Encourage a Member to Come Forward to Report for DoD Men
(Q177) ..............................................................................................................................234
Likelihood to Encourage a Member to Come Forward to Report for Coast Guard
(Q177) ..............................................................................................................................236
Bystander Intervention for DoD (Q178–Q179, Q203a) ..................................................240
Bystander Intervention for Coast Guard (Q178–Q179, Q203a) ......................................243

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Table of Contents (Continued)
Page
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.

57.

58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.

Actions Taken in Response to Observing Potential Sexual Assault Situation for
DoD (Q179) .....................................................................................................................245
Reasons for Intervening for DoD (Q180) ........................................................................248
How Well Members Across Ranks Promoted a Positive Military Workplace for
DoD (Q181–Q188) ..........................................................................................................253
How Well Members Across Ranks Made it Clear That Sexual Assault Has No
Place in the Military for DoD (Q181) ..............................................................................255
How Well Members Across Ranks Promoted a Unit Climate Based on Mutual
Respect and Trust for DoD (Q182) ..................................................................................256
How Well Members Across Ranks Led by Example by Refraining From Sexist
Comments and Behaviors for DoD (Q183) .....................................................................257
How Well Members Across Ranks Recognized and Immediately Corrected
Incidents of Sexual Harassment for DoD (Q184) ............................................................258
How Well Members Across Ranks Created an Environment Where Victims
Would Feel Comfortable Reporting Sexual Harassment or Sexual Assault for
DoD (Q185) .....................................................................................................................260
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged Bystander Intervention to Assist
Others in Situations at Risk for Sexual Assault or Other Harmful Behaviors for
DoD (Q186) .....................................................................................................................261
How Well Members Across Ranks Publicized Sexual Assault Report Resources
for DoD (Q187)................................................................................................................262
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged Victims to Report Sexual Assault
for DoD (Q188)................................................................................................................264
Impact on Climate After Opening Unit or Career Field to Women for DoD
(Q192) ..............................................................................................................................271
Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media Sites and Members
Comply with Social Media Policy for DoD (Q207, Q208) .............................................275
Awareness of Service Member Misuse of Social Media Sites to Ridicule, Abuse,
Stalk, or Harm for DoD (Q205) .......................................................................................279
Made Appropriate Notifications on Social Media Misuse for DoD (Q206) ...................282
Trust in the Military System’s Response to Sexual Assault for DoD (Q203b–d) ...........291
Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment for DoD (Q204) ...............................301
Age of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate Experiencing Sexual
Assault..............................................................................................................................315
Years of Service of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate
Experiencing Sexual Assault ...........................................................................................315
AFQT Category of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate Experiencing
Sexual Assault..................................................................................................................316
Level of Education of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate
Experiencing Sexual Assault ...........................................................................................316

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Table of Contents (Continued)
Page
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.

Race/Ethnicity of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate Experiencing
Sexual Assault..................................................................................................................316
Paygrade of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate Experiencing
Sexual Assault..................................................................................................................317
Deployment Status of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate
Experiencing Sexual Assault ...........................................................................................317
Summary of Demographic Differences Between Men Who Did and Did Not
Indicate Experiencing Sexual Assault .............................................................................318
Characteristics of Any Unwanted Event(s) in the Past 12 Months for DoD ...................319
Characteristics of the Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation of Sexual Assault
for DoD ............................................................................................................................321
Where and When the One Situation of Sexual Assault Occurred for DoD .....................323
Behaviors Part of the One Situation of Sexual Assault for DoD .....................................324
Satisfaction With Responses/Services Received From Individuals/Providers for
DoD ..................................................................................................................................325
Reporting the One Situation to the Military for DoD ......................................................326
Extent Provided Information/Resources After Reporting Unwanted Event for
DoD ..................................................................................................................................327
Positive Leadership Action After Reporting Unwanted Event ........................................328
Reasons for Reporting Sexual Assault for DoD ..............................................................328
Recommend Others Report Sexual Assault Based on Experience With Reporting
for DoD ............................................................................................................................329
Reasons for Not Reporting Sexual Assault for DoD .......................................................330
In Retrospect, Would You Make Same Decision Again About Reporting for DoD .......331
Outcomes Associated With Reporting Sexual Assault for DoD .....................................331
Characteristics of Alleged Offender(s) for Men Who Did and Did Not
Characterize the One Situation as Hazing .......................................................................334
Sexual Harassment and Stalking for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the
One Situation as Hazing...................................................................................................334
Location of the One Situation for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the
One Situation as Hazing...................................................................................................335
Satisfaction With Services for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the One
Situation as Hazing ..........................................................................................................336
Perceptions of a Healthy Climate With Respect to Sexual Assault for Men Who
Did and Did Not Characterize the One Situation as Hazing ............................................336
Alleged Offender(s) of the One Situation for Men Who Did and Did Not
Characterize the One Situation as Bullying .....................................................................339
Relationship with Alleged Offender(s) for Men Who Did and Did Not
Characterize the One Situation as Bullying .....................................................................339
Location of the One Situation for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the
One Situation as Bullying ................................................................................................340

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Table of Contents (Continued)
Page
95.
96.
97.

98.
99.
100.
101.
102.
103.

Sexual Harassment and Stalking for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the
One Situation as Bullying ................................................................................................340
Perceptions of a Healthy Climate With Respect to Sexual Assault for Men Who
Did and Did Not Characterize the One Situation as Bullying .........................................341
Sexual Assault Rate and Odds Ratio Estimates for Women and Men Who Did and
Did Not Experience Other Unwanted Gender-related Behaviors Along the
Continuum of Harm .........................................................................................................348
Question Wording and Sample Items, Proportions, and Standard Errors of
Workplace Factors ...........................................................................................................349
Rates of Sexual Assault by Unhealthy Versus Healthy Levels of Workplace
Factors, Separately by Gender .........................................................................................351
Results of Dominance Analyses Examining the Relative Importance of
Workplace Factors in Predicting Sexual Assault, by Gender ..........................................352
Sexual Assault Rate and Odds Ratio Estimates for LGBT and Non-LGBT DoD
Members Who Did and Did Not Experience Sexual Harassment ...................................361
Odds Ratios for LGBT Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Rates Versus NonLGBT Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Rates for DoD .......................................361
Relationships Between Current and Expanded Metrics of Sexual Assault and
Other Attributes ...............................................................................................................366

List of Figures
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.

Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate Metrics..............................................................................6
Hierarchy of Estimated Sexual Assault Prevalence Rates ...................................................7
Sex-Based MEO Violation Prevalence Rate Metrics ..........................................................9
Perceived Professional Reprisal Metric .............................................................................12
Perceived Ostracism Metric ...............................................................................................13
Perceived Maltreatment Metric..........................................................................................14
Survey Content by Form ....................................................................................................15
Metric Changes to Sexual Assault Consent Factors ..........................................................20
Metric Changes to Sexually Hostile Work Environment Criteria .....................................21
2016 WGRA Stratified Sample Design for DoD Services ................................................23
Three-Step Weighting Process ...........................................................................................26
Example Figure ..................................................................................................................29
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate Estimates for DoD (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–
Q106) .................................................................................................................................33
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate for DoD Women (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–
Q105) .................................................................................................................................34
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate for DoD Men (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–Q106) .........34
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate for Coast Guard (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–
Q106) .................................................................................................................................36

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Table of Contents (Continued)
Page
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.

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Sexual Assault Rate Prior To Joining the Military for DoD (Q171–Q172) ......................38
Sexual Assault Rate Prior To Joining the Military for Coast Guard (Q171a–d, f,
172) ....................................................................................................................................38
Sexual Assault Rate Since Joining the Military for DoD (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93,
Q95–Q106, Q171a–d, f, Q172b)........................................................................................39
Sexual Assault Rate Since Joining the Military for Coast Guard (Q65–Q85, Q87–
Q93, Q95–Q106, Q171a–d, f, Q172b) ...............................................................................40
Lifetime Sexual Assault Rate for DoD (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–Q106, Q171a–
d, f) .....................................................................................................................................41
Lifetime Sexual Assault Rate for Coast Guard (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–Q106,
Q171a–d, f) ........................................................................................................................41
Number of Unwanted Events Experienced in the Past 12 Months for DoD Women
(Q108) ................................................................................................................................42
Number of Unwanted Events Experienced in the Past 12 Months for DoD Men
(Q108) ................................................................................................................................43
Number of Unwanted Events Experienced in the Past 12 Months for Coast Guard
(Q108) ................................................................................................................................44
Unwanted Events in the Past 12 Months Done by Same Person for DoD (Q109) ............45
Unwanted Events in the Past 12 Months Done by Same Person for Coast Guard
(Q109) ................................................................................................................................47
Any Unwanted Event Consider as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q110, Q121) ........48
Any Unwanted Event Consider as Hazing and/or Bullying for Coast Guard
(Q110, Q121) .....................................................................................................................50
Most Serious Behavior Experienced in the One Situation for DoD (Q65–Q85,
Q87–Q93, Q95–Q106, Q108, Q111) .................................................................................53
Most Serious Behavior Experienced in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q111) .........54
Number of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q112) .............................55
Number of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q112) ................56
Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q113) ..............................57
Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q113) ..................59
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD Women
(Q114–Q115) .....................................................................................................................60
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) the One Situation for DoD Men (Q114–
Q115) .................................................................................................................................61
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard
Women (Q114–Q115) .......................................................................................................63
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard Men
(Q114–Q115) .....................................................................................................................64
Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q116) ...................65
Rank of Member Compared to Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in the One
Situation for DoD (Q116) ..................................................................................................66

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Table of Contents (Continued)
Page
42.
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44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.

Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard
(Q116) ................................................................................................................................68
Rank of Member Compared to Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in the One
Situation for Coast Guard (Q116) ......................................................................................69
Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q117) ................................70
Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q117) ....................72
Relationship to Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q118) ......................73
Relationship to Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q118) .........75
Top Five Locations Where One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q119)...............................76
Combinations of Locations Where One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q119) ..................79
Top Five Locations Where One Situation Occurred for Coast Guard (Q119) ..................80
Combinations of Locations Where One Situation Occurred for Coast Guard
(Q119) ................................................................................................................................81
When the One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q120) ..........................................................82
When the One Situation Occurred for Coast Guard (Q120) ..............................................84
Considered One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q121) ............................85
Considered One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying for Coast Guard (Q121) ................87
Experienced Sexual Harassment and/or Stalking Before or After the One Situation
for DoD Women (Q122) ....................................................................................................88
Experienced Sexual Harassment and/or Stalking Before or After the One Situation
for DoD Men (Q122) .........................................................................................................89
Experienced Sexual Harassment and/or Stalking Before or After the One Situation
for Coast Guard (Q122) .....................................................................................................90
Alcohol and/or Drug Involvement in the One Situation for DoD (Q123–Q125) ..............92
Alcohol and/or Drug Involvement in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q123–
Q125) .................................................................................................................................94
One Situation Made Member Take Steps To Leave/Separate From the Military for
DoD (Q126) .......................................................................................................................95
One Situation Made Member Take Steps To Leave/Separate From the Military
Coast Guard (Q126) ...........................................................................................................96
Received a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam for DoD (Q127) .............................................97
Received a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam for Coast Guard (Q127).................................98
Satisfaction With Responses/Services Received From Individuals/Providers for
DoD Women (Q128)..........................................................................................................99
Satisfaction With Responses/Services Received From Individuals/Providers for
DoD Men (Q128) .............................................................................................................100
Reported the One Situation to the Military for DoD (Q129) ...........................................104
Initial Type of Report Made for DoD (Q131) .................................................................105
Details on Restricted Reporting for DoD Women (Q132–Q134) ...................................106
Final Report Disposition for DoD (Q131, Q133) ............................................................107

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Table of Contents (Continued)
Page
71.
72.
73.
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75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.

Reported the One Situation to the Military and Initial Type of Report Made for
Coast Guard (Q129, Q131) ..............................................................................................108
Extent Provided Information/Resources After Reporting Unwanted Event for
DoD Women (Q135)........................................................................................................109
Positive Leadership Action Taken After Reporting Unwanted Event for DoD
(Q136) ..............................................................................................................................111
Positive Leadership Action Taken After Reporting Unwanted Event for Coast
Guard Women (Q136) .....................................................................................................113
Expedited Transfers DoD (Q137) ....................................................................................114
Life Aspects as a Result of Expedited Transfer for DoD Women (Q138) ......................115
Recommend Others Report Sexual Assault Based on Experience With Reporting
for DoD (Q140)................................................................................................................116
Reasons for Reporting the One Situation for DoD (Q139)..............................................117
Top 10 Reasons for Not Reporting the One Situation for DoD (Q141) ..........................119
In Retrospect, Would Members Make the Same Decision About Reporting for
DoD (Q129, Q142) ..........................................................................................................127
In Retrospect, Would Members Make the Same Decision About Reporting for
Coast Guard (Q129, Q142) ..............................................................................................128
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal for Total DoD (Q143–Q145) ...........................129
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal for DoD by Gender (Q143–Q145) ..................130
Findings From Perceived Professional Reprisal for DoD Women (Q146–Q148) ..........131
Rate of Perceived Ostracism for Total DoD (Q149–Q151).............................................132
Rate of Perceived Ostracism for DoD by Gender (Q149–Q151) ....................................132
Findings From Perceived Ostracism for DoD Women (Q152–Q153) ............................133
Rate of Perceived Maltreatment for Total DoD (Q154–Q156) .......................................134
Rate of Perceived Maltreatment for DoD (Q154–Q156) .................................................135
Findings from Perceived Maltreatment for DoD Women (Q157–Q159) ........................136
Rate of Perceived Ostracism and/or Maltreatment for Total DoD (Q149–Q151,
Q154–Q156, Q160)..........................................................................................................137
Rate of Perceived Ostracism and/or Maltreatment for DoD by Gender (Q149–
Q151, Q154–Q156)..........................................................................................................138
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or Maltreatment for Total
DoD (Q143–Q145, Q149–Q151, Q154–Q156, Q166) ....................................................139
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or Maltreatment for DoD
Women (Q143–Q145, Q149–Q151, Q154–Q156, Q166) ...............................................140
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or Maltreatment for DoD
Men (Q143–Q145, Q149–Q151, Q154–Q156, Q166) ....................................................140
Actions Following Negative Behaviors From Leadership or Military Peers, Based
on Experiences of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or
Maltreatment for DoD Women (Q161–Q165) ................................................................142

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Table of Contents (Continued)
Page
97.
98.
99.
100.
101.
102.
103.
104.
105.
106.
107.
108.
109.
110.
111.
112.
113.
114.
115.
116.
117.
118.
119.
120.
121.
122.
123.
124.
125.

Sexually Hostile Work Environment Prevalence Rate for DoD Women (Q8–Q20,
Q25–43) ...........................................................................................................................145
Sexually Hostile Work Environment Prevalence Rate for DoD Men (Q8–Q20,
Q25–43) ...........................................................................................................................146
Sexually Hostile Work Environment Prevalence Rate for Coast Guard (Q8–Q20,
Q25–43) ...........................................................................................................................147
Sexually Quid Pro Quo Prevalence Rate for DoD Women (Q21–Q22, Q44–45) ...........148
Sexually Quid Pro Quo Prevalence Rate for DoD Men (Q21–Q22, Q44–45) ................149
Sexually Quid Pro Quo Prevalence Rate for Coast Guard (Q21–Q22, Q44–45) ............150
Sexual Harassment Prevalence Rate for DoD Women (Q8–Q22, Q25–45) ...................151
Sexual Harassment Prevalence Rate for DoD Men (Q8–Q22, Q25–45) .........................151
Sexual Harassment Prevalence Rate for Coast Guard (Q8–Q22, Q25–45) .....................152
Gender Discrimination Prevalence Rate for DoD Women (Q23–Q24, Q46–47) ...........153
Gender Discrimination Prevalence Rate for DoD Men (Q23–Q24, Q46–47) .................154
Gender Discrimination Prevalence Rate for Coast Guard (Q23–Q24, Q46–47) .............154
Sex-Based MEO Violation Prevalence Rate for DoD Women (Q8–Q47) ......................155
Sex-Based MEO Violation Prevalence Rate for DoD Men (Q8–Q47) ...........................156
Sex-Based MEO Violation Prevalence Rate for Coast Guard (Q8–Q47) .......................157
Combination of Sex-Based MEO Violation Behaviors for DoD Women (Q8–
Q47) .................................................................................................................................159
Combination of Sex-Based MEO Violation Behaviors for DoD Men (Q8–Q47) ...........160
Combination of Sex-Based MEO Violation Behaviors for Coast Guard (Q8–Q47) .......161
Considered Any Behaviors in Past Year as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q49)......162
Considered Any Behaviors in Past Year as Hazing and/or Bullying for Coast
Guard (Q49) .....................................................................................................................164
Sexually Hostile Work Environment Identified by Members as Most Upsetting
Behavior Experienced in the One Situation for DoD (Q51) ............................................167
Sexual Quid Pro Quo Identified by Members as Most Upsetting Behavior
Experienced in the One Situation for DoD (Q51) ...........................................................167
Gender Discrimination Identified by Members as Most Upsetting Behavior
Experienced in the One Situation for DoD (Q51) ...........................................................168
Sex-Based MEO Violation Behavior Indicated by Members as Most Upsetting
Behavior Experienced in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q51) ...............................169
Number and Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q52–
Q53) .................................................................................................................................170
Number and Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard
(Q52–Q53) .......................................................................................................................173
Military Status and Rank of Alleged Offender(s) for DoD Women (Q54–Q56) ............175
Military Status and Rank of Alleged Offender(s) for DoD Men (Q54–Q56)..................176
Military Status and Rank of Alleged Offender(s) for Coast Guard Women (Q54–
Q56) .................................................................................................................................181

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Table of Contents (Continued)
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127.
128.
129.
130.
131.
132.
133.
134.
135.
136.
137.
138.
139.
140.
141.
142.
143.
144.
145.
146.
147.
148.
149.
150.

Military Status and Rank of Alleged Offender(s) for Coast Guard Men (Q54–
Q56) .................................................................................................................................182
Length of Time the One Situation Continued for DoD (Q57) .........................................183
Length of Time the One Situation Continued for Coast Guard (Q57) ............................186
Top Five Locations Where the One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q58) .........................187
Where the One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q58) .........................................................190
Where the One Situation Occurred for Coast Guard (Q58) .............................................192
Considered One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q60) ............................193
Considered One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying for Coast Guard (Q60) ................195
Situation Made Member Take Steps to Leave/Separate From the Military for DoD
(Q59) ................................................................................................................................196
Situation Made Member Take Steps to Leave/Separate From the Military for
Coast Guard (Q59) ...........................................................................................................197
Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for DoD (Q61) .................................................198
Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q61).....................................201
Positive and/or Negative Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the
One Situation for DoD (Q62) ..........................................................................................202
Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for DoD
(Q62) ................................................................................................................................203
Positive and/or Negative Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the
One Situation for Coast Guard (Q62) ..............................................................................207
Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for Coast
Guard (Q62) .....................................................................................................................208
Satisfaction With How the Reporting/Discussion Was Handled for DoD Women
(Q63) ................................................................................................................................210
Satisfaction With How the Reporting/Discussion Was Handled for DoD Men
(Q63) ................................................................................................................................211
Satisfaction With How the Reporting/Discussion Was Handled for Coast Guard
(Q63) ................................................................................................................................212
Reasons for Not Reporting/Discussing the One Situation With Someone in the
Chain of Command With the Expectation of Action for DoD (Q64) ..............................213
Training During the Last 12 Months on Topics Related to Sexual Assault for DoD
Women (Q199) ................................................................................................................217
Training During the Last 12 Months on Topics Related to Sexual Assault for DoD
Men (Q199) ......................................................................................................................218
Training During the Last 12 Months on Topics Related to Sexual Assault for
Coast Guard (Q199) .........................................................................................................219
Training During the Last 12 Months on Topics Related to Sexual Harassment for
DoD Women (Q201)........................................................................................................225
Training During the Last 12 Months on Topics Related to Sexual Harassment for
DoD Men (Q201) .............................................................................................................226

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Table of Contents (Continued)
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151.
152.
153.
154.
155.
156.
157.
158.
159.
160.
161.
162.
163.
164.
165.
166.
167.
168.
169.
170.
171.
172.
173.

Training During the Last 12 Months on Topics Related to Sexual Harassment for
Coast Guard (Q201) .........................................................................................................227
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Harassment Training for DoD (Q202) ....................228
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Harassment Training for Coast Guard (Q202) ........230
Observed a Potential Sexual Assault Situation and Whether Action Was Taken for
DoD Women (Q178–Q179).............................................................................................237
Observed a Potential Sexual Assault Situation and Whether Action Was Taken for
DoD Men (Q178–Q179) ..................................................................................................238
Observed a Potential Sexual Assault Situation and Whether Action Was Taken for
Coast Guard Women (Q178–Q179) ................................................................................241
Observed a Potential Sexual Assault Situation and Whether Action Was Taken for
Coast Guard Men (Q178–Q179)......................................................................................242
Actions Taken in Response to Observing Potential Sexual Assault Situation for
DoD (Q179) .....................................................................................................................244
Actions Taken in Response to Observing Potential Sexual Assault Situation for
Coast Guard (Q179) .........................................................................................................246
Reasons for Intervening for DoD (Q180) ........................................................................247
Reasons for Intervening for Coast Guard (Q180) ............................................................249
Questions on Positive Workplace Actions/Behaviors Demonstrated by Military
Members ..........................................................................................................................250
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged, Promoted, and/or Demonstrated
Positive Workplace Actions or Behaviors for DoD Women (Q181–Q188)....................251
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged, Promoted, and/or Demonstrated
Positive Workplace Actions or Behaviors for DoD Men (Q181–Q188) .........................252
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged, Promoted, and/or Demonstrated
Positive Workplace Actions or Behaviors for Coast Guard Women (Q181–Q188) .......265
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged, Promoted, and/or Demonstrated
Positive Workplace Actions or Behaviors for Coast Guard Men (Q181–Q188).............266
Female Coworkers Uncommon in the Workplace for DoD (Q190) ................................267
Female Coworkers Uncommon in the Workplace for Coast Guard (Q190) ...................268
Current Unit or Career Field Recently Opened to Women in the Past 12 Months
and the Result of Recent Opening for DoD Women (Q191–Q192) ................................269
Current Unit or Career Field Recently Opened to Women in the Past 12 Months
and the Result of Recent Opening for DoD Men (Q191–Q192) .....................................270
Current Unit or Career Field Recently Opened to Women in the Past 12 Months
and the Result of Recent Opening for Coast Guard Women (Q191–Q192)....................272
Current Unit or Career Field Recently Opened to Women in the Past 12 Months
and the Result of Recent Opening for Coast Guard Men (Q191–Q192) .........................273
Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media Sites and Compliance
With Social Media Policy for DoD Women (Q207–Q208).............................................274

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Table of Contents (Continued)
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174.
175.
176.
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178.
179.
180.
181.
182.
183.
184.
185.
186.
187.
188.
189.
190.
191.

192.
193.
194.
195.

Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media Sites and Compliance
With Social Media Policy for DoD Men (Q207–Q208) ..................................................274
Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media Sites and Compliance
With Social Media Policy for Coast Guard Women (Q207–Q208) ................................276
Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media Sites and Compliance
With Social Media Policy for Coast Guard Men (Q207–Q208)......................................277
Awareness of Service Member Misuse of Social Media Sites to Ridicule, Abuse,
Stalk, or Harm for DoD (Q205) .......................................................................................278
Awareness of Service Member Misuse of Social Media Sites to Ridicule, Abuse,
Stalk, or Harm for Coast Guard (Q205)...........................................................................280
Made Appropriate Notifications on Social Media Misuse for DoD (Q206) ...................281
Made Appropriate Notifications on Social Media Misuse for Coast Guard (Q206) .......283
Perception of Sexual Assault in the Military Over Past Two Years for DoD
Women (Q210) ................................................................................................................286
Perception of Sexual Assault in the Military Over Past Two Years for DoD Men
(Q210) ..............................................................................................................................287
Perception of Sexual Assault in the Military Over Past Two Years for Coast
Guard (Q210) ...................................................................................................................288
Trust in the Military System’s Response to Sexual Assault for DoD (Q203b–d) ...........289
Trust in the Military System’s Response to Sexual Assault for Coast Guard
(Q203b–d) ........................................................................................................................292
Perception of Sexual Harassment in the Military Over Past Two Years for DoD
Women (Q209) ................................................................................................................293
Perception of Sexual Harassment in the Military Over Past Two Years for DoD
Men (Q209) ......................................................................................................................294
Perception of Sexual Harassment in the Military Over Past Two Years for Coast
Guard (Q209) ...................................................................................................................295
Perception of Being Treated Differently by Leadership if Member Reports
Member Was Sexually Harassed for DoD (Q203e) ........................................................296
Perception of Being Treated Differently by Leadership if Member Reports
Someone Else Was Sexually Harassed for DoD (Q203f) ................................................297
Perception of Being Treated Differently by Leadership if Member Reports
Member Was Sexually Harassed (Q203e) and if Reports Someone Else Was
Sexually Harassed (Q203f) for Coast Guard ...................................................................298
Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment for DoD (Q204) ...............................299
Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment for Coast Guard (Q204) ...................302
Perception of Sexual Assault in the Military Over the Past Two Years for Total
DoD—Removing “Do not know” (Q210) .......................................................................303
Perception of Sexual Harassment in the Military Over the Past Two Years for
Total DoD—Removing “Do not know” (Q209) ..............................................................304

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Table of Contents (Continued)
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196.
197.

198.

199.
200.
201.

202.
203.
204.
205.
206.
207.
208.
209.
210.
211.
212.

Trust in the Military System’s Response to Sexual Assault for DoD Active Duty
Members by Perceptions of Sexual Assault (Q203b–d, Q210) .......................................305
Changes in Gender—Trust in the Military System’s Response to Sexual Assault
for DoD Active Duty Members by Perceptions of Sexual Assault (Q203b–d,
Q210) ...............................................................................................................................306
Changes Based on Experienced Sexual Assault—Trust in the Military System’s
Response to Sexual Assault for DoD Active Duty Members by Perceptions of
Sexual Assault (Q203b–d, Q210) ....................................................................................307
Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment for DoD Active Duty Members
by Perceptions of Sexual Harassment (Q204, Q209) ......................................................309
Changes in Gender—Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment for DoD
Active Duty Members by Perceptions of Sexual Harassment (Q204, Q209)..................310
Changes based on Experienced Sexual Harassment—Willingness to Act to
Prevent Sexual Harassment for DoD Active Duty Members by Perceptions of
Sexual Harassment (Q204, Q209) ...................................................................................311
Proportion of Men Who Characterized the One Situation as Hazing or Bullying,
by Service.........................................................................................................................337
The Continuum of Harm in Relation to Sexual Assault ..................................................346
Association Between Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Across Levels of
Workplace Hostility .........................................................................................................353
Self-Reported Sexual Orientation for DoD (Q211) .........................................................356
Self-Reported Identification as Transgender for DoD (Q212) ........................................356
Self-Reported Identification as LGBT for DoD (Q211–Q212) .......................................357
Sexual Assault Past Year Prevalence Rate for DoD by LGBT Identification .................358
Sexual Harassment Past Year Prevalence Rate for DoD by LGBT Identification ..........358
Gender Discrimination Past Year Prevalence Rate for DoD by LGBT
Identification ....................................................................................................................359
Sex-Based MEO Violation Past Year Prevalence Rate for DoD by LGBT
Identification ....................................................................................................................360
Metric Changes for Sexual Assault Behaviors ................................................................363

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Chapter 1:
Introduction
Ms. Lisa Davis and Ms. Amanda Grifka
To address unwanted gender-related issues in the military, each of the Services and Department
of Defense (DoD) has implemented and expanded sexual assault and sexual harassment
programs to provide reporting options and survivor care procedures. Continuing evaluation of
these programs through cross-component surveys is important to identifying areas of
improvement for reducing instances of sexual assault and sexual harassment of military
members. This report presents findings from the 2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey
of Active Duty Members (2016 WGRA), a source of information for evaluating these programs
and for assessing the gender relations environment across the Services. This introductory
chapter provides background on why this survey was conducted, a summary of recent DoD
policies and programs associated with gender-relations issues, a review of the survey measures,
and an overview of the report chapters.
References to perpetrator/offender throughout this report should be interpreted as “alleged
perpetrator” or “alleged offender.” Without knowing the specific outcomes of particular
allegations, the presumption of innocence applies unless there is an adjudication of guilt.
References to “retaliation,” “reprisal,” “ostracism,” or “maltreatment,” or perceptions thereof are
based on the negative behaviors as reported by the survey respondents; without knowing more
about the specifics of particular cases or reports, this data should not be construed as
substantiated allegations of reprisal, ostracism, or maltreatment. Therefore, no legal conclusions
can be drawn on whether behaviors meet the definition of an offense having been committed.

DoD Sexual Assault and Equal Opportunity Programs and Policies
The Defense Research, Surveys, and Statistics Center (RSSC), within the Office of People
Analytics (OPA),14 has been conducting the congressionally-mandated gender relations survey of
active duty members since 1988 as part of a quadrennial cycle of human relations surveys
outlined in Title 10 U. S. Code Section 481. Past surveys of this population were conducted by
OPA in 1988, 1995, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2012. At the request of Congress, the RAND
Corporation conducted the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study (2014 RMWS) of military
members (both the active duty and Reserve components) to provide an independent assessment
of unwanted gender-related behaviors in the military force. The measures for sexual assault and
Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) violations developed by RAND for use in the 2014 RMWS
will be used in Workplace and Gender Relations (WGR) surveys hereafter.
As a result of the gender relations surveys being moved to a biennial cycle starting in 2013 as
mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Fiscal Year 2013 Section 570,
OPA conducted the 2016 WGRA. This section provides a review of DoD sexual assault and
sexual harassment policies and programs, which acts as a foundation for the establishment and
14

Before 2016, the Defense Research, Surveys, and Statistics Center (RSSC) resided within the Defense Manpower
Data Center (DMDC). In 2016, the Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA) reorganized and moved RSSC
under the newly established Office of People Analytics (OPA).

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requirements of the 2016 WGRA, as well as a description of how results are presented in this
report.
DoD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Policies
Program Oversight
In February 2004, the then-Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD[P&R])
testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the prevalence of sexual assault in the
DoD and the programs and policies planned to address this issue. In accordance with legislative
requirements (Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA] for Fiscal Year
2005), the USD(P&R) issued memoranda to the Services in November and December 2004 to
provide DoD policy guidance on sexual assault, including a new standard definition, response
capability, training requirements, response actions, and reporting guidance throughout the
Department.
DoD Directive (DoDD) 6495.01 charged the USD(P&R) with implementing the Sexual Assault
Prevention and Response (SAPR) program and monitoring compliance with the Directive
through data collection and performance metrics. It established the DoD Sexual Assault
Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) within the Office of the USD(P&R) to address all
DoD sexual assault policy matters, except criminal investigations and legal processes within the
responsibility of the Offices of the Judge Advocates General in the Military Departments. DoD
SAPRO supported implementation of this new policy and required data to continually assess the
prevalence of sexual assault in the Department and the effectiveness of the programs and
resources they implemented.
DoD refined its policy on sexual assault prevention and response through a series of directives
issued in late 2004 and early 2005. DoDD 6495.01, “Sexual Assault Prevention and Response
(SAPR) Program,” was reissued in January 2012, and then updated again in April 2013 and
January 2015 by the then-Deputy Secretary of Defense and USD(P&R), to implement DoD
policy and assign responsibilities for the SAPR program on prevention of, and response to,
sexual assault and the oversight of these efforts. DoDD 6495.01 established a comprehensive
DoD policy on the prevention and response to sexual assault (Department of Defense, 2015b).
The policy states:
“The DoD goal is a culture free of sexual assault, through an environment of prevention,
education and training, response capability (defined in Reference C), victim support,
reporting procedures, and appropriate accountability that enhances the safety and well-being
of all persons covered by this directive and Reference C.”15
In addition, the updated 2015 DoD Directive mandated standardized requirements and
documents, an immediate, trained response capability at all permanent and deployed locations,
effective awareness and prevention programs for the chain of command, and options for both

15

“Reference C” is Department of Defense. (2008). Sexual assault prevention and response program procedures.
(DoD Instruction 6495.02). Washington, DC: Author.

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restricted and unrestricted reporting of sexual assaults.16 It also prohibited the enlistment or
commissioning of people convicted of sexual assault.
Defining Sexual Assault
DoDD 6495.01 defines sexual assault as any “intentional sexual contact characterized by use of
force, threats, intimidation, or abuse of authority or when the victim does not or cannot consent”
(Department of Defense, 2015). Under this definition, sexual assault includes rape, aggravated
sexual contact, abusive sexual contact, forcible sodomy (forced oral or anal sex), or attempts to
commit these acts. “Consent” shall not be deemed or construed to mean the failure by the victim
to offer physical resistance. DoDD 6495.01 defines “consent” as:
“A freely given agreement to the conduct at issue by a competent person. An expression of
lack of consent through words or conduct means there is no consent. Lack of verbal or
physical resistance or submission resulting from the use of force, threat of force, or placing
another person in fear does not constitute consent. A current or previous dating or social or
sexual relationship by itself or the manner of dress of the person involved with the accused in
the sexual conduct at issue shall not constitute consent. A sleeping, unconscious, or
incompetent person cannot consent” (Department of Defense, 2015b).
In Section 522 of the NDAA for FY 2006, Congress amended the Uniform Code of Military
Justice (UCMJ) to consolidate and reorganize the array of military sex offenses. These revised
provisions took effect October 1, 2007. Article 120, UCMJ, was subsequently amended in
FY2012.
As amended, Article 120, UCMJ, “Rape, Sexual Assault, and Other Sexual Misconduct,” defines
rape as “a situation where any person causes another person of any age to engage in a sexual act
by: (1) using unlawful force; (2) causing grievous bodily harm; (3) threatening or placing that
other person in fear that any person will be subjected to death, grievous bodily harm, or
kidnapping; (4) rendering the person unconscious; or (5) administering a substance, drug,
intoxicant, or similar substance that substantially impairs the ability of that person to appraise or
control conduct” (Title 10 U.S. Code Section 920, Article 120). Article 120 of the UCMJ
defines “consent” as “words or overt acts indicating a freely given agreement to the sexual act at
issue by a competent person.” The term is further explained as:


An expression of lack of consent through words or conduct means there is no consent



Lack of verbal or physical resistance or submission resulting from the accused’s use of
force, threat of force, or placing another person in fear does not constitute consent



A current or previous dating relationship by itself or the manner of dress of the person
involved with the accused in the sexual conduct at issue shall not constitute consent

16

Restricted reporting allows a sexual assault victim to confidentially disclose the details of the assault to specified
individuals and receive medical treatment and counseling without prompting an official investigation. Unrestricted
reporting is for sexual assault victims who want medical treatment, counseling, command notification, and an
official investigation of the assault.

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

A person cannot consent to sexual activity if he or she is “substantially incapable of
appraising the nature of the sexual conduct at issue” due to mental impairment or
unconsciousness resulting from consumption of alcohol, drugs, a similar substance, or
otherwise, as well as when the person is unable to understand the nature of the sexual
conduct at issue due to a mental disease or defect



Similarly, a lack of consent includes situations where a person is “substantially incapable
of physically declining participation” or “physically communicating unwillingness” to
engage in the sexual conduct at issue

As described above, the DoDD 6495.01 was revised on October 1, 2007, to be consistent with
these changes. It was also subsequently revised January 23, 2012.
DoD Equal Opportunity Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination Policies
Program Oversight
The Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity (ODMEO) is the primary office
within DoD that sets and oversees equal opportunity policies. ODMEO monitors the prevention
and response of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. The overall goal of ODMEO is to
provide an “environment in which Service members are ensured an opportunity to rise to the
highest level of responsibility possible in the military profession, dependent only on merit,
fitness, and capability” (DoDD 1350.2).
Defining Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination
The DoD military sexual harassment policy was defined in 1995, and revised in 2015, in DoDD
1350.2 as:
“A form of sex discrimination that involves unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual
favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
 Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or
condition of a person’s job, pay, or career, or
 Submission to or rejection of such conduct by a person is used as a basis for career
or employment decisions affecting that person, or
 Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an
individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive
working environment.17
Workplace conduct, to be actionable as ‘abusive work environment’ harassment, need not
result in concrete psychological harm to the victim, but rather need only be so severe or
17

NDAA for FY2017 amended this definition by eliminating the word “working.” However, data captured in this
survey is based on the definition in effect at the time of the survey administration in July 2016.

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pervasive that a reasonable person would perceive, and the victim does perceive, the work
environment as hostile or offensive” (Department of Defense, 2015c).
Gender discrimination is defined in DoDD 1350.2 as “unlawful discrimination” in which there is
discrimination based on “sex that is not otherwise authorized by law or regulation” (Department
of Defense, 2015c).

Measurement of Constructs
Historically, OPA gender relations surveys have been designed to estimate the perceived
experiences of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Services based on self-reported
responses from Service members to provide information on a variety of consequences of sexual
harassment and sexual assault experiences (Bastian, Lancaster, & Reist, 1996). Prior to 2014,
the OPA gender relations surveys captured experiences of sexual assault through its Unwanted
Sexual Contact (USC) measure and experiences of sexual harassment were derived from the
Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ; Fitzgerald et al., 1988; Fitzgerald, Gelfand, &
Drasgow, 1995), which was adapted for a military population (SEQ-DoD) and was the DoDapproved data collection method for measuring sexual harassment experiences starting in 2002.
These measures were used on surveys conducted in 2006, 2010, and 2012 of active duty
members and in 2008 and 2012 of Reserve component members. The 2016 WGRA covers sexual
assault and MEO violations described in detail below.
Sexual Assault
In 2014, Congressional leaders requested DoD update its survey methodology to be more
specific with regard to the types of crimes military members’ experience. The RAND
Corporation developed a new measure of sexual assault incorporating UCMJ-prohibited
behaviors and consent factors to derive prevalence rates of crimes committed against military
members (Morral, Gore, & Schell, 2014). This 94-item measure of sexual assault aligned with
the elements of proof required for sexual assault under Article 120, UCMJ, and meets the
requirements outlined by Congress. This measure was approved by the Secretary of Defense and
the Service Chiefs as the crime victimization measure of sexual assault for DoD and was first
used on the 2014 RMWS.
Construction of Sexual Assault Prevalence Rates
Following the guidelines set forth in the 2014 RMWS, to meet the elements of proof for sexual
assault within the UCMJ, OPA used the same steps to construct prevalence rates of sexual
assault in the 2016 WGRA. Sexual assault offenses refer to a range of behaviors prohibited by
the UCMJ and include: penetrative sexual assault (completed sexual intercourse, sodomy [oral
or anal sex], and penetration by an object); non-penetrative sexual assault (unwanted touching of
genitalia and other sexually related areas of the body); and attempted penetrative sexual assault
(attempted sexual intercourse, sodomy [oral or anal sex], and penetration by an object). Second,
these behaviors must be done with the intent to either gratify a sexual desire or to abuse,
humiliate, or degrade (with the exception of penetration with a penis where intent is not required
to meet the criminal elements of proof). Finally, the UCMJ requires that a mechanism such as
force or threats must be used or, in instances where the assault happened while the victim was

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unconscious or drugged, the offender behaved fraudulently, or the victim was unable to provide
consent.
As shown in Figure 1, within the 2016 WGRA, the sexual assault measure is constructed from
Q65–Q106 and contains three requirements: (1) the member must indicate experiencing at least
one of the six UCMJ-based sexual assault behaviors, (2) at least one UCMJ-based intent
behavior where required,18 and (3) at least one UCMJ-based coercive mechanism that indicated
consent was not freely given. If a respondent indicates experiencing any sexual assault behavior
classified as meeting the intent and mechanism criteria for a sexual assault, they would only see
questions for the remaining sexual assault behaviors—they would not see the follow-up
questions on intentions and consent mechanisms for additional behaviors experienced.
Additionally, respondents who indicated the incident occurred outside of the past 12 months are
coded as “No” for the behaviors they experienced (Q167–Q169). References to past-year sexual
assault prevalence rates in this report all require the members to have indicated this time frame.
Figure 1.
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate Metrics

Using the criteria listed in Figure 2 the 2016 WGRA produced estimated prevalence rates for
three categories of sexual assault using a hierarchical system: penetrative sexual assault, nonpenetrative sexual assault, and attempted penetrative sexual assault. Penetrative sexual assault
18

Intent items were not a requirement for “someone put his penis into your anus or mouth (or vagina, if you are a
woman).”

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includes members who indicated “Yes” to any of the items that assess penetration of the vagina,
anus, or mouth. Non-penetrative sexual assault includes members who indicated “Yes” to either
of the behaviors assessing unwanted sexual touching and were not previously counted as
penetrative sexual assault. Attempted penetrative sexual assault includes members who
indicated “yes” to the item that assesses attempted sexual assault and were not previously
counted as having experienced either penetrative or non-penetrative sexual assault. Each of
these behaviors must have met the appropriate criteria for the behavior to be included in the
prevalence rates. Since the 2016 WGRA and the 2014 RMWS used the same hierarchical
measure, OPA is able to provide DoD with comparable estimated sexual assault prevalence rates
between 2014 and 2016.
Figure 2.
Hierarchy of Estimated Sexual Assault Prevalence Rates

Penetrative
Sexual Assault

Non-Penetrative
Sexual Assault

Attempted
Penetrative
Sexual Assault

 Someone put his penis into your vagina, anus, or mouth
 Someone put any object or any body part other than a penis
into your vagina, anus, or mouth
 Someone made you put any part of your body or any object into
someone’s mouth, vagina, or anus when you did not want to
 Someone intentionally touched private areas of your body
(either directly or through clothing)
 Someone made you touch private areas of their body or
someone else’s body (either directly or through clothing)

 Someone attempted to put a penis, an object, or any body part
into your vagina, anus, or mouth, but no penetration actually
occurred

Sex-Based Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) Violations
Construction of MEO Violation Prevalence Rates
Following the 2014 RMWS guidelines, OPA used a two-step process to determine sex-based
MEO violation prevalence rates. First, questions were asked about whether members
experienced behaviors prohibited by MEO policy by someone from their military workplace and
the circumstances of those experiences. Second, the behaviors were categorized into two types
of MEO violations—sexual harassment (defined as either sexually hostile work environment or
sexual quid pro quo) and gender discrimination—to produce estimated prevalence rates for these
two categories.
Similar to the multi-faceted requirements of the new UCMJ-based criminal measure of sexual
assault, two requirements are needed in the MEO measure for behaviors experienced to be in
violation of DoD policy (DoDD 1350.2). First, MEO offenses refer to a range of sex-based

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MEO violations specified by DoDD 1350.2 and include indicating experiencing either sexual
harassment (sexually hostile work environment or sexual quid pro quo) and/or gender
discriminatory behaviors by someone from their military workplace. Second, the member also
had to indicate “Yes” to one of the follow-up items assessing persistence and severity of the
behaviors experienced.19
Prevalence rates of sex-based MEO violations were derived from Q8–Q47 and represent a
continuum of behaviors, including sexual harassment (sexually hostile work environment and
sexual quid pro quo) and gender discrimination. The behaviors comprising each of the included
MEO violations are described below, with details on prevalence rate construction depicted in
Figure 3.


Sexual Harassment (Q8–Q22 and Q25–Q45) includes two behaviors:
– Sexually Hostile Work Environment (Q8–Q20 and Q25–Q43): Includes unwelcome
sexual conduct or comments that interfere with a person’s work performance or
creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment, or where the conduct
is a condition of a person’s job, pay, or career. Additionally, these behaviors have to
either continue after the alleged offender knew to stop, or were so severe that most
Service members would have found them offensive, to meet the criteria for inclusion
in the prevalence rate.
– Sexual Quid Pro Quo (Q21–Q22 and Q44–Q45): Includes instances of job benefits or
losses conditioned on sexual cooperation.



19

Gender Discrimination (Q23–Q24 and Q46–Q47): Includes comments and behaviors
directed at someone because of his/her gender and these experiences harmed or limited
his/her career.

The behavior “Intentionally touched you in a sexual way when you did not want them to” does not require any
legal criteria follow-up questions. The behavior “Took or shared sexually suggestive pictures or videos of you when
you did not want them to and it made you uncomfortable, angry, or upset” does not require the persistence follow-up
criteria—only the severity criteria is required.

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Figure 3.
Sex-Based MEO Violation Prevalence Rate Metrics

*Only required the criteria of being severe enough that most Service members would have been offended
**Did not require any follow-up criteria

Negative Outcomes Associated With Reporting a Sexual Assault
The DoD strives to create an environment where military members feel comfortable and safe
reporting a potential sexual assault to a military authority. One area the DoD has been
monitoring is repercussions (i.e., retaliatory behaviors as a result of reporting sexual assault).
Specifically, three forms of retaliatory behaviors have been outlined: professional reprisal,
ostracism, and maltreatment. Professional reprisal, as defined in law and policy, is a personnel
or other unfavorable action taken by the chain of command against an individual for engaging in
a protected activity. Ostracism and maltreatment, however, can be negative behaviors, such as
actions of social exclusion (ostracism) or misconduct against the member taken either by peers or
an individual in a position of authority (maltreatment), because the military member reported, or
intends to report, a criminal offense. The DoD’s ability to deter retaliatory behavior was
strengthened by section 1714 of the NDAA for FY 2014, enhancing the protections in section
1034 of Title 10, USC. Protections were also strengthened for military members by section
1709, which requires the promulgation of regulations to punish retaliatory behaviors.

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Both OPA and RAND survey results on rates of perceived experiences of members who made a
report of sexual assault have been relatively constant for these types of retaliatory behavior since
first measured in 2006. Specifically, survey findings have consistently shown that more than
half of female members20 who made a report perceived some amount of retaliatory behavior.21
Therefore, in 2015, the Secretary of Defense determined that more detailed information was
needed on the circumstances of these perceived experiences. As a result, the Secretary of
Defense directed “that we develop a DoD-wide comprehensive strategy to prevent retaliation
against Service members who report or intervene on behalf of victims of sexual assault and other
crimes.”22
This increased focus on retaliation led to a number of new initiatives, including the revision of
survey measures to be consistent with the directives prohibiting retaliation and behaviors that
allow for departmental action. The implementation of Section 1709(a) of the NDAA for FY
2014 requires the Secretary of Defense to prescribe regulations, or require the Secretaries of the
military departments to prescribe regulations that prohibit retaliation against an alleged victim or
other member of the Armed Forces who reports a criminal offense. The section further requires
that violation of those regulations be punishable under Article 92 of the UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 892.
To develop the new comprehensive measures, SAPRO assembled a Retaliation Roundtable,
made up of subject matter experts from across the DoD, including representatives from each
Service. The goal was to create a detailed set of survey items to more accurately measure
perceptions of ostracism, maltreatment, and professional reprisal to better address these potential
negative outcomes associated with reporting a sexual assault.
Construction of Metric for Perceived Retaliatory Behaviors
OPA worked closely with the Services and DoD stakeholders to design behaviorally based
questions to better capture perceptions of a range of outcomes resulting from reporting sexual
assault. The resulting bank of questions were designed to measure negative behaviors a member
may have experienced as a result of making a report of sexual assault and to account for
additional motivating factors, as indicated by the member, consistent with prohibited actions of
professional reprisal, ostracism, and maltreatment in the UCMJ and military policies and
regulations. In this way, these questions are able to provide the Department with perceived
experiences of the respondents for each of the different types of possible retaliatory behaviors as
well as various “roll-up” scales to obtain broader understanding of the issue. These items were
reviewed and approved by all Services through the Retaliation Roundtable convened by SAPRO
in June 2015. They were also reviewed by SAPRO’s Retaliation, Response, and Prevention
Strategy working group in Spring 2016, whose feedback was incorporated into the metric.
Survey questions are only able to provide a general understanding of the self-reported outcomes
that may constitute reprisal, ostracism, or maltreatment, and therefore, are referred to as
“perceived.” Ultimately, only the results of an investigation (which takes into account all legal
aspects, such as the intent of the alleged perpetrator) can determine whether self-reported
20

Data for men were not reportable due to the small number of male respondents in this category.
DMDC (2012), DMDC (2014a), and Morral, Gore, & Schell (2014).
22
Secretary of Defense (2015, May 1)
21

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negative behaviors meet the requirements of prohibited retaliatory behaviors. The estimates
presented in this report reflect the members’ perceptions about a negative experience associated
with their reporting of sexual assault and not necessarily a reported or legally substantiated
incident of retaliation. As such, rates for these items are caveated as “perceived.”
Before categorizing members as experiencing “perceived” professional reprisal, ostracism, and/
or maltreatment, members had to indicate experiencing a “potential” retaliatory action and/or
behavior. Specifically, the member had to indicate experiencing any behavior consistent with
professional reprisal, ostracism, or maltreatment, which would precede the questions to ascertain
the member’s perception of the motivating factors of that perceived retaliatory behavior.
Therefore, there may be higher percentages of members who indicated experiencing “potential”
behaviors, but they do not, on their own, reflect a “rate.” “Perceived” actions and/or behaviors
are those retaliatory behaviors in which potential behaviors were experienced and additional
motivating factors were present as indicated by the member. Construction of perceived rates of
professional reprisal, ostracism, and maltreatment are based on general policy prohibitions.
Perceived rates should not be construed as a legal crime victimization rate due to slight
differences across the Services on the definition of behaviors and requirements of retaliation and
slight differences in the absence of an investigation being conducted to determine a verified
outcome.
Perceived Professional Reprisal. (Q143–145): Under the UCMJ, reprisal is defined as “Taking
or threatening to take an adverse personnel action, or withholding or threatening to withhold a
favorable personnel action, with respect to a member of the Armed Forces because the member
reported a criminal offense.” Reprisal may occur only if the actions in question were taken by
leadership with the intent of having a specific detrimental impact on the career or professional
activities of the member who reported the crime. The rate of perceived professional reprisal is a
summary measure reflecting whether respondents indicated they experienced unfavorable actions
taken by leadership (or an individual with the authority to affect a personnel decision) as a result
of reporting sexual assault (not based on conduct or performance) and met the criteria for
elements of proof for an investigation to occur. Figure 4 shows the behaviors and two follow-up
criteria required to be included in the rate.

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Figure 4.
Perceived Professional Reprisal Metric

Perceived Professional Reprisal Rate

1

Experienced at least one behavior from leadership in line with potential professional
reprisal

 Demoted you or denied you a promotion
 Denied you a training opportunity that could have led to promotion or is needed in order to keep your current
position
 Rated you lower than you deserved on a performance evaluation
 Denied you an award you were previously eligible to receive
 Reduced your pay or benefits without doing the same to others
 Reassigned you to duties that do not match your current grade
 Made you perform additional duties that do not match your current grade
 Transferred you to a different unit or installation without your request or agreement
 Ordered you to one or more command directed mental health evaluations
 Disciplined you or ordered other corrective action
 Prevented, or attempted to prevent, you from communicating with the Inspector General or a member of
Congress
 Some other action that negatively affects, or could negatively affect, your position or career

2

Belief that the leadership actions experienced were ONLY based on their report of
sexual assault (i.e., not based on their conduct or performance)

3

Belief that the leadership took action for one of the following reasons:

 To get back at you for making a report (unrestricted or restricted)
 To discourage you from moving forward with your report
 They were mad at you for causing a problem for them

Perceived Ostracism. (Q149–151): Implementing strategies to eliminate retaliatory behaviors
such as ostracism, presents some challenges to the Department. For example, enacting
prohibitions against ostracism within the context of retaliation requires a specific set of criteria in
order to maintain judicial validation against the limitations on the freedom of disassociation.
Therefore, the Services crafted policies that implement the regulation of these prohibitions
against ostracism outlined in section 1709(a) of the NDAA for FY 2014. In the Report on
Prohibiting Retaliation Against an Alleged Victim or Other Member of the Armed Forces Who
Reports a Criminal Offense, the Department states that “the punitive Service regulations issued
in accordance with section 1709(a) of the NDAA for FY 2014 as supplemented by existing
UCMJ articles that can be applied to some specific aspects of retaliation—such as Article 93’s
prohibition of maltreatment and Article 133’s prohibition of misconduct by commissioned
officers, cadets, and midshipmen—are the optimal means of criminalizing retaliation against
victims or other members of the Armed Forces who report criminal offenses.”23
Although the interpretation of ostracism varies slightly across the DoD Services, in general,
ostracism may occur if retaliatory behaviors were taken either by a member’s military peers or
by leadership for having reported a sexual assault or were planning to report a sexual assault.
The rate of perceived ostracism is a summary measure reflecting whether, as a result of reporting
a sexual assault, respondents indicated experiencing negative behaviors from military peers and/
or coworkers to make them feel excluded or ignored and met the legal criteria for elements of
23

Department of Defense (2014).

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proof for an investigation to occur. Figure 5 shows the behaviors and two follow-up criteria
required to be included in the rate.

Perceived Ostracism
Rate

Figure 5.
Perceived Ostracism Metric
Experienced at least one behavior from military peers and/or coworkers in line with

1 potential ostracism

 Made insulting or disrespectful remarks or made jokes at your expense—in public
 Excluded you or threatened to exclude you from social activities or interactions
 Ignored you or failed to speak to you (for example, gave you “the silent treatment”)

2 Belief that at least one individual knew or suspected the respondents made an official
report of sexual assault (unrestricted or restricted)

3 Belief that the action was taken to discourage you from moving forward with your report
or discourage others from reporting

Perceived Maltreatment. (Q154–Q156): In the context of retaliation, perceived maltreatment
prohibitions must include a specific set of criteria in order to maintain judicial validation against
the limitations on the freedom of disassociation. As with perceived ostracism, the Services
crafted regulations making certain behavior punitive under Article 92, of the UCMJ, as mandated
by Section 1709(a).24 On the survey, cruelty, oppression, and maltreatment are defined as acts
that occur without a valid military purpose and may include physical or psychological force or
threat or abusive or unjustified treatment that results in physical or mental harm. For the
purposes of this report, the construct of “cruelty, oppression, and maltreatment” are referenced
broadly as “maltreatment.”25
The rate of perceived maltreatment is a summary measure reflecting whether, as a result of
reporting a sexual assault, respondents indicated experiencing negative behaviors from military
peers and/or coworkers that occurred without a valid military purpose and may include physical
or psychological force, threats, or abusive or unjustified treatment that results in physical or
mental harm and met the legal criteria for elements of proof for an investigation to occur. Figure
6 shows the behaviors and two follow-up criteria required to be included in the rate.

24

Department of Defense (2014).
Maltreatment as used in this survey comprises maltreatment in the context of reporting an offense and
maltreatment defined under Article 93 of the UCMJ.
25

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Perceived Maltreatment Rate

Figure 6.
Perceived Maltreatment Metric
1






Experienced at least one behavior from military peers and/or coworkers in line with
potential maltreatment

Made insulting or disrespectful remarks or made jokes at your expense—to you in private
Showed or threatened to show private images, photos, or videos of you to others
Bullied you or made intimidating remarks about the assault
Was physically violent with you or threatened to be physically violent
Damaged or threatened to damage your property

2 Belief that at least one individual knew or suspected the respondents made an official
report of sexual assault (unrestricted or restricted)

3 Belief that the action was taken for one of the following reasons:
 To discourage you from moving forward with your report or discourage others from reporting
 They were trying to abuse or humiliate you

Perceived Ostracism/Maltreatment. By regulations, ostracism/maltreatment are defined as
“ostracism and acts of maltreatment committed by peers or a member of the Armed Forces or by
other persons because the member reported a criminal offense.”26 The rate of perceived
ostracism/maltreatment is an overall measure showing whether members reported experiencing
behaviors or actions by military peers and/or coworkers meeting the requirements for inclusion
in the estimates of perceived ostracism and/or maltreatment.
Perceived Professional Reprisal and/or Perceived Ostracism/Maltreatment. The rate of
perceived reprisal and/or ostracism/maltreatment is an overall measure reflecting whether
respondents experienced either perceived professional reprisal, perceived ostracism, and/or
perceived maltreatment by leadership or military peers and/or coworkers for reporting sexual
assault.

Overview of Report
The principal purpose of the 2016 WGRA is to report estimated prevalence rates of sexual
assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination as well as to assess attitudes and
perceptions about personnel programs and policies designed to reduce the occurrence of these
unwanted behaviors and improve the gender relations climate between men and women.
As depicted in Figure 7, there were two forms of the 2016 WGRA: the short form and the long
form. The short form was a paper survey containing survey items used to assess sex-based MEO
violations, UCMJ-based sexual assault, and details of the sexual assault that had the greatest
impact on the survivor. The long form, or web survey, contained all of the items on the short
26

Section 1709(a) of the NDAA for FY 2014 requires regulations prohibiting retaliation against an alleged survivor
or other member of the Armed Forces who reports a crime, and requires that violations of those regulations be
punishable under Article 92.

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form, but also included additional topics on perceptions of SAPR programs, bystander
intervention, culture and climate, and comparisons between sexual assault and sexual harassment
in the military versus the nation. For purposes of this report, all references to question numbers
refer to the long survey form.
Figure 7.
Survey Content by Form

Survey Content by Chapter


Chapter 2 provides information on the survey methodology including details on the
sampling and weighting strategies used for the 2016 WGRA.



Chapter 3 covers the estimated past-year prevalence rates of sexual assault, sexual assault
experiences since entering the military, before entering the military, and within their
lifetime, the number of unwanted events experienced, and whether any unwanted event
experienced was considered hazing and/or bullying.



Chapter 4 provides details about the one situation of sexual assault in the past 12 months
that had the biggest effect on members. Included is information about the circumstances
pertaining to the most serious experience of sexual assault, such as specific behaviors
experienced; considering the unwanted event as involving hazing or bullying;
characteristics of alleged offender(s); where and when the one situation occurred;
experiences of stalking and harassment before or after the situation; drug and/or alcohol
involvement; and outcomes of the one situation.

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

Chapter 5 provides details on reporting the one situation of sexual assault in the past 12
months that had the biggest effect on members. Included is information about the type of
report made; outcomes of reporting, resources provided, actions from leadership,
expedited transfers, including life after the transfer; and recommendation of others to
report sexual assault. This chapter also includes information on reasons for reporting and
not reporting, and whether the member would make the same decision about reporting in
the future. The chapter concludes with negative outcomes associated with reporting the
one situation, including perceived professional reprisal, perceived ostracism, and
perceived maltreatment, along with characteristics of each—such as the specific behavior
experienced, individual(s) who took the actions, and participation in reporting of sexual
assault as a result of actions taken—and characteristics of discussing and/or filing a
complaint as a result of such actions.



Chapter 6 covers perceived experiences of sex-based Military Equal Opportunity (MEO)
violations in the past 12 months. Included are estimated prevalence rates for perceived
sexual hostile work environment, sexual quid pro quo, sexual harassment, and gender
discrimination, as well as consideration of any of the behaviors as hazing and/or bullying.



Chapter 7 provides details about the one situation of sex-based MEO violations in the
past 12 months that had the biggest effect on members. Included is information about the
circumstances pertaining to the most serious experience of sexual assault, such as specific
behaviors experienced, characteristics of alleged offender(s), length of time the situation
occurred, where and when the one situation occurred, considering the one situation as
involving hazing and/or bullying, reporting/discussing the one situation, and reasons for
not reporting.



Chapter 8 addresses the training members receive on sexual assault and sexual
harassment prevention and response. Included are estimates on whether members
participated in trainings and members’ perceptions of the effectiveness of training in
preventing sexual assault and sexual harassment.



Chapter 9 covers topics on workplace climate. Included is the likelihood to encourage a
member to come forward to report sexual assault and/or sexual harassment and bystander
intervention. This chapter also provides information on positive workplace actions and
behaviors demonstrated by fellow members. The chapter concludes with a section on
women in the workplace, and social media use in the workplace.



Chapter 10 addresses perceptions of unwanted gender-related behaviors, including
perception of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military over the last two years
and the military’s response to such behaviors.



Chapter 11 covers additional analyses on male Service members who have experienced
sexual assault and analysis on males experiencing hazing and/or bullying as part of the
sexual assault.



Chapter 12 covers analysis on the continuum of harm.

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

2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members
Chapter 13 provides information on lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT)
members in the military, including estimated prevalence rates for this population. This
chapter also includes analysis on an expanded metric of sexual assault, continuing
assessment, and additional research.

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Chapter 2:
Survey Methodology
Ms. Lisa Davis, Mr. Eric Falk, and Mr. Jeff Schneider
In 2014, at the request of Congress, the RAND Corporation conducted the 2014 Rand Military
Workplace Study (2014 RMWS) and re-evaluated how the Department measures sexual assault
and sexual harassment. As a result of this evaluation, RAND administered the 2014 RMWS
which included newly constructed measures of sexual assault and military equal opportunity
(MEO) violations that meet elements of proof within the Uniformed Code of Military Justice
(UCMJ) and departmental policy. This resulted in metrics that could generate a crime
victimization rate for these behaviors (for more details on metrics, please see Chapter 1). OPA
adopted the 2014 RMWS measure construction and weighting methods for the 2016 WGRA with
the exceptions discussed below. This enables OPA to create estimates that can be trended and
can evaluate change over time.

Differences Between 2016 WGRA and 2014 RMWS
Consolidation of Sexual Assault Consent Items
To determine the UCMJ-based sexual assault prevalence rate, respondents must experience at
least one of the behaviors in line with sexual assault and meet two follow-up criteria. First, the
behaviors must have been done with the intent to abuse, humiliate, or degrade or to gratify a
sexual desire.27 Second, behaviors must include a coercive mechanism, indicating consent was
not given freely. These criteria were maintained between the 2014 RMWS and 2016 WGRA.
However, based on respondents concerns and to minimize burden, OPA consolidated the consent
factors (coercive mechanisms) for the sexual assault behaviors from 11 to four questions in the
2016 WGRA. Similar factors were grouped together, thus, reducing the number of sexual assault
behavior follow-up consent items while maintaining the range of behaviors captured on the 2014
RMWS. This change to the construct was approved by SAPRO. See Figure 8 for the comparison
of consent items between the 2014 RMWS and 2016 WGRA.

27

For experiences in which someone put his penis into someone’s anus or mouth (or vagina, if she is a woman),
intent is not required to meet the criminal elements of proof, and hence not needed to get into the prevalence rate.

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Figure 8.
Metric Changes to Sexual Assault Consent Factors

Sexual Assault Consent Factors

2014 RMWS
 Used physical force to make you comply
 Physically injured you
 Threatened to physically hurt you (or someone
else) OR threatened you (or someone else) with
a weapon OR threatened to seriously injure, kill,
or kidnap you (or someone else)
 Threatened you (or someone else) in some other
way. For example by using their position of
authority, by spreading lies about you, or by
getting you in trouble with authorities
 Did it when you were passed out, asleep, or
unconscious
 Did it when you were so drunk, high, or drugged
that you cold not understand what was
happening or could not show them that you were
unwilling
 Did it after you had consumed so much alcohol
that the next day you could not remember what
happened
 It happened without your consent
 Continued even when you told/showed them that
you were unwilling
 Made you so afraid that you froze and could not
tell/show them that you were unwilling
 Tricked you into thinking that they were someone
else or that they were allowed to do it for a
professional purpose

2016 WGRA

 Used, or threatened to use, physical force to
make you comply (e.g., use, or threats of,
physical injury, use of a weapon, or threats of
kidnapping)
 Threatened you (or someone else) in some other
way (e.g., used their position of authority, spread
lies about you, or got you in trouble with
authorities)

 Did it while you were passed out, asleep,
unconscious, or were so drunk, high, or drugged
that you could not understand what was
happening, or could not show them that you
were unwilling

 It happened without your consent (e.g., they
continued even when you told or showed them
that you were unwilling, they tricked you into
thinking they were someone else such as
pretending to be a doctor, or some other means
where you did not or could not consent)

Consolidation of Sexually Hostile Work Environment Criteria
To determine the prevalence rate for a sexually hostile work environment, respondents must
experience at least one of the behaviors in line with a sexually hostile work environment and met
requirements of the behavior being pervasive or severe. Most items in the set of questions use
both the “pervasive” or “severe” criteria. Of those that do, the following modifications were
made to the 2016 WGRA questionnaire.
First, for determining if the behaviors either continued after the alleged offender knew to stop,
the two questions provided in the 2014 RMWS survey were consolidated into one question in the
2016 WGRA (see Figure 9 for questions). This update maintains the ability to capture the criteria
needed to capture behaviors that could constitute a sexually hostile work environment while
reducing respondent burden by combining similar questions. Second, the referent was changed
from persons of the respondents gender (“most men” or “most women”) to the neutral “most
Service members” for the criteria which the behavior had to be so severe that most would have
been offended by the behavior (Figure 9). This change aligns with the definition per Section
1560 of US Code Title 10:
“(b) …Is so severe or pervasive that a reasonable person would perceive, and the victim
does perceive, the work environment as hostile or offensive.”

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Figure 9.
Metric Changes to Sexually Hostile Work Environment Criteria

Changes to Eligibility Criteria: Separated Military Members
DoD Information Collection policy views military members who have separated from military
service as members of the general public who require Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
approval before they can be included in a DoD survey. DoD survey regulations limit the
surveying of these members without additional approvals required by the OMB under the
Paperwork Reduction Act. The Workplace and Gender Relations (WGR) surveys are targeted
towards DoD personnel and are not designed for surveying members of the general public (e.g.,
those who have left military service and DoD contractors).
To ensure the 2016 WGRA did not inadvertently survey retired or separated members, an
eligibility item was included in the survey to filter out members who may have separated or
retired after sample design but before survey fielding. If a respondent indicated they had
separated or retired, they are not asked additional items and received a sample disposition code
of “survey ineligible.” The 2014 RMWS did not have this additional eligibility item; therefore,
RAND may have picked up responses from retired or separated members. For the 2016 WGRA,
only 1,278 (0.2%) sample members self-identified as retired or separated and were coded as
ineligible. Additionally, OPA checked the separation status of all members using data from a
newer administrative file closer to the survey opening to remove known members who have
separated. This process excluded an additional 9,247 (1.2%) from the survey sample.

2016 WGRA Methodology
This section describes the scientific methodology used for the 2016 WGRA, including the
statistical design, survey administration, and analytical procedures. A copy of the 2016 WGRA
long form survey instrument is provided in Appendix A.

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OPA conducts cross-Service surveys that provide leadership with assessments of attitudes,
opinions, and experiences of the entire population of interest using standard scientific methods.
OPA’s survey methodology meets, and often exceeds, industry standards that are used by
government statistical agencies (e.g., the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics), private
survey organizations, and well-known polling organizations. OPA adheres to the survey
methodology best practices promoted by the American Association for Public Opinion Research
(AAPOR).28
Statistical Design
Although OPA has used industry standard scientific survey methodology for many years, it is
important to clarify how scientific practices employed by large survey organizations control for
bias and allow for generalizability to populations. Appendix B contains frequently asked
questions (FAQs) on the methods employed by government and private survey agencies,
including OPA. The survey methodology used on prior WGR surveys has remained largely
consistent across time, which allows for comparisons across survey administrations. In addition,
the scientific methods used by OPA have been validated by independent organizations (e.g.,
RAND and GAO).29 The methodology for selecting the 2016 WGRA sample, stratified random
sampling, is the same as in prior years. However, the methodology used for weighting the
respondents to the population is different. To maintain comparability, OPA–in collaboration
with Westat statisticians–decided to use the generalized boosted models (GBM) used by RAND–
for this administration, which adjusts for nonresponse by predicting experiences with key survey
measures (e.g. sexual assault) as well as adjust by predicting survey response. More details
about the complex weighting can be found below and in the 2016 Workplace and Gender
Relations Survey of Active Duty Members: Statistical Methods Report (OPA 2016).
Sampling Design
OPA uses known population characteristics, response rates from prior surveys, and an
optimization algorithm for determining sample sizes needed to achieve desired precision levels
on key reporting categories (domains). For the 2016 WGRA, OPA substantially increased the
sample size to ensure accurate estimates of important rare events (e.g., sexual assault, sexual
harassment, gender discrimination, and perceived experiences of professional reprisal, ostracism,
and/or maltreatment as a result of reporting a sexual assault). Overall, the sample was designed
to ensure there are enough respondents who submit completed surveys in order to make
generalizations to the Total Force. The target population for the 2016 WGRA consisted of active
28

AAPOR’s “Best Practices” state that, “virtually all surveys taken seriously by social scientists, policy makers, and
the informed media use some form of random or probability sampling, the methods of which are well grounded in
statistical theory and the theory of probability” (http://aapor.org/Best_Practices1/4081.htm#best3). OPA has
conducted surveys of the military and DoD community using these “Best Practices” for over 25 years, tailored as
appropriate for the unique design needs of specific surveys.
29
In 2014, an independent analysis of the methods used for the 2012 WGRA determined that “[OPA] relied on
standard, well accepted, and scientifically justified approaches to survey sampling and derivation of survey results as
reported for the 2012 WGRA” (Morral, Gore, & Schell, 2014). In 2010, GAO conducted an evaluation of OPA’s
methods, and although they found the sampling and weighting procedures aligned with industry standards and were
reliable for constructing estimates, they provided recommendations on conducting non-response bias analyses are
now standard products for OPA surveys (GAO-10-751R Human Capital).

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duty members from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard who were
below flag rank and had been on active duty for approximately five months.30 Single-stage,
nonproportional stratified random sampling procedures were used in the 2016 WGRA for the
DoD Services. A census of the Coast Guard was taken for this survey as they have a small
population.
In stratified random sampling, all members of a population are categorized into homogeneous
groups. For example, members might be grouped by gender and Service (e.g., all male Army
personnel in one group and all female Army personnel in another). Members are chosen at
random within each group. Small groups are oversampled in comparison to their proportion of
the population so there will be enough responses from small groups to analyze (e.g., female
Marine Corps officers). The sample for the 2016 WGRA consisted of 735,329 individuals drawn
from the sample frame constructed from the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) Active
Duty Master Edit File (ADMF). A match to the July ADMF was done to remove those from the
survey that had separated since the population file was developed, removing 9,247 (1.2%)
sample members. Members in the sample also became ineligible if they indicated in the survey
or by other contact (e.g., e-mails or telephone calls to the data collection contractor) they were
not a member of the active duty Services as of the first day of the survey, July 25, 2016 (0.2% of
sample). Details of the sampling strategy for selecting the DoD sample used in the 2016 WGRA
are shown in Figure 10.31
Figure 10.
2016 WGRA Stratified Sample Design for DoD Services

30

The sampling frame was developed five months before fielding the survey. Therefore, the sampling population
included those active duty members with approximately five months of service at the start of survey fielding.
31
A census of active duty Coast Guard members was taken and, therefore, are not including in the stratified sample
design.

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Survey Administration
Data were collected between July 22 and October 14, 2016, for the 2016 WGRA. The survey
was administered using both web (long form) and paper (short form) survey instruments.
The survey administration process began on July 21, 2016, with the mailing of an announcement
letter to sample members. On July 22, 2016, the survey website opened and e-mail
announcements were sent to sample members on July 25, 2016.32 The announcement letter and
e-mail explained why the survey was being conducted, how the survey information would be
used, why participation was important, and opt-out information for those who did not want to
participate. Throughout the administration period, up to an additional 10 e-mails and one postal
reminder were sent to encourage survey participation. Paper surveys were mailed on August 24,
2016, to sample members who had not previously responded to the web survey. Paper surveys
were collected from August 24 through October 5, 2016. Postal mailings and e-mails stopped
once the sample member submitted their survey or requested to opt-out of receiving additional
communications. Appendix C includes copies of the e-mails and postal letters mailed to sampled
members.
The survey procedures were reviewed by a DoD Human Subjects Protection Officer as part of
the DoD survey approval and licensing process. Additionally, OPA received a Certificate of
Confidentiality from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at the
Department of Health and Human Services to ensure the respondent’s data are protected. This
Certificate provides an additional layer of protection, whereby OPA cannot be forced to disclose
information that may identify study participants in any federal, state, or local civil, criminal,
administrative, legislative, or other proceedings.
Data Weighting
OPA scientifically weighted the 2016 WGRA respondents to be generalizable to the active duty
population using the generalized boosted modeling (GBM) approach. Within this process,
statistical adjustments are made to ensure the sample respondents accurately reflect the
characteristics of the population from which it was drawn and provide a more rigorous
accounting to reduce nonresponse bias in estimates. This ensures oversampling within any one
subgroup does not result in overrepresentation in the Total Force estimates.
For the 2016 WGRA, OPA mirrored a modeling process used by RAND in the 2014 RMWS
(Morral, Gore, & Schell, 2014) and Westat in the 2015 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey
of Reserve Component Members (2015 WGRR). This form of weighting produces survey
estimates of population totals, proportions, and means (as well as other statistics) that are
representative of their respective populations. Unweighted survey data, in contrast, are likely to
produce biased estimates of population statistics. The process of weighting for the 2016 WGRA

32

Each Service also reached out to their members to make them aware of the survey and encouraged members to see
if they were part of the survey sample by visiting the survey ticket look-up site. Some survey respondents who used
the ticket look-up site were able to access/complete the survey before receiving the initial e-mail announcement
from OPA.

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consists of the following three steps (described below) and a working example is depicted in
Figure 11:
1. Adjustment for selection probability. Probability samples, such as the sample for this
survey, are selected from lists and each member of the list has a known nonzero
probability of selection. For example, if a list contained 10,000 members in a
demographic subgroup and the desired sample size for the subgroup was 1,000, one
in every tenth member of the list would be selected. During weighting, this selection
probability (1/10) is taken into account. The base, or first weight, used to adjust the
sample is the reciprocal of the selection probability. In this example, the adjustment
for selection probability (base weight) is 10 for members of this subgroup.
2. Adjustment for nonresponse. This adjustment develops a model for predicting an
outcome to a critical question. OPA used GBM to model the propensity that each
member experienced the six outcome variables: sexual harassment, gender
discrimination, sexual quid pro quo, attempted penetrative sexual assault, nonpenetrative sexual assault, and penetrative sexual assault. For example, a female/E1–
E4/Army/minority may have a predicted probability of experiencing sexual assault of
4%, whereas a female/E1–E4/Navy/non-minority has a predicted probability of 2%.
Next, OPA used GBM to model the response propensity of each member using the
six outcome variables modeled in step one. Details regarding the criteria used for
selecting the best model are found in OPA, 2016.
3. Adjustment to known population values. After the nonresponse adjustments from step
two, weighted estimates will differ from known population totals (e.g., number of
members in the Army). It is standard practice to adjust the weighted estimates to the
known population totals to reduce both the variance and bias in survey estimates.
Therefore, OPA performed a final weighting adjustment, called raking, which exactly
matches weighted estimates and known population totals for important demographics.
For example, suppose the population for the subgroup was 8,500 men and 1,500
women but the nonresponse-adjusted weighted estimates from the respondents were
7,000 men and 3,000 women. To reduce this possible bias and better align with
known population totals, we would adjust the weights by 1.21 for men and 0.5 for
women so that the final weights for men and women applied to the survey estimates
would be 24.3 and 10, providing unbiased estimates of the total and of women and
men in the subgroup.

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Figure 11.
Three-Step Weighting Process
Working Example
1: Sampling Weight

Population = 10,000

Sample = 1,000

2: Adjustments for Nonresponse

Selection Probability = 1/10

Baseweight = 10

3: Adjustment for Known Totals

Assume 50% of sampled
members respond, so 500 out
of 1,000 surveys are returned

In this population there are 8,500 men and
1,500 women. However, the previous weights
result in 7,000 men and 3,000 women.

‘Sally’ = 1 female member who
is sampled and responded

x 10 = Selection weight

‘Sally’ represents 9 other
women ‘like’ her

x 2 = Nonresponse weight

Now, Sally represents
19 other women ‘like’
her

x 0.5 = Known population
weight

Now, we rebalance the weight for ‘Sally’ so that women are
represented in their correct proportions. Sally now represents 9
other women ‘like’ her.

Note. In reality a female O4–O6 is more likely to respond than a female E1–E3 and thus the adjustments would
vary based on demographics. In practice, “Sally” would represent a member among the 207 strata (e.g., Army,
female, and E1–E4).

Table 1 shows the number of survey respondents and the response rate by subgroups. The
weighted response rate for the 2016 WGRA was 24% (including DoD and Coast Guard), and the
weighted response rate for total DoD was 23%, both of which are typical for large DoD-wide
surveys. This response rate was lower than the 29% response rate for the 2014 RMWS and
comparable with the 24% response rate in 2012 WGRA. Differences in the percentages of
respondents and population for the reporting categories reflect differences in the number of
members included in the sample, as well as differences in response rates.

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Table 1.
2016 WGRA Counts of Respondents and Weighted Response Rates
Response Group
Total (DoD and Coast Guard)
Total DoD
Women
Army
Navy
Marine Corps
Air Force
Men
Army
Navy
Marine Corps
Air Force
Total Coast Guard
Women
Men

Number of
Weighted
Respondents Response Rate
(n)
(%)
151,010
24
132,429
23
39,388
28
12,195
24
9,116
21
2,447
22
15,630
40
93,041
22
32,587
19
19,478
19
11,915
16
29,061
34
18,581
48
3,075
54
15,506
47

Presentation of Results
Results of the 2016 WGRA are presented by reporting categories within the report. For each
section of the report, results are presented in the following order (including a trend back to prior
survey administrations, if applicable):


DoD
– Survey year by gender
– Service by gender



Coast Guard
– Survey year by gender

Definitions for the reporting categories above are:


DoD: Includes Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.



Coast Guard: This category is self-explanatory.



Gender: Male or Female.

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

2017

Survey Year: Current survey year (2016) and trend survey year (2014, and for some,
2012, 2010, and 2006).

Only statistically significant comparisons are discussed in this report. Comparisons are generally
made along a single dimension (e.g., Service) at a time. For these comparisons, the responses for
one group are compared to the weighted average of the responses of all other groups in that
dimension. For example, responses of women in the Army are compared to the weighted
averages of the responses from women in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. When
comparing estimates between the 2016 WGRA and the 2014 RMWS, the results for each analysis
group in 2016 are compared to those in 2014 for the same group (e.g., women in 2016 compared
to women in 2014).
For all statistical tests, OPA uses “two-independent sample t-tests” and adjusts for multiple
comparisons using the False Discovery Rate (FDR) method to control for the number of
statistical tests that are incorrectly determined to be significant (Type I errors; see OPA, 2016 for
additional information). The results of comparisons generalize to the population because they
are based on weighted estimates.
The tables and figures in the report are numbered sequentially. Unless otherwise specified, the
numbers presented are percentages. Ranges of margins of error are shown when more than one
estimate is displayed in a table or figure. Each finding in the 2016 WGRA is presented in
graphical or tabular form along with its associated margin of error. The margin of error
represents the precision of the estimate, and the confidence interval coincides with how confident
we are the interval contains the true population value being estimated. For example, if 55% of
respondents selected an answer and the margin of error was ±3, although not statistically correct,
we often draw conclusions from this one sample that we are 95% confident that the interval 52%
to 58% contains the unknown “true” population value being estimated. Because the results of
comparisons in the 2016 WGRA are based on weighted results, the reader can assume the results
generalize to the active duty population within the margin of error.
The annotation “NR” indicates that a specific result is not reportable due to low reliability.
Estimates of low reliability are not presented based on criteria defined in terms of nominal
number of respondents (less than 5), effective number of respondents (less than 15), or relative
standard error (greater than 0.225). Effective number of respondents takes into account the finite
population correction (fpc) and variability in weights. An “NR” presentation protects the
Department, and the reader, from drawing incorrect conclusions or potentially presenting
inaccurate findings due to instability of the estimate. Unstable estimates usually occur when
only a small number of respondents contribute to the estimate. Caution should be taken when
interpreting significant differences when an estimate is not reportable (NR). Although the result
of the statistical comparison is sound, the instability of at least one of the estimates makes it
difficult to specify the magnitude of the difference.
Elongated bar charts in this report may not extend to the 100% end of the scale. This may be due
to a few factors, including rounding and NR estimates. As seen in the example below (Figure
12), there is a small space between the bar chart and the end of the chart for women. This is due
to rounding. Additionally, some estimates might be so small as to appear to approach a value of
0. In those cases an estimate of less than 1 (e.g., “<1”) is displayed.

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Figure 12.
Example Figure

DoD Women

77

DoD Men

20

81

0

20
Large extent

40
Moderate/Small extent

16

60

80

2

3

100

Not at all

Margins of error do not exceed 1%
Percent of all active duty members

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Chapter 3:
Estimated Sexual Assault Prevalence Rates
Ms. Lisa Davis and Ms. Amanda Grifka

Introduction
This chapter examines active duty members’ experiences of sexual assault. As described in
Chapter 1, sexual assault offenses refer to a range of behaviors prohibited by the UCMJ and
include: penetrative sexual assault (completed sexual intercourse, sodomy [oral or anal sex], and
penetration by an object); non-penetrative sexual assault (unwanted touching of genitalia); and
attempted penetrative sexual assault (attempted sexual intercourse, sodomy [oral or anal sex],
and penetration by an object).
This chapter provides the estimated overall sexual assault prevalence rate as well as the
estimated individual sexual assault prevalence rates for these three types of behaviors within the
past 12 months. Additionally, this chapter provides information for experiences as indicated by
respondents on sexual assault before entering the military, since entering the military, and across
their lifetime, as well as descriptions of any unwanted events experienced, including the number
of events, alleged repeat offenders, and perceptions of events involving hazing and/or bullying.
All prevalence rates in this section are estimates that have corresponding margins of error.
Results are reported for 2016 by gender by Service and are noted where significant differences
exist. Trend comparisons to the 2014 RMWS are provided where data are available.

Estimated Past Year Sexual Assault Prevalence Rates
On the survey, active duty members were asked to think about events that happened in the past
12 months and were asked specifically about the following types of unwanted experiences in
which someone:


Put his penis into their vagina, anus, or mouth;



Put any object or any body part other than a penis into their vagina, anus, or mouth;



Made them put any part of their body or any object into someone’s mouth, vagina, or
anus when they did not want to;



Intentionally touched private areas of their body (either directly or through clothing);



Made them touch private areas of their body or someone else’s body (either directly or
through clothing); or



Attempted to put a penis, an object, or any body part into their vagina, anus, or mouth,
but no penetration actually occurred.

This section provides the estimated overall “roll-up” prevalence rate for members who indicated
experiencing these behaviors, who met the UCMJ-based criteria for the sexual offense, and who
indicated the offense happened within the past 12 months.
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Figure 13 displays the estimated past year sexual assault prevalence rate by gender for active
duty DoD members. In 2016, 1.2% (±0.1) of DoD active duty members indicated experiencing
sexual assault in the past 12 months. This represents approximately 1 in 23 women (4.3%) and 1
in 167 men (0.6%). Based on a constructed 95% confidence interval ranging from 14,041 to
15,748, an estimated total of 14,881 DoD active duty members indicated experiencing a sexual
assault in the past 12 months.
DoD
As shown in Figure 13, in 2016, 4.3% of DoD women and 0.6% of DoD men indicated
experiencing sexual assault in the past year. Compared to 2014, the percentage of those who
indicated experiencing sexual assault showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for both
women (0.6 percentage points) and men (0.3 percentage points). Although data are presented for
2006, 2010, and 2012, no direct comparisons can be made between rates before 2014 due to
measurement differences as indicated by the dashed lines.
Also shown in Figure 13 are breakouts of the specific sexual assault behaviors making up the
sexual assault prevalence rate. In 2016, 2.2% of DoD women indicated the unwanted event was
penetrative sexual assault, 2.1% indicated experiencing non-penetrative sexual assault, and 0.1%
indicated experiencing attempted penetrative sexual assault. Compared to 2014, the percentage
of women who indicated experiencing non-penetrative sexual assault showed a statistically
significant decrease in 2016 (0.5 percentage points) as well as the percentage of women who
indicated experiencing attempted penetrative sexual assault (0.1 percentage points). The
estimated rate of penetrative sexual assault remained statistically unchanged for women since
2014.
For DoD men, 0.2% indicated experiencing penetrative sexual assault, 0.4% indicated
experiencing non-penetrative sexual assault, and <0.1% indicated experiencing attempted
penetrative sexual assault. Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated
experiencing non-penetrative sexual assault showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016
(0.2 percentage points). The estimated rates of penetrative sexual assault and attempted
penetrative sexual assault remained statistically unchanged for men since 2014.

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Figure 13.
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate Estimates for DoD (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–Q106)33

As shown in Figure 14, women in the Marine Corps (7.0%) and Navy (5.1%) were more likely to
indicate experiencing sexual assault than women in the other Services, whereas Air Force
women (2.8%) were less likely. Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated
experiencing sexual assault showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for Navy women
(1.4 percentage points).

33

Due to metrics changes in 2014, data cannot be statistically compared back to 2012, 2010, or 2006. This is
indicated by the dashed line in the figure.

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Figure 14.
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate for DoD Women (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–Q105)

As shown in Figure 15, men in the Navy (0.9%) were more likely to indicate experiencing sexual
assault than men in the other Services, whereas Air Force men (0.3%) were less likely.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated experiencing sexual assault showed a
statistically significant decrease in 2016 for Army men (0.3 percentage points).
Figure 15.
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate for DoD Men (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–Q106)

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Table 2 shows the breakouts of the specific behaviors experienced for those who indicated
experiencing sexual assault. In 2016, women in the Marine Corps (4.3%) were more likely than
women in the other Services to indicate experiencing penetrative sexual assault, whereas Air
Force women (1.4%) were less likely. Navy women (2.7%) were more likely than women in the
other Services to indicate experiencing non-penetrative sexual assault, whereas Air Force women
(1.3%) were less likely. Additionally, Air Force women (<0.1%) were less likely than women in
the other Services to indicate experiencing attempted penetrative sexual assault.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated experiencing non-penetrative sexual
assault showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for Navy (0.9 percentage points),
Army (0.5 percentage points), and Air Force women (0.3 percentage points). The percentage of
women who indicated experiencing attempted penetrative sexual assault showed a statistically
significant decrease in 2016 for Navy (0.3 percentage points) and Air Force women (0.1
percentage points).
Also shown in Table 2, men in the Navy (0.6%) were more likely than men in the other Services
to indicate experiencing non-penetrative sexual assault, whereas Air Force men (0.1%) were less
likely. Men in the Air Force (0.1%) were also less likely than men in the other Services to
indicate experiencing penetrative sexual assault. Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who
indicated experiencing non-penetrative sexual assault showed a statistically significant decrease
in 2016 for Army (0.4 percentage points).
Table 2.
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate by Behavior for DoD (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–Q106)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

Women
2.2
2.1
2.1 
2.6
0.1 
0.2

2.3
2.0
2.0 
2.5
0.1
0.1

2.3
2.6
2.7 
3.6
0.1 
0.4

±0.1–0.2

±0.1–0.4

±0.1–0.6

±0.5–1

0.2
0.3
0.4 
0.6
<0.1
<0.1

0.2
0.3
0.3 
0.7
<0.1
<0.1

0.3
0.4
0.6
1.0
<0.1
<0.1

0.2
0.6
0.4
0.5
0.1
<0.1

Margins of Error ±0.1–0.2
Percent of active duty member who indicated experiencing sexual assault in 2016

±0.1–0.3

±0.1–0.6

±0.1–0.4

Penetrative sexual assault
Non-penetrative sexual assault
Attempted penetrative sexual assault

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
Margins of Error

4.3
4.3
2.5
3.4
0.1
0.2

1.4
1.2
1.3 
1.6
<0.1 
0.1
±0.1–0.2

Men
Penetrative sexual assault
Non-penetrative sexual assault
Attempted penetrative sexual assault

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

0.1
0.1
0.1
0.2
<0.1
<0.1
±0.1

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Coast Guard
Figure 16 shows the overall prevalence rate of sexual assault in 2016 was 2.0% for Coast Guard
women and 0.3% for Coast Guard men. Compared to 2014, the percentage of those who
indicated experiencing sexual assault showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for
Coast Guard women (1 percentage point) and remained statistically unchanged since 2014 for
Coast Guard men.
Also shown in Figure 16 are breakouts of the specific sexual assault behaviors making up the
sexual assault prevalence rate for Coast Guard members. In 2016, 0.8% of Coast Guard women
indicated experiencing penetrative sexual assault, 1.1% indicated experiencing non-penetrative
sexual assault, and <0.1% indicated experiencing attempted penetrative sexual assault.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing
penetrative sexual assault showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 (0.6 percentage
points). The estimated rates of non-penetrative sexual assault and attempted penetrative sexual
assault remained statistically unchanged for Coast Guard women since 2014. In 2016, of the
0.3% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing sexual assault, 0.1% of indicated
experiencing penetrative sexual assault, 0.2% indicated experiencing non-penetrative sexual
assault, and <0.1% indicated experiencing attempted penetrative sexual assault, all of which
remained statistically unchanged since 2014.
Figure 16.
Sexual Assault Prevalence Rate for Coast Guard (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–Q106) 34

34

Due to metrics changes in 2014, data cannot be statistically compared back to 2010, or 2006 as indicated by the
dashed line in the figure.

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Estimated Sexual Assault Rates: Prior to Joining the Military, Since
Joining the Military, and Lifetime
In addition to asking about experiencing sexual assault in the past year, active duty members
were also asked to think about events that happened prior to the past 12 months, both while in
the military or prior to entry into the military, consistent with the following types of behaviors in
which someone:


Put a penis, an object, or any body part into their vagina, anus, or mouth when they did
not want it and did not consent;



Put any object or any body part other than a penis into your vagina, anus, or mouth;



Made you insert their penis, an object, or body part into someone’s mouth, vagina, or
anus when they did not want to and did not consent;



Tried to put a penis, an object, or any body part into their vagina, anus, or mouth, against
their will but it did not happen;



Intentionally touched private areas of their body (either directly or through clothing)
when they did not want it and did not consent; or



Made them touch private areas of their body or someone else’s body (either directly or
through clothing) when they did not want it and did not consent.

The behaviorally based items for sexual assault prior to joining the military, since joining the
military, and lifetime prevalence of sexual assault require affirmative selection of one of the
sexual assault behaviors. However, it does not require the legal criteria for intent and/or consent.
Estimated Sexual Assault Rate Prior to Joining the Military
Service members were asked if they experienced any of the unwanted behaviors prior to joining
the military.
DoD
Overall, 1.8% (±0.1) of DoD members indicated experiencing sexual assault prior to joining the
military, with a rate of 6.8% for DoD women and 0.9% for DoD men (Figure 17). Marine Corps
men (0.7%) were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate experiencing sexual
assault prior to joining the military.

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Figure 17.
Sexual Assault Rate Prior To Joining the Military for DoD (Q171–Q172)

Coast Guard
Overall, 1.6% (±0.2) of Coast Guard members indicated experiencing sexual assault prior to
joining the military, with a rate of 7.0% for Coast Guard women and 0.7% for Coast Guard men
(Figure 18).
Figure 18.
Sexual Assault Rate Prior To Joining the Military for Coast Guard (Q171a–d, f, 172)

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Estimated Sexual Assault Rate Since Joining the Military
The estimated sexual assault rate since joining the military combines members who indicated
experiencing a sexual in the past 12 months with those who were sexually assaulted more than a
year ago but after joining the military.
DoD
For the overall DoD, 3.6% (±0.2) of members indicated experiencing a sexual assault since
joining the military, including those that happened in the past 12 months. Breaking this rate out
by gender, 13.2% of DoD women and 1.8% of DoD men indicated experiencing sexual assault
since joining the military (Figure 19). In 2016, women in the Air Force (11.2%) were less likely
than women in the other Services to indicate experiencing sexual assault since joining the
military, whereas Navy (14.8%) and Marine Corps women (15.7%) were more likely. For DoD
men, Army (1.6%), Marine Corps (1.4%), and Air Force men (1.1%) were less likely than men in
the other Services to indicate experiencing sexual assault since joining the military, whereas men
in the Navy (2.9%) were more likely.
Figure 19.
Sexual Assault Rate Since Joining the Military for DoD (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–Q106,
Q171a–d, f, Q172b)

Coast Guard
In 2016, 3.5% (±0.3) of Coast Guard members indicated experiencing sexual assault since
joining the military. As shown in Figure 20, the rate of sexual assault since joining the military,
including those that happened in the past 12 months for Coast Guard women was 14.6% and was
1.5% for Coast Guard men for 2016.

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Figure 20.
Sexual Assault Rate Since Joining the Military for Coast Guard (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–
Q106, Q171a–d, f, Q172b)

Estimated Lifetime Sexual Assault Rate
The estimated lifetime sexual assault rate includes sexual assaults that occurred in the past year
as well as those that occurred more than a year ago, including unwanted events that occurred
prior to joining the military.
DoD
For the DoD, 4.3% (±0.2) of members indicated experiencing sexual assault in their lifetime.
Breaking this out by gender, 15.3% of DoD women and 2.2% of DoD men indicated
experiencing sexual assault in their lifetime (Figure 21). In 2016, women in the Air Force
(13.7%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate experiencing sexual assault
in their lifetime, whereas women in the Navy (16.8%) and Marine Corps (17.6%) were more
likely. Men in the Army (2.0%), Marine Corps (1.7%) and Air Force (1.8%) were less likely than
men in the other Services to indicate experiencing sexual assault in their lifetime, whereas men
in the Navy (3.4%) were more likely.

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Figure 21.
Lifetime Sexual Assault Rate for DoD (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–Q106, Q171a–d, f)

Coast Guard
In 2016, 4.0% (±0.3) of Coast Guard members indicated experiencing sexual assault in their
lifetime. As shown in Figure 22, 16.4% of Coast Guard women and 1.9% of Coast Guard men
indicated experiencing sexual assault in their lifetime.
Figure 22.
Lifetime Sexual Assault Rate for Coast Guard (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–Q106, Q171a–d, f)

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Description of Unwanted Events Experienced in the Past Year
Active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months were
asked a series of questions to provide further details on the unwanted event(s), including the
number of unwanted events, if all events were done by the same person, and if any of the
unwanted experiences were considered to involve hazing and/or bullying.
Number of Unwanted Events Experienced in the Past Year
DoD
As shown in Figure 23 and Figure 24, of the 4.3% of DoD women and 0.6% of men who
indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months, 62% of women and 67% of men
indicated having more than one unwanted experience in the past 12 months.
More than one-third (38%) of DoD women indicated experiencing unwanted events one time in
the past 12 months, while 62% indicated experiencing more than one event in the past 12
months. One-quarter (25%) of women indicated unwanted events happened on five or more
separate occasions. Seventeen percent indicated unwanted events happened two times, 14%
indicated experiencing unwanted events three times, and 6% indicated experiencing unwanted
events four times. In 2016, Air Force women (50%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate the unwanted events occurred one time and were less likely to indicate
unwanted events occurred five or more times (16%), and more than one time (50%; Figure 23).
Army women (4%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate experiencing
unwanted events four times.
Figure 23.
Number of Unwanted Events Experienced in the Past 12 Months for DoD Women (Q108)

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As shown in Figure 24, one-third (33%) of DoD men indicated they experienced unwanted
event(s) one time, whereas a little more than one-third (35%) indicated experiencing unwanted
events on five or more separate occasions. Fifteen percent indicated experiencing unwanted
events two times, 12% indicated three times, and 5% of men indicated experiencing unwanted
events four times. In 2016, Marine Corps men (1%) were less likely than men in the other
Services to indicate experiencing unwanted events four times. Air Force men (19%) were less
likely than men in the other Services to indicate experiencing unwanted events five or more
times.
Figure 24.
Number of Unwanted Events Experienced in the Past 12 Months for DoD Men (Q108)

Coast Guard
Figure 25 displays the number of unwanted events Coast Guard members indicated experiencing
in the past 12 months. Of the 2% of Coast Guard women and 0.3% of Coast Guard men who
indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months, 57% of women and 76% of men
indicated experiencing more than one unwanted event in the past 12 months.
Less than half (43%) of Coast Guard women indicated experiencing one unwanted event in the
past 12 months, whereas more than one-quarter (28%) indicated experiencing unwanted events
five or more times. Eighteen percent of women indicated the unwanted events occurred two
times, 10% indicated experiencing events three times, and 2% indicated experiencing unwanted
events four times in the past 12 months.
Forty-four percent of Coast Guard men indicated experiencing unwanted events five or more
times, whereas a little less than one-quarter (24%) indicated it happened one time. Additionally,
a little less than one-fifth (18%) indicated experiencing unwanted events two times, and 10%

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indicated events occurred three times. Results for Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing
unwanted events four times are not reportable.
Figure 25.
Number of Unwanted Events Experienced in the Past 12 Months for Coast Guard (Q108)

Repeat Alleged Offender in Unwanted Events Experienced in the Past Year
DoD
As shown in Figure 26, of the 62% of DoD women who indicated experiencing more than one
unwanted event in the past 12 months, more than half (58%) indicated all of the unwanted events
they indicated experiencing in the past 12 months were done by more than one person. Fortyone percent indicated all of the events were done by the same person.
Of the 67% of DoD men who indicated experiencing more than one unwanted event in the past
12 months, 53% indicated all of the unwanted events they indicated experiencing in the past 12
months were done by more than one person. Forty-two percent indicated all of the events were
done by the same person.

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Figure 26.
Unwanted Events in the Past 12 Months Done by Same Person for DoD (Q109)

As shown in Table 3, in 2016, Army women (47%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate the unwanted events were done by the same person, whereas Marine Corps
women (28%) were less likely. However, Marine Corps women (72%) were more likely than
women in the other Services to indicate the unwanted events were done by more than one
person. For men, those in the Army (54%) were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate the unwanted events were done by the same person and were less likely (41%) to
indicate they were done by more than one person.

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Table 3.
Unwanted Events in the Past 12 Months Done by Same Person for DoD (Q109)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

Women
Yes
No, more than one person
Not sure

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
Margins of Error

41
39
58
60
1
2

47
42
52
58
<1
1

38
37
62
61
<1
2

28
28
72
71
NR
1

43
46
55
52
2
2

±1–5

±2–8

±2–8

±3–11

±2–7

42
31
53
64
4
5

54
37
41
NR
5
NR

42
29
56
68
2
3

NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR

41
NR
59
NR
NR
NR

Men
Yes
No, more than one person
Not sure

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error
±4–11
±8–16
±5–18
NR
±16
Percent of active duty member who indicated experiencing sexual assault and experienced more than one unwanted event in the past 12 months

Coast Guard
Of the 57% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing more than one unwanted event
in the past 12 months, more than half (57%) indicated the unwanted events in the past 12 months
were done by more than one person, whereas less than half (43%) indicated the unwanted events
were done by the same person (Figure 27). Data are not reportable for Coast Guard men.

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Figure 27.
Unwanted Events in the Past 12 Months Done by Same Person for Coast Guard (Q109)

Considered Any Unwanted Event in Past Year as Hazing and/or Bullying
The last section of this chapter addresses issues of hazing and bullying surrounding experiences
of sexual assault in the military. Active duty members who indicated experiencing at least one
sexual assault in the past 12 months were asked to identify if they would consider any of the
events they experienced to be hazing and/or bullying. Hazing refers to things done to humiliate
or “toughen up” people before accepting them into a group, whereas bullying refers to repeated
verbally or physically abusive behaviors that are threatening, humiliating, or intimidating.
DoD
Of the 4.3% of DoD women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, 10%
would describe any of the behaviors as hazing and 27% would consider them as bullying (Figure
28). When combining these behaviors to assess whether they considered any of the behaviors to
be a combination of hazing and bullying, 9% of women considered any unwanted event to
involve both hazing and bullying. The majority (72%) would not describe any unwanted event
to be hazing or bullying, whereas 18% would describe them as bullying (without hazing) and 1%
would describe the unwanted events as hazing (without bullying).
Of the 0.3% of DoD men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, 26% would
describe any behavior as hazing and 42% as bullying (Figure 28). When combining these
behaviors to assess whether they considered any of the behaviors to be a combination of hazing
and bullying, 23% of men considered any of the unwanted events to involve both hazing and
bullying. More than half (55%) would not describe any unwanted event as hazing or bullying,
whereas 19% indicated any unwanted event experienced as bullying (without hazing) and 3% as
hazing (without bullying).

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Figure 28.
Any Unwanted Event Consider as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q110, Q121)

As shown in Table 4, when examining the behaviors of hazing and bullying, Army women
(15%) were more likely than women in the other Services to describe any unwanted event they
experienced as hazing. When considering the combination of hazing and bullying behaviors
experienced, Army women (14%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate
experiencing both hazing and bullying, whereas Air Force women (6%) were less likely. Marine
Corps women (<1%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate any unwanted
event was considered to be hazing (without bullying).
For DoD men, when examining the behaviors of hazing and bullying, Army men (52%) were
more likely than men in the other Services to indicate experiencing bullying, whereas Air Force
men (28%) were less likely. Air Force men (13%) were less likely than men in the other Services
to indicate experiencing hazing. When considering the combination of hazing and bullying
behaviors experienced, Air Force men (72%) were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate any unwanted event they experienced to neither be hazing nor bullying, and were less
likely to indicate both hazing and bullying (12%) took place during any unwanted event. Army
men (28%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate any unwanted event
experienced to be bullying (without hazing).

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Table 4.
Any Unwanted Event Consider as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q110, Q121)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
Hazing and Bullying
Experienced hazing
Experienced bullying

10
27
Margins of Error

±3

Hazing and Bullying Combinations
Hazing (without bullying)
Bullying (without hazing)
Both hazing and bullying
Neither hazing nor bullying

1
18
9
72
Margins of Error

±2–3

Men
Hazing and Bullying
Experienced hazing
Experienced bullying

1
18
14
67

26
42
Margins of Error

±6

Hazing and Bullying Combinations
Hazing (without bullying)
Bullying (without hazing)
Both hazing and bullying
Neither hazing nor bullying
Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault

±14

13
28
±10–11

3
13
32
52
±6–14

1
18
6
75
±3–5

35
45

5
13
22
60
±8–11

±4

±1–8

±11

7
24

<1
19
6
75

26
35

1
28
24
47
±5–10

±6–8

±3–6

±9–10

6
25

1
18
7
74

25
52

3
19
23
55
±3–6

9
25
±5–6

±3–6

Air
Force

Lower Response

15
32
±6

Marine
Corps

Navy

NR
16
12
72
±10–11

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 29, of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing sexual
assault in the past year, 9% would describe any of the behaviors as hazing and 18% would
consider any of the behaviors as bullying. When combining these behaviors to assess whether
they considered any of the behaviors to be a combination of hazing and bullying, 9% of women
considered behaviors as both hazing and bullying. The majority (82%) would not describe any
unwanted event as hazing or bullying. Fewer (9%) would describe any unwanted events as
bullying (without hazing). Results for hazing (without bullying) are not reportable for women.
Of the 0.3% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, 31%
would describe any of the behaviors as hazing and 38% would consider any of the behaviors as
bullying (Figure 29). When combining these behaviors to assess whether they considered any of
the behaviors to be a combination of hazing and bullying, 26% of men considered behaviors to
be both hazing and bullying. More than half (56%) would not describe any of the behaviors as

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hazing or bullying, whereas 6% would describe any unwanted event they experienced as hazing
(without bullying) and 13% would describe the behaviors as bullying (without hazing).
Figure 29.
Any Unwanted Event Consider as Hazing and/or Bullying for Coast Guard (Q110, Q121)

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Chapter 4:
One Situation of Sexual Assault with Biggest Effect
Ms. Lisa Davis and Ms. Amanda Grifka

Introduction
On the 2016 WGRA, active duty members who indicated experiencing a sexual assault that met
legal criteria35 were asked to consider the one situation experienced in the past 12 months that
had the biggest effect on them. Members who indicated experiencing sexual assault outside of
this time frame are excluded from the analysis of the one situation with the biggest effect. This
chapter provides details on the circumstances in which potential sexual assault incidents
occurred. Members were then asked follow-up questions about the one situation in order to
provide additional detail on the circumstances surrounding the experience. This chapter
addresses the following topics:

Results are reported for 2016 and trend comparisons to the 2014 RMWS are provided where data
are available.

35

In addition to meeting the UCMJ-based requirements, members also had to indicate that this experience happened
within the past 12 months.

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Most Serious Behavior Experienced in the One Situation
The first section of this chapter examines the type of behavior active duty members indicated
happened during the unwanted event with the biggest effect. Active duty members were asked to
endorse the event considered as the worst or most serious (hereafter referred to as “the one
situation”). Responses from this question were used to construct the three-level hierarchical
variable of the most serious behavior experienced: penetrative sexual assault, attempted
penetrative sexual assault, and non-penetrative sexual assault. It should be noted this hierarchy
differs from that used to construct the prevalence rates of sexual assault presented in Chapter 3.
The sexual assault prevalence rates hierarchy follows 2014 RMWS (penetrative sexual assault,
non-penetrative sexual assault, attempted penetrative sexual assault), whereas the most serious
behavior hierarchy discussed in this chapter uses OPA metrics, which places attempted
penetrative sexual assault before non-penetrative sexual assault as described below:


Penetrative sexual assault includes individuals who indicated “Yes” to any of the items
that assess penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth.



Attempted penetrative sexual assault includes individuals who indicated “Yes” to the
item that assesses attempted sexual assault and were not previously counted as
penetrative sexual assault.



Non-penetrative sexual assault includes individuals who indicated “Yes” to either of the
screener items that assess unwanted sexual touching and were not previously counted as
having experienced either penetrative sexual assault or attempted penetrative sexual
assault.

The most serious behavior discussed in the unwanted event with the biggest effect did not have
to meet the legal criteria, as long as one of the sexual assault behaviors endorsed previously met
the legal criteria for sexual assault as outlined in Chapter 1.
DoD
As shown in Figure 30, of the 4.3% of DoD women and 0.6% of DoD men who indicated
experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months, a little less than half (48%) of women and
more than one-third (35%) of men indicated the most serious behavior experienced was
penetrative sexual assault. Eight percent of women and 6% of men indicated attempted
penetrative sexual assault was the most serious behavior they experienced. Furthermore, 43% of
women and 59% of men indicated the most serious behavior was non-penetrative sexual assault.
In 2016, Marine Corps women (59%) were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate the most serious behavior experienced was penetrative sexual assault, whereas women
in the Navy (43%) were less likely. Conversely, Navy women (49%) were more likely than
women in the other Services to indicate the most serious behavior experienced was nonpenetrative sexual assault, whereas Marine Corps women (34%) were less likely.
For DoD men in 2016, Air Force men (49%) were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate the most serious behavior experienced was penetrative sexual assault.

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Figure 30.
Most Serious Behavior Experienced in the One Situation for DoD (Q65–Q85, Q87–Q93, Q95–
Q106, Q108, Q111)

Coast Guard
The most serious behavior experienced in the one situation for Coast Guard members is
presented in Figure 31. Of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women and 0.3% of Coast Guard men who
indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months, more than one-third (38%) of
women and men (35%) indicated the most serious behavior experienced was penetrative sexual
assault. Three percent of women and 4% of men indicated attempted penetrative sexual assault
was the most serious behavior experienced. Additionally, more than half (59%) of Coast Guard
women and a little less than two-thirds (61%) of Coast Guard men indicated non-penetrative
sexual assault was the most serious behavior experienced.

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Figure 31.
Most Serious Behavior Experienced in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q111)

Characteristics of the Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation
Active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months were
asked to identify various characteristics of the alleged offender(s) in the one situation that had
the biggest effect on them. Characteristics of the alleged offender(s) from the one situation
examined in this section include the number of alleged offenders, gender, military status, rank
within the military, employment status, and the relationship of the alleged offender(s) to the
member.
Number of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation
DoD
As shown in Figure 32, of the 4.3% of DoD women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in
the past year, a little more than two-thirds (67%) indicated one person was involved in the one
situation. A little less than one-third (31%) of women indicated more than one person was
involved in the situation, and 2% of women indicated they were not sure how many offenders
were involved.
Of the 0.6% of DoD men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, more than
half (58%) indicated one person was involved in the one situation. One-third (33%) of men
indicated more than one person was involved in the situation, and 9% indicated they were not
sure how many offenders were involved.
In 2016, Air Force women (75%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate
the situation involved one person and were less likely than women in the other Services to

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indicate more than one person was involved in the one situation (23%). There were no
significant differences between Services for men.
Figure 32.
Number of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q112)

Coast Guard
Figure 33 shows the number of alleged offender(s) in the one situation for Coast Guard
members. Of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the
past year, the majority (70%) of women indicated one person was involved in the one situation,
whereas a little less than one-third (30%) indicated more than one person was involved.
Of the 0.3% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, a
little more than two-thirds (68%) of men indicated one person was involved in the one situation,
whereas more than one-quarter (26%) indicated more than one person was involved. Fewer
(5%) were not sure of the number of offender(s) involved in the one situation.

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Figure 33.
Number of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q112)

Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation
DoD
Of the 4.3% of DoD women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, the vast
majority (94%) of women indicated the alleged offender(s) in the one situation was (were) men
(Figure 34). Fewer indicated the alleged offender(s) in the one situation was (were) women (2%)
or a mix of men and women (4%).
Of the 0.6% of DoD men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, more than
half (57%) of men indicated the alleged offender(s) in the one situation was (were) men (Figure
34). One-quarter (25%) of men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) women and a little
more than one-tenth (12%) indicated they were a mix of men and women. Fewer (6%) men
indicated they were not sure of the gender of the alleged offender(s), which compared to 2014,
showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 (6 percentage points).

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Figure 34.
Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q113)

In 2016, women in the Marine Corps (<1%) and Army (1%) were less likely than women in the
other Services to indicate the gender of the alleged offender(s) was (were) women (Table 5).
There are no significant differences between 2014 and 2016 for DoD women on gender of the
alleged offender(s).
In 2016, Air Force men (1%) were less likely to indicate they were not sure of the gender of the
alleged offender(s) (Table 5). Compared to 2014, the percentage of DoD men who indicated
they were not sure of the gender of the alleged offender(s) showed a statistically significant
increase in 2016 for Army (7 percentage points) and Marine Corps men (13 percentage points).

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Table 5.
Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q113)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

Women
Men
Women
A mix of men and women
Not sure

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
Margins of Error

94
94
2
1
4
4
<1
<1

94
94
1
1
5
5
<1
<1

94
93
2
2
3
5
1
<1

94
96
<1
<1
5
2
1
1

95
96
3
2
2
2
1
<1

±1–2

±1–4

±2–4

±4–6

±1–3

57
62
25
28
12
10
6
<1

59
63
25
33
9
4
7
<1

60
NR
16
NR
11
NR
13 
<1

53
NR
31
NR
14
NR
1
<1

Men
Men
Women
A mix of men and women
Not sure

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault

±4–10

±5–14

54
66
28
23
15
11
4
<1
±4–17

±9–14

±1–12

Coast Guard
Of the 2% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, the
vast majority (92%) indicated the alleged offender(s) in the one situation was (were) men (Figure
35). Fewer indicated the alleged offender(s) in the one situation was (were) women (1%) or a
mix of men and women (7%). Compared to 2014, the percentage of those who indicated the
alleged offenders were a mix of men and women showed a statistically significant increase in
2016 for Coast Guard women (7 percentage points).
For Coast Guard men, of the 0.3% who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, the
majority (75%) indicated the alleged offender(s) in the one situation was (were) men (Figure 35).
Fourteen percent indicated the alleged offender(s) in the one situation was (were) women,
whereas fewer indicated they were a mix of men and women or were not sure of the gender of
the alleged offender(s) (both 5%). Statistical significance between 2014 and 2016 cannot be
calculated because results are not reportable for Coast Guard men in 2014.

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Figure 35.
Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q113)

Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation
Active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months were
asked to indicate if the alleged offender(s) was (were) in the military. For those who indicated
some or all of the alleged offenders were in the military, they were asked if the alleged offenders
were in the same Service.
DoD
As shown in Figure 36, of the 4.3% of DoD women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in
the past year, the majority (83%) indicated all of the alleged offenders in the one situation were
military members, whereas fewer (7%) indicated some were military, but not all. Combining
these two results, 90% of DoD women indicated some or all of the alleged offenders were
military members. Furthermore, 8% of women indicated none of the alleged offenders were
military members, whereas 3% indicated they were not sure if the alleged offender(s) was (were)
a military member.
Additionally, of the 90% of DoD women who indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were)
military members, the vast majority (94%) indicated the alleged military offender(s) was (were)
in the same Service as them. Conversely, only 5% of women indicated the alleged military
offender(s) was (were) not in the same Service and 1% of women were not sure.

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Figure 36.
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD Women (Q114–Q115)

For DoD men, of the 0.6% who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, two-thirds
(66%) indicated all of the alleged offenders in the one situation were military members, whereas
fewer (9%) indicated some were military, but not all. Combining these two results, 74%36 of
DoD men indicated some or all of the alleged offenders were military members (Figure 37).
Sixteen percent of men indicated none of the alleged offenders were military members, whereas
9% indicated they were not sure if the alleged offenders were a military member.
Additionally, of the 74% of DoD men who indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) military
members, the vast majority (91%) indicated the alleged military offender(s) was (were) in the
same Service as them. Conversely, only 4% of men indicated the alleged military offender(s)
was (were) not in the same Service and 5% were not sure.

36

When combining the two data points to create this estimate, it does not add up to the two data points shown due to
rounding.

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Figure 37.
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) the One Situation for DoD Men (Q114–Q115)

In 2016, women in the Marine Corps (92%) and Army (87%) were more likely than women in
the other Services to indicate all of the alleged offenders in the one situation were in the military,
whereas women in the Air Force (75%) were less likely (Table 6). Conversely, Air Force women
(14%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate none of the alleged
offenders in the one situation were military, whereas Marine Corps women (1%) were less likely.
Army women (1%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate they were not
sure of the military status of the alleged offender(s). Additionally, Air Force women (87%) were
less likely than women in the other Services to indicate the alleged military offender(s) was
(were) in the same Service as them.
For men in 2016, Air Force men (48%) were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate
all of the alleged offenders in the one situation were military members (Table 6). Additionally,
Air Force men (32%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate none of the
alleged offenders were military members.

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Table 6.
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) and Member in Same Service in the One Situation for
DoD (Q114–Q115)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation (Q114)
Yes, they all were
83
Yes, some were, but not all
7
No, none were military
8
Not sure
3
Margins of Error

±2–3

Alleged Military Offender(s) in the Same Service (Q115)
Yes
No
Not sure
Margins of Error

94
5
1
±1–2

Margins of Error

Alleged Military Offender(s) in the Same Service (Q115)
Yes
No
Not sure

±3–5

±3

±4–6

94
4
1

68
7
18
8

70
9
14
8

95
5
1

87
10
2
±2–4

62
12
10
15
±10–15

90
5
5

75
8
14
4
±3–4

±4–6

±9–11

91
4
5

92
4
1
3
±4–6

±2–4

±7–9

91
4
5

80
9
8
4

95
4
1

Men
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation (Q114)
Yes, they all were
66
Yes, some were, but not all
9
No, none were military
16
Not sure
9

Air
Force

Lower Response

87
6
6
1
±2–4

Marine
Corps

Navy

48
9
32
12
±8–12

90
NR
5

Margins of Error
±4–5
±6–8
±10–11
±9–13
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault (Q114)
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual and indicated offender(s) was (were) a military member (Q115)

96
NR
NR
±10

Coast Guard
Figure 38 displays, of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing sexual
assault in the past year, a little more than two-thirds (68%) indicated all of the alleged offenders
in the one situation were military members, whereas fewer (3%) indicated some were military,
but not all. Combining these two results, 71% of Coast Guard women indicated some or all of
the alleged offenders were military members. One-quarter (25%) of women indicated none of
the alleged offenders were military members, whereas 3% indicated they were not sure if the
alleged offender(s) was (were) a military member.
Additionally, of the 71% of Coast Guard women who indicated the alleged offender(s) was
(were) military members, the vast majority (98%) indicated the alleged military offender(s) was

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(were) in the same Service as them. Conversely, only 2% of women indicated the alleged
military offender(s) was (were) not in the same Service.
Figure 38.
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard Women (Q114–
Q115)

As shown in Figure 39, of the 0.3% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing sexual
assault in the past year, a little more than half (53%) indicated all of the alleged offenders in the
one situation were military members, whereas fewer (5%) indicated some were military, but not
all. Combining these two results, 57%37 of Coast Guard men indicated some or all of the alleged
offenders were military members. More than one-third (38%) of men indicated none of the
alleged offenders were military members, whereas 5% indicated they were not sure if the alleged
offender(s) was (were) in the military.
Additionally, of the 57% of Coast Guard men who indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were)
military members, the vast majority (96%) indicated the alleged military offender(s) was (were)
in the same Service as them. Conversely, only 4% of men indicated the alleged military
offender(s) was (were) not in the same Service.

37

When combining the two data points to create this estimate, it does not add up to the two data points shown due to
rounding.

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Figure 39.
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard Men (Q114–
Q115)

Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s)
Members who indicated at least some or all of the alleged offender(s) were in the military were
asked to indicate the rank of the alleged offender(s). Members could mark all of the ranks
applicable for the alleged offender(s).
DoD
As shown in Figure 40, of the 90% of DoD women and 74% of DoD men who indicated the
alleged offender(s) was (were) in the military, more than one-third (39%) of women and less
than half (43%) of men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked E5–E6. One-third of
women and men (both 33%), indicated the alleged offender(s) in the one situation was (were)
ranked E4, whereas 29% of women and 30% of men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were)
ranked E1–E3. Fifteen percent of women and men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were)
ranked E7–E9, whereas 6% of women and 11% of men indicated the alleged offender(s) was
(were) ranked O1–O3. Fewer women and men (both 4%) indicated the alleged offender(s) in the
one situation was (were) ranked O4–O6 and above, and 2% of women and men indicated the
alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked W1–W5. Eight percent of both women and men indicated
they were not sure of the rank of the alleged offender(s).

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Figure 40.
Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q116)

Comparing the rank of the member to the rank of the alleged offender(s) in the one situation,
57% of DoD women and 53% of DoD men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) in a
higher rank than them (Figure 41). A little more than one-third (38%) of women and 40% of
men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) in the same rank as them and a little less than
one-fifth (19%) of women and a little more than one-quarter (29%) of men indicated the alleged
offender(s) was (were) in a lower rank than them.

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Figure 41.
Rank of Member Compared to Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in the One Situation for
DoD (Q116)

As shown in Table 7, in 2016, Marine Corps women (43%) were more likely than women in the
other Services to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked E1–E3. Air Force women
were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were)
ranked O4–O6 and above (7%) as well as were not sure (15%) of the rank of the offender(s), but
were less likely (25%) to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked E4. Navy women
(51%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the alleged offender(s) was
(were) ranked E5–E6, whereas women in the Marine Corps and Air Force (both 27%) were less
likely. Army women (19%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the
alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked E7–E9, whereas Marine Corps (10%) were less likely.
When comparing the rank of the member to the rank of the alleged offender(s), Navy women
(63%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the alleged offender(s) was
(were) in a higher rank than them, while Air Force women (45%) were less likely (Table 7).
In 2016, Navy men (58%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate the alleged
offender(s) was (were) ranked E5–E6, whereas Army men (32%) were less likely (Table 7).
Marine Corps men (4%) were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate the alleged
offender(s) was (were) ranked O1–O3. There were no significant differences between Services
for men when comparting the rank of the member to the rank of the alleged offender(s).

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Table 7.
Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q116)
Within Service Comparisons
Marine
Army
Navy
Air Force
Corps

Total
DoD

Higher Response

Women
Rank of Alleged Offender(s)
E1–E3
E4
E5–E6
E7–E9
W1–W5
O1–O3
O4–O6 and above
Not sure

29
33
39
15
2
6
4
8
Margins of Error

±1–4

Rank of Alleged Offender(s) Compared to Rank of Member
Alleged offender(s) in a lower rank than member
Alleged offender(s) in the same rank as member
Alleged offender(s) in a higher rank than member
Margins of Error

28
36
37
19
2
6
3
7
±2–7

38
19
57
±3–4

Men
Rank of Alleged Offender(s)
E1–E3
E4
E5–E6
E7–E9
W1–W5
O1–O3
O4–O6 and above
Not sure
Margins of Error

±2–7

±6

±3–7

36
16
63

25
36
32
18
4
17
5
10

30
27
58
16
1
9
2
4

47
21
52

39
17
45
±5

43
43
35
9
NR
4
3
14
±9–17

42
32
55

28
25
27
13
1
9
7
15
±4–5

±8–9

±4–14

37
30
51

43
38
27
10
2
6
3
7
±3–9

±5–7

±8–11

40
29
53

26
32
51
13
1
5
2
6

37
21
60

30
33
43
15
2
11
4
8

Rank of Alleged Offender(s) Compared to Rank of Member
Alleged offender(s) in a lower rank than member
Alleged offender(s) in the same rank as member
Alleged offender(s) in a higher rank than member

Lower Response

31
21
44
10
NR
8
5
9
±12–16

45
19
56

37
34
46

Margins of Error
±7
±11–12
±12–13
±14–16
±15
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault and indicated alleged offender(s) was (were) military member

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 42, of the 71% of Coast Guard women who indicated the alleged offender(s)
was (were) in the military, 40% of women indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked
E5–E6, a little less than one-third (31%) indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked E4,
and more than one-quarter (26%) indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked E1–E3. A

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little less than one-fifth (18%) of women indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked
E7–E9, while 12% indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked O1–O3, and fewer
indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked O4–O6 and above (5%) or ranked W1–W5
(3%).
Of the 57% of Coast Guard men who indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) in the military,
a little less than one-fifth (18%) of men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked E7–
E9, 8% indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked W1–W5, and fewer indicated the
alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked O1–O3 (4%) or ranked O4–O6 and above (3%). Data for
the other ranks of alleged offender(s) were not reportable for Coast Guard men.
Figure 42.
Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q116)

Comparing the rank of the member to the rank of the alleged offender(s) in the one situation,
71% of Coast Guard women indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) in a higher rank than
them (results for Coast Guard men are not reportable, Figure 43). More than one-quarter (29%)
of women indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) in the same rank as them (results for men
are not reportable) and a little less than one-quarter (23%) of women and men (24%) indicated
the alleged offender(s) was (were) in a lower rank than them.

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Figure 43.
Rank of Member Compared to Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in the One Situation for
Coast Guard (Q116)

Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation
Active duty members were asked to indicate the employment status of the alleged offender(s).
Members were asked to mark all applicable statuses of the alleged offender(s) involved in the
one situation.
DoD
As shown in Figure 44, of the 4.3% of DoD women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in
the past 12 months, more than one-third (35%) indicated they were not sure about the status of
the alleged offender(s). A little less than one-third (31%) indicated the alleged offender(s) was
(were) some other higher ranking military member not their supervisor or in their chain of
command and 20% indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) someone else in their chain of
command (excluding their immediate supervisor). Additionally, 18% of women indicated the
alleged offender(s) was (were) subordinate(s) or someone they manage, whereas 13% indicated
the alleged offender(s) was (were) their immediate supervisor. Fewer women indicated the
alleged offender(s) was (were) DoD or government civilians working for the military (5%) or
contractor(s) working for the military (3%). Combining those who indicated the alleged
offender(s) was (were) their immediate supervisor or someone else in their chain of command
(excluding their immediate supervisor), 27% of women indicated the alleged offender(s) was
(were) in their chain of command.
Across the 0.6% of DoD men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, more
than one-third (38%) indicated they were not sure about the status of the alleged offender(s).
One-quarter (25%) of men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) someone else in their
chain of command (excluding their immediate supervisor), and 24% indicated the alleged
offender(s) was (were) subordinate(s) or someone they manage. Additionally, 21% of men

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indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) some other higher ranking military member not their
supervisor or in their chain of command, whereas 18% indicated the alleged offender(s) was
(were) their immediate supervisor. Fewer men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) DoD
or government civilians working for the military (6%) or contractor(s) working for the military
(3%). Combining those who indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) their immediate
supervisor or someone else in their chain of command (excluding their immediate supervisor),
34% of men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) in their chain of command.
Figure 44.
Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q117)

In 2016, as shown in Table 8, Air Force women (50%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate they were not sure of the status of the alleged offender(s), but were less
likely to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were) subordinate(s) or someone they manage
(10%) or their immediate supervisor (8%). Marine Corps women (1%) were less likely than
women in the other Services to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were) DoD or government
civilian(s) working for the military. Marine Corps and Army women (both 1%) were less likely
than women in the other Services to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were) contractor(s)
working for the military.
In 2016, men in the Air Force (8%) were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate the
alleged offender(s) was (were) their immediate supervisor (Table 8). Men in the Army (3%)
were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were)
DoD or government civilian(s) working for the military.

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Table 8.
Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q117)
Within Service Comparisons
Marine
Army
Navy
Air Force
Corps

Total
DoD

Higher Response

Women
Your immediate supervisor
Someone else in your chain of command
Some other higher ranking military member not their
immediate supervisor or in their chain of command
Subordinate(s) or someone you manage
DoD/Government civilian(s) working for the military
Contractor(s) working for the military
Not sure
Margins of Error

Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault

13
20

15
19

13
22

13
23

8
16

31
18
5
3
35

30
21
3
1
35

34
18
7
5
31

31
23
1
1
31

27
10
5
4
50

±2–4

Men
Your immediate supervisor
Someone else in your chain of command
Some other higher ranking military member not their
immediate supervisor or in their chain of command
Subordinate(s) or someone you manage
DoD/Government civilian(s) working for the military
Contractor(s) working for the military
Not sure
±3–7

Lower Response

±2–6

±5–7

±4–9

±3–6

18
25

13
20

23
28

22
32

8
22

21
24
6
3
38

21
26
3
4
41

19
22
5
3
36

23
28
10
2
35

22
16
13
2
45

±4–11

±5–13

±8–16

±8–13

Coast Guard
Of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year,
more than one-third (39%) indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) some other higher
ranking military member (not their supervisor or in their chain of command; Figure 45). A little
less than one-third (32%) indicated they were not sure of the status of the alleged offender(s),
27% indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) subordinate(s) or someone they manage, and
18% indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were) their immediate supervisor. Additionally, 12%
of women indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) someone else in their chain of command
(excluding their immediate supervisor), and fewer indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were)
DoD or government civilian(s) working for the military or contractor(s) working for the military
(both 2%). Combining those who indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) their immediate
supervisor or someone else in their chain of command (excluding their immediate supervisor),
22% of women indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) in their chain of command.
Also shown in Figure 43, of the 0.3% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing sexual
assault in the past year, a little less than one-third (32%) indicated they were not sure of the
status of the alleged offender(s) (Figure 45). One-fifth (20%) of men indicated the alleged

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offender(s) was (were) their immediate supervisor or someone else in their chain of command
(excluding their immediate supervisor), whereas 19% indicated the alleged offender(s) was
(were) subordinate(s) or someone they manage. Fewer men indicated the alleged offender(s)
was (were) DoD or government civilian(s) working for the military (7%) or contractor(s)
working for the military (3%). Combining those who indicated the alleged offender(s) was
(were) their immediate supervisor or someone else in their chain of command (excluding their
immediate supervisor), 29% of men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) in their chain of
command.
Figure 45.
Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q117)

Relationship to Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation
To assess whether members who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months
knew the alleged offender(s), they were asked to indicate the relationship(s) they have with the
alleged offender(s). Members were asked to mark all applicable relationships they had with the
alleged offender(s).
DoD
As shown in Figure 46, of the 4.3% of DoD women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in
the past year, more than half (58%) indicated the alleged offender(s) in the one situation was
(were) a friend or acquaintance. One-fifth (20%) indicated they were not sure if they had a
relationship with the alleged offender(s), and 16% indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) a

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stranger. Fewer women indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) a current or former
significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend) they do not or did not live with (7%) or their current or
former spouse (5%). Two percent of women indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were)
someone they have a child with or a significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend) they live with, and
one percent indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) a family member or relative.
Similar results are shown for DoD men (Figure 46). Of the 0.6% of DoD men who indicated
experiencing sexual assault in the past year, less than half (43%) indicated the alleged
offender(s) in the one situation was (were) a friend or acquaintance. A little less than one-third
(31%) indicated they were not sure if they had a relationship with the alleged offender(s), and
19% indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) a stranger. Fewer men indicated the alleged
offender(s) was (were) a current or former significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend) they do not
or did not live with (4%) or their current or former spouse (3%). Two percent of men indicated
the alleged offender(s) was (were) a family member or relative or a significant other (boyfriend
or girlfriend) they live with, and one percent indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were)
someone they have a child with.
Figure 46.
Relationship to Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q118)

In 2016, Air Force women (16%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate
they were not sure of the relationship they had with the alleged offender(s) (Table 9). Women in
the Navy were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate the alleged offender(s)
was (were) their current or former spouse (3%) or a family member or relative (<1%).

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In 2016, Navy men (1%) were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate the alleged
offender(s) was (were) their current or former significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend) they do
not or did not live with (Table 9).
Table 9.
Relationship to Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q118)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
Your current or former spouse
Someone who you have a child with (your child’s mother or
father)
Your significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend) that you live
with
Your current or former significant other (boyfriend or
girlfriend) that do not/did not live with
A friend or acquaintance
A family member or relative
A stranger
Not sure
Margins of Error

Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault

±2–6

Air
Force

Lower Response

5

8

3

4

4

2

3

1

2

2

2

3

2

2

2

7

7

6

8

9

58
1
16
20

55
2
17
22

63
<1
15
20

57
1
19
23

57
<1
17
16

±1–4

Men
Your current or former spouse
Someone who you have a child with (your child’s mother or
father)
Your significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend) that you live
with
Your current or former significant other (boyfriend or
girlfriend) that do not/did not live with
A friend or acquaintance
A family member or relative
A stranger
Not sure

Marine
Corps

Navy

±3–6

±1–6

±4–9

±1–5

3

4

1

3

2

1

2

<1

2

2

2

2

1

3

2

4

5

1

8

6

43
2
19
31

43
1
16
31

41
1
23
36

47
4
16
25

46
1
24
22

±5–10

±2–12

±7–15

±6–12

Coast Guard
Figure 47 shows of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing sexual assault
in the past year, a little more than half (52%) indicated the alleged offender(s) in the one
situation was (were) a friend or acquaintance. One-fifth (20%) of women indicated they were
not sure of the relationship they had with the alleged offender(s), whereas 16% indicated the
alleged offender(s) was (were) their current or former significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend)
they do not or did not live with. A little more than one-tenth (12%) indicated the alleged

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offender(s) was (were) a stranger, and 9% indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) their
current or former spouse. Additionally, fewer Coast Guard women indicated the offender(s) was
(were) someone they have a child with (3%), their significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend) they
live with (2%), or a family member or relative (2%).
Of the 0.3% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, a
little less than two-thirds (62%) indicated the alleged offender(s) in the one situation was (were)
a friend or acquaintance (Figure 47). More than one-quarter (26%) of men indicated they were
not sure of the relationship they had with the alleged offender(s) and 20% indicated the alleged
offender(s) was (were) a stranger. Fewer men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) their
significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend) they live with (5%) or a family member or relative
(5%). Two percent of men indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) their current or former
significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend) they do not or did not live with, their current or former
spouse, or someone they have a child with.
Figure 47.
Relationship to Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q118)

Where and When the One Situation Occurred
Active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months were
asked to identify where and when the one situation with the biggest effect took place. This
section aims to assess whether the situation occurred while on a military location (where) and
during various types of events (when).

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Location Where the One Situation Occurred
Members were asked to indicate “Yes” or “No” to a series of locations where the one situation
may have occurred. Response options were then categorized as either a military location,
civilian location, both military and civilian locations, or no location was disclosed. Because the
locations are not mutually exclusive, members could select more than one location as “Yes.”
Members were instructed to indicate “No” for locations they had not visited or had not
performed the indicated activities during the past 12 months.
DoD
In Figure 48, the top five locations (out of 12) where the one situation occurred are shown for the
4.3% of DoD women and 0.6% of DoD men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the
past 12 months. A little less than two-thirds (64%) of both women and men indicated the
situation occurred at a military installation/ship. A little less than half (45%) of women and
more than one-third (35%) of men indicated the one situation occurred while at a location off
base. Fifteen percent of women and 24% of men indicated the situation occurred while on TDY/
TAD, at sea, or during field exercises/alerts, whereas 12% of women and 18% of men indicated
it occurred while at an official military function (either on or off base), and 10% of women and
13% of men indicated it occurred while completing military occupational specialty school/
technical training/advanced individual training/professional military education. When
combining response across military locations, 73% of women and men indicated the unwanted
event occurred at a military location.
Figure 48.
Top Five Locations Where One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q119)

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In 2016, Army women (72%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the
situation occurred at a military installation/ship, whereas Air Force women (51%) were less
likely (Table 10). Navy women (13%) were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate the situation occurred during an overseas port visit while deployed, whereas Army and
Air Force women (both 2%) were less likely. Army women (6%) were more likely to indicate
the situation occurred while in recruit or basic training, whereas Navy women (1%) were less
likely. Army women (40%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate the
situation occurred while at a location off base. Air Force women were less likely than women in
the other Services to indicate the situation occurred at the following locations: while on TDY/
TAD, at sea, or during field exercises or alerts (11%), while at an official military function
(either on or off base) (7%), or while transitioning between operational theaters (1%). Army
women (79%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the situation
occurred at a military location, while Air Force women (61%) were less likely.
Table 10.
Location Where One Situation Occurred for DoD Women (Q119)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

At a military installation/ship
While you were on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field
exercises/alerts
While you were deployed to a combat zone or to an area
where you drew imminent danger pay or hostile fire pay
During an overseas port visit while deployed
While transitioning between operational theaters
While you were in a delayed entry program
While you were in recruit training/basic training
While you were in any other type of military combat training
While you were in Officer Candidate or Training School/
Basic or Advanced Officer Course
While you were completing military occupational specialty
school/technical training/advanced individual training/
professional military education
While at an official military function (either on or off base)
While you were at a location off base
Situation occurred at a military location
Margins of Error
Percent of active duty women who indicated experiencing sexual assault

±2–4

Marine
Corps

Navy

Air
Force

Lower Response

64

72

63

69

51

15

14

19

17

11

6

8

6

5

5

6
5
3
3
4

2
5
3
6
4

13
8
3
1
4

3
5
4
1
3

2
1
1
1
2

2

5

1

2

1

10

11

9

11

10

12
45
73

14
40
79

12
49
72

13
45
77

7
49
61

±4–6

±3–6

±4–9

±2–5

For DoD men in 2016, Navy men (17%) were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate the situation occurred during an overseas port visit while deployed, whereas men in the
Army (5%) and Air Force (3%) were less likely (Table 11). Air Force men (51%) were more
likely than men in the other Services to indicate the situation occurred while at a location off

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base, but were less likely to indicate the situation occurred at a military installation/ship (48%) or
while at an official military function (either on or off base; 9%).
Table 11.
Location Where One Situation Occurred for DoD Men (Q119)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

At a military installation/ship
While you were on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field
exercises/alerts
While you were deployed to a combat zone or to an area
where you drew imminent danger pay or hostile fire pay
During an overseas port visit while deployed
While transitioning between operational theaters
While you were in a delayed entry program
While you were in recruit training/basic training
While you were in any other type of military combat training
While you were in Officer Candidate or Training School/
Basic or Advanced Officer Course
While you were completing military occupational specialty
school/technical training/advanced individual training/
professional military education
While at an official military function (either on or off base)
While you were at a location off base
Situation occurred at a military location
Margins of Error
Percent of active duty men who indicated experiencing sexual assault

±3–6

Marine
Corps

Navy

Air
Force

Lower Response

64

69

59

72

48

24

21

26

29

17

9

11

5

13

6

11
7
4
4
9

5
5
3
5
10

17
7
3
3
6

14
11
9
6
13

3
4
5
5
7

4

3

NR

6

3

13

8

14

18

18

18
35
73

23
32
75

13
37
68

25
26
81

9
51
63

±5–9

±6–12

±8–15

±7–12

Active duty members could select more than one location where the one situation occurred.
Figure 49 displays whether members indicated the situation occurred at a military location, a
civilian location, both military and civilian locations, or did not endorse any location.
As shown in Figure 49, a little less than half (48%) of women and a little more than half (54%)
of men indicated the situation occurred at a military location, 20% of women and 16% of men
indicated it occurred at a civilian location, and 25% of women and 18% of men indicated it
occurred at both military and civilian locations. Seven percent of women and 11% of men did
not disclose where the situation occurred.
In 2016, Army women (54%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the
situation occurred at a military location, whereas Air Force women (39%) were less likely
(Figure 49). Conversely, Air Force women (27%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate the situation occurred at a civilian location, whereas Army women (14%)
were less likely. Air Force women (12%) were also more likely than women in the other
Services to not disclose where the situation occurred.
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For men in 2016, Marine Corps men (69%) were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate the situation occurred at a military location, whereas Air Force men (34%) were less
likely.
Figure 49.
Combinations of Locations Where One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q119)

Coast Guard
The top five locations where the one situation occurred for Coast Guard women and men are
displayed in Figure 50. Of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women and 0.3% of Coast Guard men who
indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, a little less than two-thirds (64%) of
women and 40% of men indicated the situation occurred while at a location off base. More than
one-quarter (29%) of women and more than half (54%) of men indicated the situation occurred
at a military installation/ship, whereas 16% of women and 25% of men indicated it occurred
while on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field exercises/alerts. Sixteen percent of women and 19%
of men indicated the situation occurred during an overseas port visit while deployed, whereas 8%
of women and 18% of men indicated it occurred while at an official military function (either on
or off base). When combining response across military locations, 42% of women and 62% of
men indicated the unwanted event occurred at a military location. Table 12 displays results for
all 12 locations for Coast Guard women and men.

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Figure 50.
Top Five Locations Where One Situation Occurred for Coast Guard (Q119)

Table 12.
Location Where One Situation Occurred for Coast Guard (Q119)
CG
Women
At a military installation/ship
While you were on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field exercises/alerts
While you were deployed to a combat zone or to an area where you drew imminent danger pay
or hostile fire pay
During an overseas port visit while deployed
While transitioning between operational theaters
While you were in a delayed entry program
While you were in recruit training/basic training
While you were in any other type of military combat training
While you were in Officer Candidate or Training School/Basic or Advanced Officer Course
While you were completing military occupational specialty school/technical training/advanced
individual training/professional military education
While at an official military function (either on or off base)
While you were at a location off base
Margins of Error
Percent of Coast Guard members who indicated experiencing sexual assault

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±5–10

CG
Men

29
16

54
25

2

2

16
4
2
2
4
2

19
5
5
2
2
2

6

6

8
64

18
40
±6–17

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Coast Guard members could select more than one location where the one situation occurred.
Figure 51 displays whether Coast Guard members indicated the situation occurred at a military
location, a civilian location, both military and civilian locations, or did not endorse any location.
As shown in Figure 51, a little less than one-fifth (17%) of Coast Guard women and half (50%)
of Coast Guard men indicated the situation occurred at a military location, 39% of women and
28% of men indicated it occurred at a civilian location, and 24% of women and 12% of men
indicated this situation occurred at both military and civilian locations. A little less than onefifth (19%) of women and 11% of men did not disclose where the situation occurred.
Figure 51.
Combinations of Locations Where One Situation Occurred for Coast Guard (Q119)

When the One Situation Occurred
After indicating where the one situation occurred, members were asked to identify when (or in
what context) the one situation occurred. Response options included: out with friends or at a
party that was not an official military function, on a date, at work during duty hours, on approved
leave, while being intimate with the other person, and while in member’s or someone else’s
home or quarters. Because the situations are not mutually exclusive, members could select more
than one option.
DoD
As shown in Figure 52, of the 4.3% of DoD women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in
the past 12 months, less than half (45%) indicated the unwanted event occurred when they were
in their or someone else’s home or quarters. Forty percent of women indicated the situation
happened when they were out with friends or at a party that was not an official military function,
whereas more than one-quarter (27%) indicated it happened when they were at work during duty
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hours. Fewer women indicated the situation happened when they were being intimate with the
other person (8%), when on approved leave (6%), or when on a date (5%). Three percent of
women could not recall the context in which the situation occurred.
Of the 0.6% of DoD men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, less than
half (45%) indicated the unwanted event occurred when they were at work during duty hours. A
little less than one-third (31%) of men indicated the situation happened when they were out with
friends or at a party that was not an official military function, whereas 25% indicated it happened
when they were in their or someone else’s home or quarters. Fewer men indicated the situation
happened when they were being intimate with the other person (6%), when on approved leave
(6%), or when on a date (3%). Seven percent of men could not recall the context in which the
situation occurred.
Figure 52.
When the One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q120)

In 2016, Navy women (33%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the
situation happened when at work during duty hours, whereas women in the Air Force (16%) and
Marine Corps (14%) were less likely (Table 13). For men, those in the Air Force were more
likely than men in the other Services to indicate the situation happened when out with friends or
at a party that was not an official military function (45%) as well as when they were in their or
someone else’s home or quarters (38%), but were less likely to indicate the situation happened
when at work during duty hours (23%). Men in the Navy (<1%) were less likely than men in the
other Services to indicate the situation occurred when on a date.

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Table 13.
When the One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q120)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
You were out with friends or at a party that was not an
official military function
You were on a date
You were at work during duty hours
You were on approved leave
You were being intimate with the other person
You were in your or someone else's home or quarters
Do not recall
Margins of Error

Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault

±3–6

Air
Force

Lower Response

40

41

37

43

40

5
27
6
8
45
3

6
30
7
9
44
2

4
33
6
6
42
3

4
14
5
6
49
3

5
16
6
9
47
3

±2–4

Men
You were out with friends or at a party that was not an
official military function
You were on a date
You were at work during duty hours
You were on approved leave
You were being intimate with the other person
You were in your or someone else's home or quarters
Do not recall

Marine
Corps

Navy

±2–6

±4–7

±5–9

±3–5

31

29

31

27

45

3
45
6
6
25
7

4
48
7
8
22
6

<1
54
6
4
22
7

4
36
7
5
26
NR

9
23
6
10
38
5

±6–10

±7–13

±7–14

±7–12

Coast Guard
Figure 53 shows of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing sexual assault
in the past 12 months, more than half (57%) indicated the unwanted event occurred when they
were out with friends or at a party that was not an official military function. More than one-third
(39%) indicated it happened when they were in their or someone else’s home or quarters,
whereas 10% of women indicated it happened when on a date or at work during duty hours.
Fewer women indicated the situation happened when on approved leave (8%). Four percent
indicated they did not recall the context in which the situation occurred or it happened when they
were being intimate with the other person.
Of the 0.3% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12
months, half (50%) indicated the unwanted event occurred when they were at work during duty
hours (Figure 53). More than one-quarter (26%) indicated it happened when they were out with
friends or at a party that was not an official military function, and a little less than one-quarter
(23%) indicated it happened when they were in their or someone else’s home or quarters. Onetenth (10%) of Coast Guard men indicated the situation occurred when they were being intimate

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with the other person, whereas fewer indicated it occurred when on approved leave (2%) or when
on a date (2%).
Figure 53.
When the One Situation Occurred for Coast Guard (Q120)

Considered the One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying
Active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months were
asked to indicate if the one situation with the biggest effect could be described as hazing and/or
bullying. Hazing refers to things done to humiliate or “toughen up” people before accepting
them into a group. Bullying refers to repeated verbally or physically abusive behaviors that are
threatening, humiliating, or intimidating.
DoD
As shown in Figure 54, of the 4.3% of DoD women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in
the past 12 months, 9% indicated they considered the situation to be hazing and a little less than
one-quarter (24%) indicated they considered it to be bullying. When combining these behaviors
to assess whether they considered the one situation to be a combination of hazing and bullying,
7% of women considered it to be both hazing and bullying. The majority (74%) would not
describe the unwanted event as hazing or bullying, whereas 17% would describe the unwanted
event as bullying (without hazing) and 1% would describe the unwanted event as hazing (without
bullying).

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Of the 0.6% of DoD men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months, more
than one-quarter (27%) indicated they considered the situation to be hazing and more than onethird (39%) indicated they considered it to be bullying. When combining these behaviors to
assess whether they considered the one situation to be a combination of hazing and bullying,
22% of men considered it as involving both hazing and bullying (Figure 54). More than half
(56%) would not describe the unwanted event as hazing or bullying, whereas 17% would
describe the unwanted event as bullying (without hazing) and 5% would describe the unwanted
event as hazing (without bullying).
Figure 54.
Considered One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q121)

As displayed in Table 14, in 2016, Air Force men were less likely than men in the other Services
to indicate they considered the one situation to be hazing (13%) or bullying (24%). When
combining these behaviors to assess whether they considered the one situation to be a
combination of hazing and bullying, Air Force men (73%) were more likely than men in the
other Services to not consider the one situation to be hazing or bullying and were less likely to
indicate the one situation involved both hazing and bullying (11%). In 2016, there were no
significant differences between Services for DoD women on considering the one situation to be
hazing and/or bullying.

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Table 14.
Considered One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q121)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Marine
Corps

Navy

Higher Response

Women
Hazing and Bullying
Experienced hazing
Experienced bullying

9
24
Margins of Error

±3

Hazing and Bullying Combinations
Hazing (without bullying)
Bullying (without hazing)
Both hazing and bullying
Neither hazing nor bullying

1
17
7
74
Margins of Error

±2–3

Men
Hazing and Bullying
Experienced hazing
Experienced bullying
Margins of Error

Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault

1
16
5
78

28
33

2
17
5
77
±3–5

34
45
±14

7
13
20
59
±10–12

7
21
±4

±3–8

±11

3
22
24
51
±7–10

±5–8

±3–6

±9–10

6
21

2
16
6
76

27
46

5
17
22
56
±4–6

±5–6

±3–6

±6

8
23

1
17
11
71

27
39

Hazing and Bullying Combinations
Hazing (without bullying)
Bullying (without hazing)
Both hazing and bullying
Neither hazing nor bullying

Lower Response

12
28
±6

Air
Force

13
24
±10–11

4
16
29
50
±7–14

2
13
11
73
±7–11

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 55, of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing sexual
assault in the past 12 months, 6% indicated they considered the situation to be hazing and 13%
indicated they considered it to be bullying. When combining these behaviors to assess whether
they considered the one situation to be a combination of hazing and bullying, 6% of women
considered it to be both hazing and bullying, while the majority (87%) would not describe the
unwanted event as hazing or bullying, whereas 7% would describe the unwanted event as
bullying (without hazing).
Of the 0.3% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12
months, more than one-third (34%) indicated they considered the situation to be hazing and half
(50%) indicated they considered it to be bullying. When combining these behaviors to assess
whether they considered the one situation to be a combination of hazing and bullying, 28% of
men considered it to involve both hazing and bullying (Figure 55). Less than half (44%) would
not describe the unwanted event as hazing or bullying, whereas 22% would describe the

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unwanted event as bullying (without hazing) and 6% would describe the unwanted event as
hazing (without bullying).
Figure 55.
Considered One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying for Coast Guard (Q121)

Experience of Sexual Harassment and/or Stalking Before or After the
One Situation
The next section examines whether sexual harassment and/or stalking happened in the time
leading up to and/or after the one situation of sexual assault. Active duty members who
indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months were asked whether they experienced
sexual harassment or stalking before the situation and/or after the situation.
DoD
Figure 56 shows of the 4.3% of DoD women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the
past 12 months, a little more than one-tenth (12%) indicated they were sexually harassed and/or
stalked by the alleged offender(s) before the one situation, whereas 11% indicated they were
sexually harassed and/or stalked after the situation. One-third (33%) of women indicated they
were sexually harassed and/or stalked both before and after the one situation by the alleged
offender(s). This percentage represents a statistically significant increase of 9 percentage points
for DoD women in 2016 compared to 2014. Less than half (44%) of women indicated they were
not harassed or stalked before or after the one situation, which showed a statistically significant
decrease compared to 2014 of 9 percentage points.
In 2016, Army women (38%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate they
experienced sexual harassment and/or stalking both before and after the one situation, whereas
Air Force women (20%) were less likely. Air Force women (57%) were more likely than women

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in the other Services to indicate they were not harassed or stalked before or after the one
situation. Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated they were sexually
harassed and/or stalked both before and after the one situation showed a statistically significant
increase for Army and Marine Corps women (11 percentage points for Army and 17 percentage
points for Marine Corps). The percentage of women who indicated they were not sexually
harassed or stalked before or after the situation showed a statistically significant decrease
compared to 2014 for Army and Navy women (8 percentage points for Army and 15 percentage
points for Navy).
Figure 56.
Experienced Sexual Harassment and/or Stalking Before or After the One Situation for DoD
Women (Q122)

As shown in Figure 57, of the 0.6% of DoD men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in
the past 12 months, 8% indicated they were sexually harassed and/or stalked by the alleged
offender(s) before the one situation, whereas 9% indicated they were sexually harassed and/or
stalked after the situation. More than one-third (35%) of men indicated they were sexually
harassed and/or stalked both before and after the one situation by the alleged offender(s),
whereas a little less than half (48%) indicated they were not sexually harassed or stalked before
or after the one situation.
In 2016, men in the Air Force (18%) were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate
they were sexually harassed and/or stalked both before and after the one situation by the alleged
offender(s). There were no significant differences between 2016 and 2014 for men experiencing
sexual harassment and/or stalking before and/or after the one situation.

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Figure 57.
Experienced Sexual Harassment and/or Stalking Before or After the One Situation for DoD
Men (Q122)

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 58, of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing sexual
assault in the past 12 months, 11% indicated they were sexually harassed and/or stalked by the
alleged offender(s) before the one situation, which showed a statistically significant decrease of
16 percentage points compared to 2014. Twelve percent of Coast Guard women indicated they
were sexually harassed and/or stalked after the one situation. More than one-quarter (26%) of
women indicated they were sexually harassed and/or stalked both before and after the one
situation by the alleged offender(s), which showed a statistically significant increase of 14
percentage points for Coast Guard women in 2016 compared to 2014. A little more than half
(51%) of women indicated they were not sexually harassed or stalked before or after the one
situation.
Of the 0.3% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12
months, 6% indicated they were sexually harassed and/or stalked by the alleged offender(s)
before the one situation, whereas 12% indicated they were sexually harassed and/or stalked after
the one situation. More than one-quarter (26%) of men indicated they were sexually harassed
and/or stalked both before and after the one situation by the alleged offender(s) and more than
half (56%) indicated they were not sexually harassed or stalked before or after the one situation.
Significance between 2014 and 2016 cannot be determined for Coast Guard men due to results
for 2014 being not reportable.

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Figure 58.
Experienced Sexual Harassment and/or Stalking Before or After the One Situation for Coast
Guard (Q122)

Alcohol and/or Drug Involvement in the One Situation
Active duty members who indicated they experienced a sexual assault in the past 12 months
were asked about alcohol and drug involvement during the one situation. Members were asked
whether they or the alleged offender(s) had been drinking alcohol, whether the alleged
offender(s) bought them alcohol, and whether they thought they may have been given a drug
without knowledge or consent before the sexual assault discussed in the one situation.
DoD
Of the 4.3% of DoD women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, a little
less than half (48%) indicated they had been drinking alcohol at the time of the unwanted event,
which showed a statistically significant increase of 7 percentage points since 2014. Of those
who indicated they had been drinking alcohol at the time of the unwanted event, a little less than
two-thirds (64%) indicated the alleged offender(s) had bought or gave them alcohol to drink,
which showed a statistically significant increase of 8 percentage points since 2014 (Figure 59).
A little less than half (49%) of women indicated the alleged offender(s) had been drinking
alcohol, whereas fewer (6%) thought they may have been given a drug without their knowledge
or consent (a statistically significant increase of 3 percentage points since 2014). Combining
alcohol use by the alleged offender(s) and/or member, more than half (59%) of DoD women
indicated they and/or the person(s) who did this to them had been drinking alcohol at the time of
the unwanted event. When adding in the possibility of being given a drug without their
knowledge or consent, 60% of women indicated drugs and/or alcohol were involved in the one
situation.

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As shown in Table 15, Marine Corps women (58%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate they drank alcohol before the situation. Navy women (3%) were less likely
than women in the other Services to indicate they may have been given a drug without their
knowledge or consent. Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated the person(s)
who did this to them bought or gave them alcohol to drink showed a statistically significance
increase in 2016 for Navy women (19 percentage points). The percentage of women who
indicated they might have been given a drug without their knowledge or consent showed a
statistically significant increase in 2016 for Air Force women (3 percentage points).
Additionally, Marine Corps women (73% for both) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate they and/or the offender(s) used alcohol during the unwanted event and they
and/or offender(s) used alcohol and/or drugs during the unwanted event, which showed a
statistically significant increase in 2016 for Marine Corps women (17 percentage points and 15
percentage points, respectively).
Of the 0.6% of DoD men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, a little less
than one-third (30%) indicated they had been drinking alcohol at the time of the unwanted event,
of which, more than half (60%) indicated the alleged offender(s) had bought or gave them
alcohol to drink (Figure 59). More than one-quarter (26%) of men indicated the alleged
offender(s) had been drinking alcohol, whereas fewer (7%) thought they may have been given a
drug without their knowledge or consent. Combining alcohol use by the alleged offender(s) and/
or member, more than one-third (39%) of DoD men indicated they and/or the person(s) who did
this to them had been drinking alcohol at the time of the unwanted event. When adding in the
possibility of being given a drug without their knowledge or consent, 42% of men indicated
drugs and/or alcohol were involved in the one situation.
As shown in Table 15, in 2016, Air Force men (56%) were more likely than men in the other
Services to indicate they and/or offender used alcohol and/or drugs during the unwanted event.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated they drank alcohol before the situation
showed a statistically significance decrease in 2016 for Army men (16 percentage points).

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Figure 59.
Alcohol and/or Drug Involvement in the One Situation for DoD (Q123–Q125)

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Table 15.
Alcohol and/or Drug Involvement in the One Situation for DoD (Q123–Q125)
Within Service Comparisons

2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

Women
Alcohol and Drug Use During the One Situation
Drank alcohol before the situation
For those who had been drinking, the
person(s) who did this bought or gave you
alcohol to drink

2016
2014
2016

48 
41
64 

45
38
60

45
39
70 

58
46
64

50
50
62

2014

56

60

51

61

53

9
4
47
46

3
3
46
51

6
4
58
52

6
3
51
55

56
52
57
52

56
57
56
57

73 
56
73 
58

61
62
62
62

±2–9

±3–8

±4–12

±2–6

25
NR
NR

29
NR
NR

38
36
NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

7
11
26
20

8
2
26
NR

4
NR
24
NR

9
NR
35
34

39
23
42
30

35
NR
38
NR

38
NR
40
NR

49
41
56
43

±8–17

±5–12

±7–14

±9–17

2016
6
2014
3
2016
49
Person(s) who did this had been drinking
2014
50
Combinations of Alcohol and/or Drug Use During the One Situation
2016
59
Member and/or offender used alcohol during
unwanted event
2014
56
2016
60
Member and/or offender used alcohol and/or
drugs during unwanted event
2014
57
Might have been given a drug without
knowledge or consent

Margins of Error

±2–5

Men
Alcohol and Drug Use During the One Situation
Drank alcohol before the situation
For those who had been drinking, the
person(s) who did this bought or gave you
alcohol to drink

2016
2014
2016

30
25
60

2014

NR

2016
7
2014
9
2016
26
Person(s) who did this had been drinking
2014
24
Combinations of Alcohol and/or Drug Use During the One Situation
2016
39
Member and/or offender used alcohol during
unwanted event
2014
29
2016
42
Member and/or offender used alcohol and/or
drugs during unwanted event
2014
35
Might have been given a drug without
knowledge or consent

Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault

±4–11

33 
17
68

Coast Guard
Of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year, a
little less than two-thirds (64%) indicated they had been drinking alcohol at the time of the

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unwanted event, of which, more than half (60%) indicated the alleged offender(s) had bought or
gave them alcohol to drink (Figure 60). A little less than two-thirds (69%) of women indicated
the alleged offender(s) had been drinking alcohol, whereas fewer (8%) thought they may have
been given a drug without their knowledge or consent. Combining alcohol use by the alleged
offender(s) and/or member, the majority (78%) of Coast Guard women indicated they and/or the
person(s) who did this to them had been drinking alcohol at the time of the unwanted event.
When adding in the possibility of being given a drug without their knowledge or consent, 82% of
women indicated drugs and/or alcohol were involved in the one situation.
Of the 0.3% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year,
more than one-third (39%) indicated they had been drinking alcohol at the time of the unwanted
event (Figure 58). A little less than half (47%) of men indicated the alleged offender(s) had been
drinking alcohol. Combining alcohol use by the alleged offender(s) and/or member, a little less
than half (47%) of Coast Guard men indicated they and/or the person(s) who did this to them had
been drinking alcohol at the time of the unwanted event. When adding in the possibility of being
given a drug without their knowledge or consent, 47% of men indicated drugs and/or alcohol
were involved in the one situation.
There were no significant differences in responses between 2014 and 2016 for Coast Guard
women and Coast Guard men on alcohol and/or drug use during the one situation.
Figure 60.
Alcohol and/or Drug Involvement in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q123–Q125)

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Outcomes of the One Situation
The last section of this chapter details the outcomes associated with the one situation with the
biggest effect. Active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12
months were asked questions about whether the unwanted event made them take steps to leave
the military, if they received a sexual assault forensic exam, and how satisfied they were with the
responses/services received regarding the one situation.
Made Member Take Steps to Leave/Separate From the Military
DoD
As shown in Figure 61, of the 4.3% of DoD women and 0.6% of DoD men who indicated
experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months, more than one-quarter (28%) of women and a
little less than one-quarter (23%) of men indicated the unwanted event made them take steps to
leave or separate from the military. Air Force women (23%) were less likely than women in the
other Services to indicate the unwanted event made them take steps to leave or separate from the
military. There were no significant differences between Services for DoD men.
Figure 61.
One Situation Made Member Take Steps To Leave/Separate From the Military for DoD
(Q126)

Coast Guard
Figure 62 shows of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women and 0.3% of Coast Guard men who
indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months, 17% of women and a little less than
one-quarter (23%) of men indicated the unwanted event made them take steps to leave or
separate from the military.

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Figure 62.
One Situation Made Member Take Steps To Leave/Separate From the Military Coast Guard
(Q126)

Received a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam
DoD
Figure 63 shows of the 4.3% of DoD women and 0.6% of DoD men who indicated experiencing
sexual assault in the past 12 months, 8% of women and 3% of men indicated receiving a sexual
assault forensic exam or “rape exam.” Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who
indicated receiving a sexual assault forensic exam or “rape exam” showed a statistically
significant decrease for DoD women (13 percentage points), Army women (13 percentage
points), Navy women (15 percentage points), and Air Force (9 percentage points). There were
no significant differences between Services for DoD women and DoD men. Results are not
reportable for DoD men in 2014 and therefore comparisons between 2014 and 2016 are not
possible for DoD men.

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Figure 63.
Received a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam for DoD (Q127)

Coast Guard
Figure 64 shows of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women and 0.3% of men who indicated
experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months, 5% of women and 7% of men indicated
receiving a sexual assault forensic exam or “rape exam.” There were no significant differences
between 2014 and 2016 for the Coast Guard.

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Figure 64.
Received a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam for Coast Guard (Q127)

Satisfaction With Responses/Services Received From Individuals/Providers
Active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past year were asked to
indicate if they had received services or responses from individuals or providers. If they had
interacted with the specified individual or provider, they were asked to provide their level of
satisfaction with the services or responses they received from each.
DoD
Shown in Figure 65 are satisfaction levels with responses/services received from individuals/
providers DoD women indicated they interacted with. A little less than two-thirds (64%)
indicated they were satisfied with the responses/services they received from a Sexual Assault
Response Coordinator (SARC) and a Uniformed Victim Advocate (UVA) or Victim Advocate
(VA). A little less than two-thirds of women also indicated they were satisfied with the
responses/services they received from a chaplain (63%), Special Victims’ Counsel (SVC) or
Victims’ Legal Counsel (VLC) (62%), and a mental health provider (61%). More than half
(57%) indicated they were satisfied with the responses/services received from a medical provider
not for mental health needs, whereas a little less than half (46%) were satisfied with the response
from their unit commander.
Further, 44% of DoD women indicated they were satisfied with the response/services they
received from military law enforcement personnel, and 42% were satisfied with the response
received from their senior enlisted advisor and immediate supervisor (Figure 65). More than
one-third (34%) indicated satisfaction with the response/services from the DoD Safe Helpline,
and one-third (33%) were satisfied with civilian law enforcement personnel.

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Figure 65.
Satisfaction With Responses/Services Received From Individuals/Providers for DoD Women
(Q128)

Shown in Figure 66 are satisfaction levels with responses/services received from individuals/
providers DoD men indicated they interacted with. Half (50%) indicated they were satisfied
with the responses/services they received from a mental health provider, and a little less than half
(49%) were satisfied with the UVA/VA. Less than half of men also indicated they were satisfied
with the responses/services they received from a chaplain (43%), a SARC (43%), and a medical
provider not for mental health needs (42%). More than one-third of men indicated they were
satisfied with the responses/services received from a SVC/VLC (38%) and the DoD Safe
Helpline (35%).
Further, one-third (33%) of DoD men indicated they were satisfied with the response/services
they received from their immediate supervisor, 31% were satisfied with military law
enforcement personnel, and 30% were satisfied with the response received from their senior
enlisted advisor (Figure 66). More than one-quarter (26%) indicated satisfaction with the
response/services from a civilian law enforcement personnel, and one-quarter (25%) were
satisfied with responses received from their unit commander.

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Figure 66.
Satisfaction With Responses/Services Received From Individuals/Providers for DoD Men
(Q128)

As shown in Table 16, in 2016, Air Force women were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate they were satisfied with a SARC (75%), their unit commander (57%), and
their senior enlisted advisor (54%).

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Table 16.
Satisfaction With Responses/Services Received From Individuals/Providers for DoD Women
(Q128)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Marine
Corps

Navy

Higher Response

Satisfied
Your unit commander/director
Your senior enlisted advisor
Your immediate supervisor
A Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC)
A Uniformed Victim Advocate or Victim Advocate
DoD Safe Helpline
A medical provider not for mental health needs
A mental health provider
Special Victims’ Counsel or Victims’ Legal Counsel
A chaplain
Military law enforcement personnel
Civilian enforcement personnel
Margins of Error

Dissatisfied
Your unit commander/director
Your senior enlisted advisor
Your immediate supervisor
A Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC)
A Uniformed Victim Advocate or Victim Advocate
DoD Safe Helpline
A medical provider not for mental health needs
A mental health provider
Special Victims’ Counsel or Victims’ Legal Counsel
A chaplain
Military law enforcement personnel
Civilian enforcement personnel

46
42
42
64
64
34
57
61
62
63
44
33
±6–10

47
47
49
66
62
40
66
66
63
65
47
29
±10–17

31
34
34
13
14
20
16
18
11
12
24
25

35
35
35
16
14
12
15
16
15
9
26
NR

Air
Force

Lower Response

43
36
36
55
60
26
51
53
56
63
32
23
±12–17

28
37
33
17
19
NR
19
24
NR
NR
NR
NR

37
32
36
66
67
NR
NR
62
60
53
NR
NR
±14–17

57
54
45
75
71
41
56
64
72
68
54
44
±8–17

36
37
39
6
10
NR
8
15
11
11
NR
NR

23
26
30
7
8
NR
18
17
4
12
22
16

Margins of Error
±6–12
±9–15
±11–16
±11–16
±8–17
Percent of active duty women who indicated experiencing sexual assault and indicated they talked/interacted with the individual/service provider

There were no significant differences within Services for DoD men (Table 17).

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Table 17.
Satisfaction With Responses/Services Received From Individuals/Providers for DoD Men
(Q128)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Satisfied
Your unit commander/director
Your senior enlisted advisor
Your immediate supervisor
A Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC)
A Uniformed Victim Advocate or Victim Advocate
DoD Safe Helpline
A medical provider not for mental health needs
A mental health provider (e.g., counselor)
Special Victims’ Counsel or Victims’ Legal Counsel
A chaplain
Military law enforcement personnel
Civilian enforcement personnel
Margins of Error

Dissatisfied
Your unit commander/director
Your senior enlisted advisor
Your immediate supervisor
A Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC)
A Uniformed Victim Advocate or Victim Advocate
DoD Safe Helpline
A medical provider not for mental health needs
A mental health provider (e.g., counselor)
Special Victims’ Counsel or Victims’ Legal Counsel
A chaplain
Military law enforcement personnel
Civilian enforcement personnel

25
30
33
43
49
35
42
50
38
43
31
26
±11–14

50
51
53
30
29
32
32
24
33
29
33
37

NR
44
60
27
20
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR

Air
Force

Lower Response

20
30
25
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
27
NR
±14–18

Marine
Corps

Navy

NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR

NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR

NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR

NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR

NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR

NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR

Margins of Error
±11–15
±15–18
NR
NR
NR
Percent of active duty men who indicated experiencing sexual assault and indicated they talked/interacted with the individual/service provider

Coast Guard
Results on satisfaction with responses or services received as a result of experiencing sexual
assault are not reportable for Coast Guard women or men.

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Chapter 5:
Reporting the One Situation of Sexual Assault
Ms. Lisa Davis and Ms. Amanda Grifka

Introduction
This chapter provides details about reporting of the one situation of sexual assault with the
biggest effect on the member. Information from this section of the survey specifically focuses on
the type of report made, outcomes of reporting, reasons for reporting and not reporting, and if the
member would make the same decision about reporting in the future. The last section of this
chapter more closely examines the negative outcomes associated with reporting the one situation
to include experiences of perceived professional reprisal, ostracism, and maltreatment. Within
each of these three outcomes, members were asked about the individual(s) who took the actions,
if the experience(s) was (were) perceived as harmful to the member’s career, and participation in
the report of sexual assault as a result of actions. This last section also addresses if the member
discussed and/or filed a complaint as a result of perceived professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or
maltreatment as well as the relationship between the individual(s) who took actions and the
perpetrator(s) identified in the sexual assault report.
Results are reported for 2016 and trend comparisons to the 2014 RMWS are provided where data
are available.

Reporting the One Situation to the Military
Active duty members who indicated experiencing a sexual assault in the past 12 months were
asked to indicate if they reported the unwanted event to the military. Members indicating “Yes”
were then asked about the type of initial report made: restricted report, unrestricted report, or
unsure. Restricted and unrestricted reports were defined on the survey as:


Restricted reports allow people to get information, collect evidence, and receive medical
treatment and counseling without starting an official investigation of the assault, and



Unrestricted reports start an official investigation in addition to allowing the services
available in restricted reporting.

For those who initially made a restricted report, they were asked about who they made the report
to, what happened with their restricted report, and what they would have done if restricted
reporting was not available. Members who indicated they did not report their sexual assault were
asked if they considered reporting it. Finally, the final disposition of the member’s report is
provided, accounting for converted reports. Results are reported by gender and Service where
reportable.
DoD
Overall, in 2016, of the 4.3% of DoD women who indicated experiencing a sexual assault in the
past 12 months, a little less than one-third (31%) indicated reporting the unwanted event to the
military, which remained statistically unchanged since 2014 (Figure 67). Of this 31%, more than
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half (54%) initially made an unrestricted report and a little more than one-third (35%) made a
restricted report. In 2016, Marine Corps women were more likely to indicate they initially made
a restricted report (53%) but were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate they
initially made an unrestricted report (35%; Figure 68).
Of the 0.6% of DoD men who indicated experiencing a sexual assault in the past 12 months,
15% indicated reporting the unwanted event to the military, which remained statistically
unchanged since 2014 (Figure 67). Of the 15% of DoD men who reported, a little more than half
(55%) initially made an unrestricted report and a little less than one-third (31%) made a
restricted report (Figure 68). In 2016, Navy men (8%) were less likely to report than men in the
other Services.
Figure 67.
Reported the One Situation to the Military for DoD (Q129)

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Figure 68.
Initial Type of Report Made for DoD (Q131)

As shown in Figure 69, of the 35% of DoD women who initially made a restricted report, a little
less than half (48%) indicated they reported to a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC)
and more than a third (36%) reported to a Uniformed Victim Advocate (UVA) or Victim
Advocate (VA). One-tenth (10%) of women indicated they reported to healthcare personnel and
fewer (6%) reported to some other person or office.
Additionally, members who filed restricted reports were asked about whether their restricted
report remained restricted. Of the 35% of DoD women who initially made a restricted report, a
little less than half (49%) indicated the report remained restricted and they were not aware of any
investigation that occurred and more than one-third (38%) chose to convert it to an unrestricted
report (Figure 69). A little more than one-tenth (11%) did not choose to convert their report, but
an independent investigation occurred anyway and fewer (2%) were unable to recall.
Finally, members were also asked what they would have done had restricted reporting not been
an option. As shown in Figure 69, of the 35% of DoD women who made a restricted report
initially, more than half (58%) would not have reported, whereas a little less than one-fifth (18%)
would have made an unrestricted report, and a little less than one-quarter (23%) were unsure
about what they would do. Results for DoD men are not reportable for questions regarding
making an initial restricted report.

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Figure 69.
Details on Restricted Reporting for DoD Women (Q132–Q134)

The final report disposition is constructed by combining the initial report type with the results of
possible conversions of restricted reports. The majority (73%) of DoD women ended the
reporting process with an unrestricted report, whereas 18% had a restricted report, and 9% were
not sure of their final report disposition (Figure 70). In 2016, Navy women (2%) were less likely
to indicate they were unsure of their final report type than women in the other Services. For
DoD men, a little less than two-thirds (61%) ended the reporting process with an unrestricted
report, 23% had a restricted report, and 16% were not sure of their final report disposition.

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Figure 70.
Final Report Disposition for DoD (Q131, Q133)

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 71, of the 2.0% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing a sexual
assault in the past 12 months, more than one-quarter (28%) indicated reporting the unwanted
event to the military, which has remained statistically unchanged since 2014. Of this 28%, the
majority (83%) of women initially made an unrestricted report, whereas fewer (6%) made a
restricted report, and 12% were unsure of the type of report they initially made.
Of the 0.3% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing a sexual assault in the past 12
months, a little less than one-fifth (19%) indicated reporting the unwanted event to the military
(Figure 71). Statistical significance for Coast Guard men cannot be calculated because the 2014
estimate was not reportable for this group. Results are not reportable for Coast Guard men on
the initial type of report made.
Results on details of filing an initial restricted report and final report disposition are not
reportable for Coast Guard women and men.

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Figure 71.
Reported the One Situation to the Military and Initial Type of Report Made for Coast Guard
(Q129, Q131)

Outcomes of Reporting
The following section addresses issues regarding outcomes of reporting the one situation of
sexual assault. Members were asked about various types of information and resources they were
provided after reporting and positive leadership actions as a result of reporting. They were also
asked about receiving an expedited transfer and how that affected the member’s life. Finally,
members were also asked if they would recommend others report a sexual assault based on their
experience with the reporting process overall.
Information and Resources Provided After Reporting
Active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months and
indicated reporting the incident to the military were asked to what extent they were provided
various information and resources following reporting. Members who indicated the information
and/or resource were not applicable are excluded from this analysis.
DoD
Of the 31% of DoD women who reported a sexual assault to the military, more than half (60%)
were provided information on their right to consult a Special Victims’ Counsel (SVC)/Victims’
Legal Counsel (VLC) to a large extent (Figure 72). A little more than half (54%) of DoD
women indicated they were provided safety planning information regarding their immediate
situation and received regular contact regarding their well-being to a large extent. A little more
than half (51%) of DoD women indicated they were provided information on their right to
request an expedited transfer and half (50%) indicated they were provided information about
Victim’s Rights (DD Form 2701) to a large extent. A little less than half (48%) of DoD women
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indicated they were provided information to address their confidentiality concerns to a large
extent, 42% were provided information about confidential counseling services through Veterans
Affairs (VA) Vet Centers to a large extent, and more than one-third (37%) indicated they were
provided accurate up-to-date information on their case status to a large extent.
Results for DoD men are not presented due to the amount of unreportable data.
Figure 72.
Extent Provided Information/Resources After Reporting Unwanted Event for DoD Women
(Q135)

In 2016, women in the Air Force were more likely to indicate they received information on their
right to consult a SVC/VLC (73%) and received regular contact regarding their well-being (72%)
to a large extent than women in the other Services (Table 18). Women in the Army were less
likely than women in the other Services to indicate they were provided accurate up-to-date
information on their case status (27%) and information to address their confidentiality concerns
(39%) to a large extent.

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Table 18.
Extent Provided Information/Resources After Reporting Unwanted Event for DoD Women
(Q135)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Marine
Corps

Navy

Higher Response

Large Extent
Safety planning information regarding your immediate
situation
Accurate up-to-date information on your case status
Information to address your confidentiality concerns
Regular contact regarding your well-being
Information on right to consult a Special Victims; Counsel
(SVC)/Victims’ Legal Counsel (VLC)
Information on your right to request an expedited transfer
Information about Victim’s Rights (DD Form 2701)
Information on confidential counseling services from
Department of Veterans Affairs’ Vet Centers
Margins of Error

Not at all
Safety planning information regarding your immediate
situation
Accurate up-to-date information on your case status
Information to address your confidentiality concerns
Regular contact regarding your well-being
Information on right to consult a Special Victims; Counsel
(SVC)/Victims’ Legal Counsel (VLC)
Information on your right to request an expedited transfer
Information about Victim’s Rights (DD Form 2701)
Information on confidential counseling services from
Department of Veterans Affairs’ Vet Centers

Air
Force

Lower Response

54

51

55

56

55

37
48
54

27
39
48

38
55
49

NR
NR
61

46
56
72

60

55

61

NR

73

51
50

51
50

47
44

59
55

54
57

42

34

45

NR

45

±7

±11–12

±13–15

±16–17

±9–10

16

20

18

8

11

17
15
16

17
14
17

20
18
24

15
15
7

13
12
6

15

17

23

NR

4

20
16

20
16

29
21

13
15

12
10

33

32

40

15

34

Margins of Error
±6–7
±10–12
±13–15
±12–15
±5–9
Percent of active duty women who indicated experiencing sexual assault, indicated reporting to military authority, and indicated the information/
resource was applicable

Coast Guard
Results for Coast Guard women and Coast Guard men are not reportable for the extent to which
they were provided information and/or resources after reporting sexual assault.
Positive Leadership Actions as a Result of Reporting
Along with being asked about the information and resources provided following reporting sexual
assault, members were also asked to indicate the extent to which they received positive responses
from their leadership as a result of reporting sexual assault. Those who indicated the positive
leadership action was not applicable are excluded from this analysis.

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DoD
Figure 73 displays the extent to which members received positive leadership actions as a result
of reporting their unwanted event. Of the 31% of DoD women who reported a sexual assault to
the military, a little more than half (51%) indicated leadership provided them the flexibility to
attend appointments related to their sexual assault as needed to a large extent. A little less than
half (46%) indicated their leadership expressed concern for their well-being to a large extent,
whereas 42% indicated their leadership made them feel supported to a large extent.
Of the 15% of DoD men who reported a sexual assault to the military, more than one-third (38%)
indicated their leadership provided them flexibility to attend appointments related to their sexual
assault as needed to a large extent (Figure 73). A little less than one-third (32%) indicated their
leadership made them feel supported to a large extent, and more than one-quarter (29%) of men
indicated their leadership discouraged gossip in their work environment to a large extent.
More interesting than the results regarding whether their leadership took positive actions to a
large extent are the results for men indicating their leadership did not at all take positive actions.
A little more than half (51%) of men indicated their leadership did not at all make them feel
supported, whereas 48% indicated their leadership did not at all express concern for their wellbeing, and 43% indicated they were not at all provided the flexibility to attend appointments
related to their sexual assault as needed (Figure 73).
Figure 73.
Positive Leadership Action Taken After Reporting Unwanted Event for DoD (Q136)

In 2016, Air Force women were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate their
leadership took positive actions across the specified actions to a large extent (Table 19). Results
for men by Service on the extent to which they were provided positive actions from their
leadership as a result of their report of sexual assault are not reportable.
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Table 19.
Positive Leadership Action Taken After Reporting Unwanted Event for DoD Women (Q136)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Marine
Corps

Navy

Higher Response

Large Extent
They made me feel supported
They expressed concern for my well-being
They provided me flexibility to attend appointments related
to my sexual assault as needed
They discouraged gossip in my work environment
Some other positive action
Margins of Error

Not at all
They made me feel supported
They expressed concern for my well-being
They provided me flexibility to attend appointments related
to my sexual assault as needed
They discouraged gossip in my work environment
Some other positive action

Air
Force

Lower Response

42
46
51

43
47
50

33
36
43

45
51
NR

52
56
66

39
39

38
40

32
35

38
NR

53
48

±7–8

±12–13

±13–15

±15–17

±9–11

29
26
20

27
27
22

34
30
26

33
20
10

22
21
14

38
39

38
36

46
44

36
NR

22
34

Margins of Error
±7–8
±12–14
±13–15
±13–17
±8–11
Percent of active duty women who indicated experiencing sexual assault, indicated reporting to military authority, and indicated the leadership
action was applicable

Coast Guard
Figure 74 shows Coast Guard women overall indicated their leadership took positive actions
after they reported sexual assault to a large extent (78%–81%). Results for Coast Guard women
indicating their leadership did not at all take positive actions have large margins of error and
caution should be taken when interpreting the results.
Results for men on the extent to which they were provided positive actions from their leadership
as a result of their report of sexual assault are not reportable.

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Figure 74.
Positive Leadership Action Taken After Reporting Unwanted Event for Coast Guard Women
(Q136)

Expedited Transfers
Another outcome of reporting addressed receiving an expedited transfer. Active duty members
who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months and reported the unwanted event
were asked to indicate either “Yes” or “No” as to if the member received an expedited transfer as
a result of reporting sexual assault. Results are not reportable for Coast Guard women and Coast
Guard men.
DoD
As shown in Figure 75, of the 31% of DoD women and the 15% of men who reported a sexual
assault to the military, 24% of women and 16% of men received an expedited transfer.

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Figure 75.
Expedited Transfers DoD (Q137)

How Aspects of Life Have Changed After Receiving an Expedited Transfer
Members who indicated receiving an expedited transfer were asked how aspects of their life have
changed compared to the time before they were transferred. Members were asked to answer
each of the aspects as “Better than before,” “About the same as before,” “Worse than before,” or
“Not applicable.” The analysis presented excludes those who indicated “Not applicable.”
Results for Coast Guard women and Coast Guard men are not reportable.
DoD
Figure 76 shows how different aspects of life have changed as a result of an expedited transfer
for DoD women. Of the 24% of DoD women who indicated they received an expedited transfer,
a little more than half (54%) indicated their living situation was better than before, while 47%
indicated their treatment by leadership and peers was better than before. Forty-five percent
indicated their medical and mental health care was better than before, and 42% indicated their
social support and career progression was better than before they received an expedited transfer.
Results for DoD women by Service on how various aspects of life have changed as a result of an
expedited transfer are not reportable.
Results are not reportable for DoD men.

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Figure 76.
Life Aspects as a Result of Expedited Transfer for DoD Women (Q138)

Recommend Others Report Sexual Assault
Members were asked to indicate whether they would recommend others report their sexual
assault based on their overall experience with reporting and the services available. Results are
not reportable for Coast Guard women and Coast Guard men.
DoD
As shown in Figure 77, a little more than two-thirds (67%) of women and more than a half
(59%) of DoD men indicated they would recommend others report sexual assault. Specifically,
less than half (44%) of DoD women and more than one-third (34%) of DoD men would
recommend others make an unrestricted report, and a little less than one-quarter (23%) of women
and one-quarter (25%) of men would recommend others make a restricted report. Seventeen
percent of women and a little less than one-third (32%) of men would not recommend others
report a sexual assault if they were to experience it, whereas 16% of women and 9% of men were
not sure if they would recommend others report. In 2016, Air Force women (9%) were less
likely than women in the others Services to not recommend others report a sexual assault.

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Figure 77.
Recommend Others Report Sexual Assault Based on Experience With Reporting for DoD
(Q140)

Reasons for Reporting the One Situation
Active duty members who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past 12 months and who
officially reported the unwanted event were asked to indicate why they chose to report it.
Members were asked to mark all applicable options from the list of reasons for reporting.
Results are not available for Coast Guard women and Coast Guard men.
DoD
The top seven (out of 11) reasons for reporting the one situation are provided in Figure 78 and
the top three are discussed here. Of the 31% of DoD women who reported to the military, the
top reason for reporting the unwanted event was to stop the offender from hurting others (53%).
Less than half (44%) indicated they reported because someone they told encouraged them to
report, and 42% reported to stop the offender(s) from hurting them again.
Of the 15% of DoD men who reported to the military, a little less than half (47%) indicated the
top reason for reporting the event to a military authority was to stop the offender(s) from hurting
them again (Figure 78). A little less than half (45%) indicated they reported to stop the
offender(s) from hurting others, and 41% indicated reporting because it was their civic or
military duty to report it.

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Figure 78.
Reasons for Reporting the One Situation for DoD (Q139)

In 2016, Navy women (20%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate they
reported because someone else made them report it or reported it themselves (Table 20). Marine
Corps women (20%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate they reported
to stop the offender(s) from hurting them again and because it was their civic or military duty to
report it (10%). Army women (21%) were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate they reported to document the incident to get help or benefits from the Department of
Veterans Affairs. Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated they reported
because someone they told encouraged them to report showed a statistically significant decrease
in 2016 for Marine Corps women (37 percentage points). Reasons for reporting the one situation
are not reportable for DoD men by Service.

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Table 20.
Reasons for Reporting the One Situation for DoD Women (Q139)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Someone else made you report it or reporting it
themselves
To stop the offender(s) from hurting you again
To stop the offender(s) from hurting others
It was your civic/military duty to report it
To punish the offender (s)
To discourage other potential offenders
To get medical assistance
To get mental health assistance
To stop rumors
Someone you told encouraged you to report
To document the incident to get help/benefits
from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

29
30
42
41
53
54
27
29
23
23
21
19
20
28
35
38
10
12
44
54
14
14

30
28
47
46
55
56
32
36
23
26
19
21
20
29
39
43
11
13
50
55
21
13

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

20
35
46
37
54
52
27
23
25
20
29
17
22
31
32
33
11
8
40
44
9
17

Margins of Error
±5–6
±7–12
±8–15
Percent of active duty women who indicated experiencing sexual assault and indicated reporting to military authority

42
25
20
37
42
NR
10
18
21
26
15
19
19
25
42
NR
6
24
37 
74
10
8
±10–18

34
30
43
35
57
56
29
28
18
18
19
19
21
21
29
30
7
10
43
56
11
12
±6–9

Reasons for Not Reporting the One Situation
Active duty members who did not report the unwanted event to the military were asked to
indicate why they chose not to report. Responders were asked to mark all applicable reasons for
not reporting.
DoD
Figure 79 shows the top 10 reasons for not reporting the one situation with the biggest effect for
DoD members. A little more than two-thirds (68%) of DoD women and a little less than half
(47%) of DoD men indicated their top reason for not reporting was because they wanted to forget
about it and move on. This represents a statistically significant decrease for both DoD women (5
percentage points) and DoD men (17 percentage points) compared to 2014. More than half
(58%) of women and more than one-third (39%) of men indicated they did not want more people
to know, and a little more than half (52%) of women and more than one-third (37%) of men felt
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shamed or embarrassed. Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated they did
not report because they thought it was not serious enough to report showed a statistically
significant decrease of 7 percentage points in 2016. The percentage of women who indicated
they did not report because they were worried about potential negative consequences from their
coworkers or peers showed a statistically significant increase compared to 2014 (10 percentage
points).
Figure 79.
Top 10 Reasons for Not Reporting the One Situation for DoD (Q141)

In 2016, Air Force women were generally less likely than women in the other Services to
indicate reasons for not reporting the one situation (Table 21). For example, Air Force women
(24%) were less likely to indicate they did not report because they thought it would hurt their
career, whereas Navy women (45%) were more likely than women in the other Services. Air
Force women (25%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate they did not
think anything would be done, whereas Navy women (42%) were more likely. Women in the Air
Force (23%) were also less likely than women in the other Services to indicate they did not report
because they did not trust the process would be fair, whereas Navy women (38%) were more
likely. Navy women (28%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the
reason they did not report the one situation was because they thought it might hurt their
performance evaluation/fitness report, whereas Air Force (13%) and Marine Corps women
(12%) were less likely.

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As shown in Table 21, the percentage of DoD women who indicated they did not report because
they took other actions to handle the situation showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016
compared to 2014 (8 percentage points). The percentage of women who indicated they took
other actions to handle the situation also showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for
Army women (10 percentage points) and Marine Corps women (16 percentage points).
The percentage of Navy women who indicated they did not report the one situation because they
did not think they would be believed showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 (14
percentage points). Additionally, percentages for Navy women showed statistically significant
increases compared to 2014 for indicating they did not report because they were worried about
potential negative consequences from their supervisor or someone in their chain of command (15
percentage points) and they were worried about potential negative consequences from their
coworkers or peers (18 percentage points).
Compared to 2014, the percentage of Air Force women who indicated they did not think it was
serious enough to report (9 percentage points) and they did not think anything would be done (8
percentage points) showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016. Conversely, the
percentage of Air Force women who indicated they were worried about potential negative
consequences from their supervisor or someone in their chain of command showed a statistically
significant increase in 2016 (both 6 percentage points).

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Table 21.
Reasons for Not Reporting the One Situation for DoD Women (Q141)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

You thought it was not serious enough to report
You did not want more people to know
You did not want people to see you as weak
You wanted to forget about it and move on
You did not think your report would be kept
confidential
You did not think anything would be done
You did not think you would be believed
You did not trust the process would be fair
You felt partially to blame
You thought other people would blame you
You thought you might get in trouble for
something you did
You thought you might be labeled as a
troublemaker
You felt shamed or embarrassed*
You were concerned for your physical safety*
You or the other person(s) who did it knew the
person you would report the event to*
You thought it might hurt your performance
evaluation/fitness report
You thought it might hurt your career
You did not want to hurt the person’s career or
family
You were worried about potential negative
consequences from the person(s) who did it

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

39 
46
58
63
35
34
68 
73
31
28
35
36
32 
25
31
30
40
44
41
38
20
18
30
30
52
NA
13
NA
7
NA
20
21
36
36
37
41
31
31

34
39
56
65
34
36
65
73
34
31
34
38
30
31
30
34
40
43
39
38
23
20
31
35
50
NA
14
NA
6
NA
17
24
38
43
31
38
32
34

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

39
49
60
61
40
34
69
77
35
28
42
36
37 
23
38
30
37
43
45
38
23
18
36
29
54
NA
17
NA
10
NA
28
22
45
35
41
42
32
29

44
48
68
68
43
45
77
71
25
28
29
33
31
24
27
29
47
51
48
44
23
23
25
34
63
NA
7
NA
5
NA
12
20
28
29
39
45
36
31

45 
54
53
58
25
25
66
69
22
24
25 
33
26
21
23
24
43
41
34
35
10
10
21
22
46
NA
7
NA
3
NA
13
14
24
31
37
40
28
29

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Table 21. (continued)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

You were worried about potential negative
consequences from supervisor/someone in chain
of command

2016
2014

27 
17

28
21

31 
16

20
20

19 
13

You were worried about potential negative
consequences from your coworkers or peers

2016
2014
2016
2014

36 
26
28 
36

36
27
28 
38

44 
26
29
34

29
28
20 
36

26
23
32
36

You took other actions to handle the situation

Margins of Error
±3–4
±4–7
Percent of active duty women who indicated experiencing sexual assault and did not report to military
*Denotes new item for 2016 WGRA and therefore not comparable to 2014 RMWS

±6–8

±6–11

±3–6

As shown in Table 22, in 2016, Air Force men were less likely than men in the other Services to
indicate they did not report sexual assault for many of the reasons listed. For example, Air Force
men were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate they did not report the one
situation because they did not want people to see them as weak (15%), they did not think their
report would be kept confidential (10%), and they did not think anything would be done (12%).
In 2016, Army men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate they did not
report because they did not want to hurt their career (34%), whereas Air Force men were less
likely (13%).
Compared to 2014, the percentage of Army men who indicated they wanted to forget about it
and move on showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 (23 percentage points). The
percentage of DoD men who indicated they took other actions to handle the situation showed a
statistically significant decrease in 2016 (15 percentage points).

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Table 22.
Reasons for Not Reporting the One Situation for DoD Men (Q141)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

You thought it was not serious enough to report
You did not want more people to know
You did not want people to see you as weak
You wanted to forget about it and move on
You did not think your report would be kept
confidential
You did not think anything would be done
You did not think you would be believed
You did not trust the process would be fair
You felt partially to blame
You thought other people would blame you
You thought you might get in trouble for
something you did
You thought you might be labeled as a
troublemaker
You felt shamed or embarrassed*
You were concerned for your physical safety*
You or the other person(s) who did it knew the
person you would report the event to*
You thought it might hurt your performance
evaluation/fitness report
You thought it might hurt your career
You did not want to hurt the person’s career or
family

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

37
49
39
51
32
44
47 
64
25
33
29
43
27
26
30
34
20
16
19
32
14
18
20
25
37
NA
7
NA
7
NA
20
25
24
38
27
31

35
54
36
39
30
NR
48 
71
33
NR
30
46
25
NR
29
NR
26
25
19
27
17
NR
22
28
43
NA
8
NA
6
NA
24
27
34
48
24
30

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

36
NR
45
NR
39
NR
46
NR
25
NR
33
NR
31
NR
38
NR
19
14
26
NR
11
14
20
NR
36
NA
7
NA
8
NA
22
NR
20
NR
33
NR

37
NR
37
NR
34
NR
NR
NR
18
NR
32
NR
28
NR
27
NR
13
4
NR
NR
17
NR
22
NR
33
NA
12
NA
10
NA
17
NR
NR
NR
28
NR

45
58
32
40
15
33
37
NR
10
25
12
31
17
27
12
22
17
18
6
22
15
7
14
15
26
NA
2
NA
5
NA
13
23
13
35
18
21

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Table 22. (continued)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

2016
2014
2016
2014

21
34
26
27

2016
2014
2016
2014

30
30
25 
40

Army

Higher Response

You were worried about potential negative
consequences from the person(s) who did it
You were worried about potential negative
consequences from supervisor/someone in chain
of command
You were worried about potential negative
consequences from your coworkers or peers
You took other actions to handle the situation

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

25
NR
31
NR

22
NR
32
NR

21
NR
16
NR

9
21
7
13

35
41
25
44

29
NR
24
NR

28
NR
24
NR

21
13
31
NR

±9–13

±10–18

±8–18

Margins of Error
±5–13
±6–18
Percent of active duty men who indicated experiencing sexual assault and did not report to military
*Denotes new item for 2016 WGRA and therefore not comparable to 2014 RMWS

Coast Guard
Table 23 displays reasons why Coast Guard members did not report the one situation of sexual
assault and the top three reasons are explained here. Of the Coast Guard women who did not
report to the military, the majority (70%) indicated the reason for not reporting was because they
did not want more people to know. A little more than two-thirds (68%) indicated the reason for
not reporting was because they wanted to forget about it and move on, and a little less than twothirds (64%) indicated they felt shamed or embarrassed. There were no significant differences
between 2014 and 2016 for Coast Guard women on reasons for not reporting sexual assault.
Of the Coast Guard men who did not report the one situation to the military, a little less than onethird indicated the reasons for not reporting were they thought it was not serious enough to report
(32%), they did not think anything would be done (31%), and more than one-quarter (29%)
indicated they didn’t report because they felt shamed or embarrassed.38
Compared to 2014, the percentage of those who indicated they did not want more people to
know showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Coast Guard men (17 percentage
points). Compared to 2014, the percentage of those who indicated they did not want to hurt the
person’s career or family showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Coast Guard men
(16 percentage points).

38

Caution should be taken when analyzing reasons for not reporting for Coast Guard men due to high margins of
error.

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Table 23.
Reasons for Not Reporting the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q141)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Survey
Women
Year
2016
45
You thought it was not serious enough to report
2014
54
2016
70
You did not want more people to know
2014
69
2016
38
You did not want people to see you as weak
2014
35
2016
68
You wanted to forget about it and move on
2014
81
2016
22
You did not think your report would be kept confidential
2014
40
2016
31
You did not think anything would be done
2014
43
2016
29
You did not think you would be believed
2014
27
2016
24
You did not trust the process would be fair
2014
35
2016
51
You felt partially to blame
2014
45
2016
40
You thought other people would blame you
2014
59
2016
24
You thought you might get in trouble for something you did
2014
18
2016
32
You thought you might be labeled as a troublemaker
2014
44
2016
64
You felt shamed or embarrassed*
2014
NA
2016
3
You were concerned for your physical safety*
2014
NA
2016
3
You or the other person(s) who did it knew the person you would report the event to*
2014
NA
2016
24
You thought it might hurt your performance evaluation/fitness report
2014
21
2016
25
You thought it might hurt your career
2014
33
2016
46
You did not want to hurt the person’s career or family
2014
52
2016
29
You were worried about potential negative consequences from the person(s) who did it
2014
35
2016
23
You were worried about potential negative consequences from supervisor/someone in
chain of command
2014
18
2016
31
You were worried about potential negative consequences from your coworkers or peers
2014
44
2016
42
You took other actions to handle the situation
2014
44
Margins of Error
Percent of Coast Guard members who indicated experiencing sexual assault and did not report to military
*Denotes new item for 2016 WGRA and therefore not comparable to 2014 RMWS

±7–13

Men
32
NR
17 
<1
23
NR
NR
NR
NR
<1
31
NR
NR
NR
17
NR
NR
<1
12
<1
NR
<1
26
NR
29
NA
4
NA
NR
NA
11
NR
NR
NR
16 
<1
7
NR
12
NR
25
NR
14
NR
±10–18

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In Retrospect, Would Members Make the Same Decision About
Reporting
Regardless of whether or not an active duty member indicated reporting or not reporting the
unwanted event, members were asked if they would make the same decision about reporting if
they could do it over again.
DoD
Of the 31% of DoD women and 15% of DoD men who indicated they reported sexual assault to
the military, a little less than one-fifth (19%) of DoD women and 8% of DoD men who reported
to the military indicated they would make the same decision to report again, whereas a little
more than one-tenth (11%) of DoD women and fewer (7%) DoD men who reported to the
military would not make the same decision again (Figure 80). Of the 69% of DoD women and
85% of DoD men who did not report sexual assault to the military, a little less than half (49%) of
women and more than half (57%) of men would make the same decision to not report again,
whereas 21% of women and 28% of men who did not report to the military would report if they
could do it over.
In 2016, Air Force women (7%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate
they reported to the military but would not make the same decision again (Figure 80). Men in
the Army (45%) were less likely than men in the other Services to make the same decision to not
report again. Navy men (3%) were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate they
reported to the military but would not make the same decision again. Finally, Air Force men
(17%) were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate they did not report to the
military but would report if they could do it over.

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Figure 80.
In Retrospect, Would Members Make the Same Decision About Reporting for DoD (Q129,
Q142)

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 81, of the 28% of Coast Guard women and 19% of Coast Guard men who
reported sexual assault to the military, a little more than one-fifth (22%) of Coast Guard women
and fewer (9%) Coast Guard men indicated they would make the same decision to report,
whereas fewer (5%) women and 10% of men who would not make the same decision to report
again. Of the 72% of Coast Guard women and 81% of Coast Guard men who did not report
sexual assault, more than half (56%) of women and a little more than half (54%) of men would
make the same decision to not report again, whereas 17% of women and 26% of men who did
not report to the military would report if they could do it over.

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Figure 81.
In Retrospect, Would Members Make the Same Decision About Reporting for Coast Guard
(Q129, Q142)

Negative Outcomes Associated With Reporting the One Situation of
Sexual Assault
The last section in this chapter provides details on negative outcomes associated with reporting
sexual assault including the estimated rates and experiences of perceived professional reprisal,
perceived ostracism, and perceived maltreatment, including “roll-up” rates of perceived
ostracism and/or maltreatment and perceived professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or
maltreatment. This section also addresses issues of perceived ostracism and/or maltreatment
involving social media, information about whether or not a complaint was discussed and/or filed
as a result of actions, and the relationship between those who took actions and the alleged
perpetrator(s) identified in the report of sexual assault. Results for rates of perceived reprisal,
ostracism, and/or maltreatment will be presented for total DoD and DoD by gender. The
remaining questions on the experiences of negative outcomes will be shown only for DoD
women. Results for DoD men, DoD Service by gender, and Coast Guard breakouts are
unavailable due to data being not reportable and/or due to large margins of error.
Perceived Professional Reprisal
The overall rate of perceived professional reprisal, along with information on the individual(s)
who took actions, if the experience(s) was (were) perceived as harmful to the member’s career,
and participation in reporting of the sexual assault as a result of these actions are all discussed in
greater detail in this section.

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Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal
The rate of perceived professional reprisal is a summary measure reflecting whether respondents
indicated experiencing unfavorable actions taken by leadership (or an individual with the
authority to affect a personnel decision) as a result of reporting a sexual assault (not based on
conduct or performance) and experienced additional motivating factors for an investigation to
occur (e.g., believed leadership took these actions for a specific set of reasons).
In 2016, 40% of DoD active duty members indicated experiencing at least one behavior in line
with potential professional reprisal, of which, a little less than one-quarter (23%) of indicated
experiencing perceived professional reprisal as a result of reporting sexual assault (Figure 82).
Figure 82.
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal for Total DoD (Q143–Q145)

A little more than one-third (36%) of DoD women and half (50%) of DoD men indicated
experiencing at least one behavior in line with potential professional reprisal, of which, a little
less than one-fifth (19%) of women and more than one-third (36%) of men indicated
experiencing perceived professional reprisal (Figure 83).

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Figure 83.
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal for DoD by Gender (Q143–Q145)

Findings From Perceived Professional Reprisal
After indicating the experienced behaviors were in line with perceived professional reprisal,
members were asked to indicate all applicable individuals who took the actions. They were also
asked to indicate how harmful these experiences would be to their career and whether they
decided to participate or move forward with their report of sexual assault as a result of the
actions taken against them (perceived professional reprisal).
As shown in Figure 84, over half (54%) of DoD women indicated the person who took these
actions was another member in their chain of command (but not their unit commander), whereas
52% indicated it was their senior enlisted leader who took the actions, and 37% indicated their
unit commander took the actions. More than half of women (53%) indicated the behaviors taken
by their leadership were very harmful to their career, a little less than one-third (31%) indicated
the behaviors were moderately harmful to their career, and 6% indicated the behaviors were
somewhat harmful to their career. After indicating they experienced perceived professional
reprisal as a result of reporting sexual assault, 44% of women indicated they decided to
participate and/or move forward with their report of sexual assault.

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Figure 84.
Findings From Perceived Professional Reprisal for DoD Women (Q146–Q148)

Perceived Ostracism
The overall rate of perceived ostracism, individual(s) is provided in this section, along with who
took the actions, and whether the member participated and/or moved forward with their report of
sexual assault as a result of these actions.
Rate of Perceived Ostracism
The rate of perceived ostracism is a summary measure reflecting whether, as a result of reporting
a sexual assault, respondents indicated experiencing negative behaviors from military peers and/
or coworkers to make them feel excluded or ignored and experienced additional motivating
factors for an investigation to occur.
As shown in Figure 85, half (50%) of DoD active duty members indicated experiencing at least
one behavior in line with potential ostracism, of which, 14% of DoD members met the criteria
for inclusion in the estimated overall rate of perceived ostracism.

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Figure 85.
Rate of Perceived Ostracism for Total DoD (Q149–Q151)

A little more than half (51%) of DoD women and a little less than half (47%) of DoD men
indicated experiencing at least one behavior in line with potential ostracism, with 12% of women
and 17% of men indicating experiencing perceived ostracism (Figure 86).
Figure 86.
Rate of Perceived Ostracism for DoD by Gender (Q149–Q151)

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Findings From Perceived Ostracism
After indicating they experienced behaviors in line with perceived ostracism, members were
asked to indicate all applicable individuals who took the actions. Members were also asked if
they decided to participate or move forward with their report of sexual assault as a result of the
actions taken against them (perceived ostracism).
As shown in Figure 87, three-quarters (75%) of DoD women indicated the person who took the
actions was a Service member in a higher rank in their chain of command. Results for deciding
whether to participate or move forward with their report of sexual assault are not reportable for
DoD women.
Figure 87.
Findings From Perceived Ostracism for DoD Women (Q152–Q153)

Perceived Maltreatment
The overall rate of perceived maltreatment is provided in this section, followed by details on who
took the actions, including whether they were in a position of leadership over them, and whether
they participated and/or moved forward with their report of the sexual assault as a result of these
actions.
Rate of Perceived Maltreatment
The rate of perceived maltreatment is a summary measure reflecting whether, as a result of
reporting a sexual assault, respondents indicated experiencing negative behaviors from military
peers and/or coworkers. These behaviors must have occurred without a valid military purpose
and may include physical or psychological force, threats, or abusive or unjustified treatment that
resulted in physical or mental harm and experienced additional motivating factors for an
investigation to occur.

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As shown in Figure 88, more than one-third (38%) of DoD members indicated experiencing at
least one behavior in line with potential maltreatment, of which, a little less than one-fifth (18%)
indicated experiencing perceived maltreatment.
Figure 88.
Rate of Perceived Maltreatment for Total DoD (Q154–Q156)

More than one-third (38%) of DoD women and men indicated experiencing at least one behavior
in line with potential maltreatment, of which, 18% of women and 19% of men indicated
experiencing perceived maltreatment (Figure 89).

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Figure 89.
Rate of Perceived Maltreatment for DoD (Q154–Q156)

Findings From Perceived Maltreatment
After indicating experiencing behaviors in line with perceived maltreatment, members were
asked to indicate all applicable individuals who took the actions, along with indicating if they
were in a position of authority or leadership over them. Members were also asked if they
decided to participate or move forward with their report of sexual assault as a result of the
actions taken against them (perceived maltreatment).
As shown in Figure 90, a little more than three-quarters (68%) of DoD women indicated the
person who took these actions was a Service member in a higher rank in their chain of command,
whereas 30% indicated it was a Service member in a higher rank not in your chain of command.
Further, 82% of women indicated the person who took the actions was in a position of authority
or leadership over them. The percentage of women who indicated they decided to participate
and/or move forward with their report of sexual assault is not reportable.

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Figure 90.
Findings from Perceived Maltreatment for DoD Women (Q157–Q159)

Rate of Perceived Ostracism and/or Maltreatment
The rate of perceived ostracism and/or maltreatment is an overall measure showing whether
members who reported experiencing behaviors or actions by military peers and/or coworkers
meet the requirements for inclusion in the rates of perceived ostracism and/or perceived
maltreatment. Members who indicated experiencing behavior in line with perceived ostracism
and/or maltreatment were also asked if any of the actions they marked involved social media.
The survey question provided examples of social media as Facebook, Twitter, Kik, Yik Yak, and
Snapchat.
Overall, a little more than half (54%) of DoD members indicated experiencing at least one
behavior in line with potential ostracism and/or maltreatment, of which, when combining
perceived ostracism and perceived maltreatment into one rate, 21% of DoD members indicated
experiencing perceived ostracism and/or maltreatment (Figure 91). Twenty-nine percent
indicated the actions they experienced involved some form of social media.

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Figure 91.
Rate of Perceived Ostracism and/or Maltreatment for Total DoD (Q149–Q151, Q154–Q156,
Q160)

Overall, a little more than half (54%) of DoD women and DoD men indicated experiencing at
least one behavior in line with potential ostracism and/or maltreatment, of which, when
combining perceived ostracism and perceived maltreatment into one rate, 21% of women and
22% of men indicated experiencing perceived ostracism and/or maltreatment (Figure 92).

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Figure 92.
Rate of Perceived Ostracism and/or Maltreatment for DoD by Gender (Q149–Q151, Q154–
Q156)

Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or Maltreatment
The rate of perceived professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or maltreatment is an overall measure
reflecting whether respondents experienced behaviors in line with any of the three negative
outcomes as a result of reporting a sexual assault. As shown in Figure 93, more than half (58%)
of DoD members indicated experiencing at least one behavior in line with potential professional
reprisal, ostracism, and/or maltreatment, of which, 32% of DoD members met criteria for
inclusion in the combined rate of perceived professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or maltreatment.
When asked what the relationship was between the individual(s) who took the actions against
them and the identified perpetrator(s) in the sexual assault, 58% of DoD members indicated the
individual(s) was (were) friends with the identified perpetrator(s), 49% were in the same chain of
command, and 28% indicated they were the same person(s).

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Figure 93.
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or Maltreatment for Total DoD
(Q143–Q145, Q149–Q151, Q154–Q156, Q166)

As shown in Figure 94, more than half (58%) of DoD women indicated experiencing at least one
behavior in line with potential professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or maltreatment, of which,
28% of DoD women met criteria for inclusion in the combined rate of perceived professional
reprisal, ostracism, and/or maltreatment. When asked what the relationship was between the
individual(s) who took the actions against them and the identified perpetrator(s) in the sexual
assault, 53% of women indicated the individual(s) was (were) friends with the identified
perpetrator(s), 51% were in the same chain of command, and 24% indicated they were the same
person(s).

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Figure 94.
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or Maltreatment for DoD Women
(Q143–Q145, Q149–Q151, Q154–Q156, Q166)

As shown in Figure 95, more than half (60%) of DoD men indicated experiencing at least one
behavior in line with potential professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or maltreatment, of which,
42% of DoD men met criteria for inclusion in the combined rate of perceived professional
reprisal, ostracism, and/or maltreatment. Results on the relationship between the individual(s)
who took the actions against them and the identified perpetrator(s) in the sexual assault are not
reportable for DoD men.
Figure 95.
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or Maltreatment for DoD Men
(Q143–Q145, Q149–Q151, Q154–Q156, Q166)

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Actions Following Negative Behaviors From Leadership or Military Peers, Based
on Experiences of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or
Maltreatment
Members who met the criteria for inclusion in the rate of perceived professional reprisal,
ostracism, and/or maltreatment were asked to think about the negative actions they selected that
were taken by military coworkers, peers, and/or leadership. Members were asked to indicate
who they discussed with/filed a complaint to regarding these actions, along with follow up
questions regarding outcomes of the discussions, filing of complaints, and what happened for
those who did not file a complaint. Respondents were instructed to mark all appropriate options.
As shown in Figure 96, after experiencing perceived professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or
maltreatment, the majority (83%) of DoD women indicated they discussed the behaviors with
their friends, family, coworkers, or a professional, whereas more than half (58%) indicated they
discussed with a work supervisor or anyone up their chain of command to get guidance on what
to do and 64% discussed with a work supervisor or anyone up their chain of command with the
expectation that some corrective action would be taken. About one-quarter (26%) filed a
complaint of perceived professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or maltreatment. Actions taken as a
result of filing a complaint are not reportable.
Of the 64% of women who indicated they discussed with a work supervisor or anyone up their
chain of command with the expectation that some corrective action would be taken, a little less
than two-thirds (61%) indicated they talked with another member in their chain of command,
59% talked with their senior enlisted leader, and 54% indicated they talked to their immediate
supervisor (Figure 96). As a result of this discussion, a little less than two-thirds (62%) indicated
they were told or encouraged to drop the issue, more than half (57%) indicated the situation
continued or got worse for them, and less than half (40%) indicated leadership took steps to
address the situation.
Of the 74% of DoD women who did not file a complaint based on experiences of perceived
professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or maltreatment, the top three reasons are discussed. The
majority (74%) of women indicated they did not report because they were worried that filing a
complaint would cause them more harm than good, more than half (60%) indicated they did not
think anything would be done or anyone would believe them, and 59% did not want more people
to know or judge them (Figure 96).

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Figure 96.
Actions Following Negative Behaviors From Leadership or Military Peers, Based on
Experiences of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, and/or Maltreatment for DoD
Women (Q161–Q165)

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Chapter 6:
Sex-Based Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) Violations
Ms. Amanda Grifka

Introduction
This chapter examines active duty members’ experiences of sex-based military equal opportunity
(MEO) violations. As described in Chapter 1, to get to an estimated prevalence rate for sexbased MEO violations, two requirements must be met:
1. Experience gender-related behavior(s) in line with sexual harassment (which includes
sexually hostile work environment or sexual quid pro quo) and/or gender
discrimination by someone in their military workplace in the 12 months before the
survey, and
2. Meet at least one of the follow-up criteria for the sex-based MEO violation
behavior(s) experienced.
This chapter provides the estimated overall prevalence rates for sexually hostile work
environment, sexual quid pro quo, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, the overall
estimated sex-based MEO prevalence rate, and combinations of sex-based MEO violations they
indicated experiencing. In addition, this chapter also provides information on whether the
experienced sex-based MEO violation behavior(s) was (were) considered to be bullying and/or
hazing.39 All prevalence rates presented are estimates with corresponding margins of error.
Results are reported for 2016 and trend comparisons to the 2014 RMWS are provided where data
are available.

Estimated Past Year Sexually Hostile Work Environment Prevalence
Rate
Active duty members were asked about behaviors they may have experienced in their military
workplace in the 12 months before taking the survey that may have been upsetting or offensive.
A sexually hostile work environment includes unwelcome sexual conduct or comments that
interfere with a person’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work
environment. For the purpose of this survey, a sexually hostile work environment includes
experiences where someone from work:

39



Repeatedly told sexual “jokes” that made you uncomfortable, angry, or upset;



Embarrassed, angered, or upset you by repeatedly suggesting that you do not act like a
man/woman is supposed to;

The experienced sex-based MEO violation behaviors did not have to meet the criteria for these items.

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

Repeatedly made sexual gestures or sexual body movements that made you
uncomfortable, angry, or upset;



Displayed, showed, or sent sexually explicit materials like pictures or videos that made
you uncomfortable, angry, or upset;



Repeatedly told you about their sexual activities in a way that made you uncomfortable,
angry, or upset;



Repeatedly asked you questions about your sex life or sexual interests that made you
uncomfortable, angry, or upset;



Made repeated sexual comments about your appearance or body that made you
uncomfortable, angry, or upset;



Took or shared sexually suggestive pictures or videos of you when you did not want them
to and it made you uncomfortable, angry, or upset;



Made repeated attempts to establish an unwanted romantic or sexual relationship with
you and it made you uncomfortable, angry, or upset;



Intentionally touched you in a sexual way when you did not want them to; or



Repeatedly touched you in any other way that made you uncomfortable, angry, or upset.

To be included in the estimated prevalence rate for a sexually hostile work environment,
members must have indicated experiencing one of the behaviors above along with endorsing
“yes” to one of the follow-up items below:40


They continued this unwanted behavior even after they knew you or someone else
wanted them to stop; 41 or



The experience was severe enough that most Service members would have been
offended.42

40

The behavior “Intentionally touched you in a sexual way when you did not want them to” does not require any
legal criteria follow-up questions.
41
This criteria follow-up question does not apply to the behavior “Took or shared sexually suggestive pictures or
videos of you when you did not want them to and it made you uncomfortable, angry, or upset.”
42
It should be noted the second endorsement option listed above had a word change from the 2014 RMWS. The
2014 RMWS follow-up question was gender-specific and stated: “Do you think this was ever severe enough that
most [men/women] in the military would have been offended?” In comparison, the new 2016 question stated: “Do
you think the experience was severe enough that most Service members would have been offended?” Caution
should be used in interpreting trend results between 2014 and 2016.

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DoD
In 2016, 8.1% (±0.2) of DoD active duty members indicated experiencing a sexually hostile
work environment in the past 12 months. As shown in Figure 97, a little more than one-fifth
(21.3%) of DoD women indicated experiencing a sexually hostile work environment in the past
year, which remained statistically unchanged since 2014. In 2016, women in the Navy (26.9%),
Marine Corps (25.5%), and Army (22.6%) were more likely to indicate experiencing a sexually
hostile work environment than women in the other Services, whereas women in the Air Force
(13.2%) were less likely. There were no significant differences between 2016 and 2014 for DoD
women experiencing a sexually hostile work environment.
Figure 97.
Sexually Hostile Work Environment Prevalence Rate for DoD Women (Q8–Q20, Q25–43)

For DoD men, 5.6% (±0.2) indicated experiencing a sexually hostile work environment in 2016
(Figure 98), which compared to 2014, showed a statistically significant decrease of 1 percentage
point. In 2016, men in the Navy (8.1%) and Army (6.0%) were more likely than men in the other
Services to indicate experiencing a sexually hostile work environment, whereas men in the
Marine Corps (4.6%) and Air Force (3.2%) were less likely. Compared to 2014, the percentage
of those who indicated experiencing a sexually hostile work environment showed a statistically
significant decrease in 2016 for Army men (1.7 percentage points).

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Figure 98.
Sexually Hostile Work Environment Prevalence Rate for DoD Men (Q8–Q20, Q25–43)

Coast Guard
In 2016, 5.7% (±0.3) of Coast Guard members indicated experiencing a sexually hostile work
environment. As shown in Figure 99, 15.1% of Coast Guard women indicated experiencing a
sexually hostile work environment, which compared to 2014, showed a statistically significant
decrease of 4.2 percentage points. For Coast Guard men, 4.0% indicated experiencing a sexually
hostile work environment in 2016, which remained statistically unchanged since 2014.

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Figure 99.
Sexually Hostile Work Environment Prevalence Rate for Coast Guard (Q8–Q20, Q25–43)

Estimated Past Year Sexual Quid Pro Quo Prevalence Rate
Sexual quid pro quo behaviors are used to control, influence, or affect one’s job, career, or pay.
Instances of sexual quid pro quo include situations in which job benefits or losses are
conditioned on sexual cooperation. To get into the estimated prevalence rate for sexual quid pro
quo, members must have indicated experiencing one of the two behaviors below, along with
endorsing one of the corresponding follow-up items:


Made you feel as if you would get some military workplace benefit in exchange for doing
something sexual, and:
– They told you that they would give you a reward or benefit for doing something
sexual; or
– They hinted that you would get a reward or benefit for doing something sexual; or
– Someone else told you that they got benefits from this person by doing sexual things.



Made you feel like you would get punished or treated unfairly in the military workplace
if you did not do something sexual, and:
– They told you that you would be punished or treated unfairly if you did not do
something sexual; or
– They hinted that you would be punished or treated unfairly if you did not do
something sexual; or

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– Someone else told you they were punished or treated unfairly by this person for not
doing something sexual.
DoD
In 2016, 0.6% (±0.1) of DoD active duty members indicated experiencing sexual quid pro quo in
the past 12 months. As shown in Figure 100, 2.2% of DoD women indicated experiencing
sexual quid pro quo in the past year, which compared to 2014, showed a statistically significant
increase of 0.5 percentage points. In 2016, women in the Navy (3.4%) and Marine Corps (3.3%)
were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate experiencing sexual quid pro quo,
whereas women in the Air Force (0.7%) were less likely. Compared to 2014, the percentage of
those who indicated experiencing sexual quid pro quo showed a statistically significant increase
in 2016 for Navy women (1.2 percentage points).
Figure 100.
Sexually Quid Pro Quo Prevalence Rate for DoD Women (Q21–Q22, Q44–45)

As shown in Figure 101, 0.3% of DoD men indicated experiencing sexual quid pro quo in 2016
which remained statistically unchanged since 2014. In 2016, Navy men (0.4%) were more likely
than men in the other Services to indicate experiencing sexual quid pro quo, whereas Air Force
men (0.1%) were less likely. There were no significant differences between 2016 and 2014 for
men experiencing sexual quid pro quo.

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Figure 101.
Sexually Quid Pro Quo Prevalence Rate for DoD Men (Q21–Q22, Q44–45)

Coast Guard
In 2016, 0.2% (±0.1) of Coast Guard members indicated experiencing sexual quid pro quo in the
past year. For Coast Guard women, 0.9% indicated experiencing sexual quid pro quo in the past
year, which remained statistically unchanged since 2014 (Figure 102). For Coast Guard men,
0.1% indicated experiencing sexual quid pro quo in the past year, which compared to 2014,
showed a statistically significant increase of 0.1 percentage points.

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Figure 102.
Sexually Quid Pro Quo Prevalence Rate for Coast Guard (Q21–Q22, Q44–45)

Estimated Past Year Sexual Harassment Prevalence Rate
The estimated prevalence rate for sexual harassment is a “roll-up” of those who met criteria for
the estimated sexually hostile work environment prevalence rate and/or those who met criteria
for the estimated sexual quid pro quo prevalence rate.
DoD
In 2016, 8.1% (±0.2) of DoD active duty members indicated experiencing sexual harassment in
the past 12 months. As shown in Figure 103, 21.4% of DoD women indicated experiencing
sexual harassment, which remained statistically unchanged since 2014. In 2016, women in the
Navy (27.1%), Marine Corps (25.7%), and Army (22.7%) were more likely than women in the
other Services to indicate experiencing sexual harassment, whereas women in the Air Force
(13.2%) were less likely. Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated
experiencing sexual harassment showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Air Force
(0.8 percentage points).

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Figure 103.
Sexual Harassment Prevalence Rate for DoD Women (Q8–Q22, Q25–45)

As shown in Figure 104, 5.7% of DoD men indicated experiencing sexual harassment in the past
year, which compared to 2014, showed a statistically significant decrease of 0.9 percentage
points. Men in the Navy (8.1%) and Army (6.0%) were more likely to indicate experiencing
sexual harassment than men in the other Services, whereas Marine Corps (4.7%) and Air Force
(3.2%) were less likely. Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated experiencing
sexual harassment showed a statistically significant decrease for Army (1.7 percentage points).
Figure 104.
Sexual Harassment Prevalence Rate for DoD Men (Q8–Q22, Q25–45)

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Coast Guard
In 2016, 5.7% (±0.3) of Coast Guard members indicated experiencing sexual harassment in the
past year. As shown in Figure 105, 15.3% of Coast Guard women indicated experiencing sexual
harassment in the past year, which showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 compared
to 2014 (4 percentage points). For Coast Guard men, 4.0% indicated experiencing sexual
harassment, which remained statistically unchanged since 2014.
Figure 105.
Sexual Harassment Prevalence Rate for Coast Guard (Q8–Q22, Q25–45)

Estimated Past Year Gender Discrimination Prevalence Rate
Gender discrimination includes comments and behaviors directed at someone because of his/her
gender that harmed or limited his/her career. To get into the estimated prevalence rate for gender
discrimination, members must have indicated experiencing one of the behaviors below and
endorsed its corresponding follow-up item:


Heard someone from work say that men/women are not as good as men/women at your
particular job, or that men/women should be prevented from having your job, and:
– Their beliefs about men/women harmed or limited your career.



Mistreated, ignored, excluded, or insulted you because you are a man/woman, and:
– This treatment harmed or limited your career.

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DoD
In 2016, 3.9% (±0.2) of DoD active duty members indicated experiencing gender discrimination
in the past 12 months. As shown in Figure 106, 14.1% of DoD women indicated experiencing
gender discrimination in the past year, which compared to 2014, showed a statistically
significant increase of 1.7 percentage points. In 2016, women in the Marine Corps (18.3%),
Navy (16.2%), and Army (15.7%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate
experiencing gender discrimination, whereas women in the Air Force (9.2%) were less likely.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of Air Force women who indicated experiencing gender
discrimination showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 (2.5 percentage points).
Figure 106.
Gender Discrimination Prevalence Rate for DoD Women (Q23–Q24, Q46–47)

For DoD men, 2.0% indicated experiencing gender discrimination in the past year, which
remained statistically unchanged from 2014 (Figure 107). In 2016, men in the Navy (2.8%) were
more likely than men in the other Services to indicate experiencing gender discrimination,
whereas men in the Air Force (1.1%) were less likely. Compared to 2014, the percentage of
Marine Corps men who indicated experiencing gender discrimination showed a statistically
significant increase in 2016 (1 percentage point).

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Figure 107.
Gender Discrimination Prevalence Rate for DoD Men (Q23–Q24, Q46–47)

Coast Guard
In 2016, 2.8% (±0.2) of Coast Guard members indicated experiencing gender discrimination in
the past year. As shown in Figure 108, 11.5% of Coast Guard women and 1.3% of Coast Guard
men indicated experiencing gender discrimination in the past year which remained statistically
unchanged since 2014 for both women and men.
Figure 108.
Gender Discrimination Prevalence Rate for Coast Guard (Q23–Q24, Q46–47)

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Estimated Past Year Sex-Based Military Equal Opportunity (MEO)
Violation Prevalence Rate
The estimated sex-based MEO violation prevalence rate is a “roll-up” of those who met the
requirements for inclusion into at least one of the following estimated prevalence rates: sexual
harassment (i.e., sexually hostile work environment and/or sexual quid pro quo) and/or gender
discrimination.
DoD
In 2016, 9.9% (±0.2) of DoD active duty members indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO
violation in the past 12 months. As shown in Figure 109, 26.5% of DoD women indicated
experiencing at least one sex-based MEO violation in the past year, which remained statistically
unchanged since 2014. In 2016, women in the Marine Corps (32.2%), Navy (31.7%), and Army
(28.3%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate experiencing a sex-based
MEO violation, whereas women in the Air Force (17.8%) were less likely. Compared to 2014,
the percentage of women who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation showed a
statistically significant increase in 2016 for Air Force (2.1 percentage points).
Figure 109.
Sex-Based MEO Violation Prevalence Rate for DoD Women (Q8–Q47)

In 2016, as shown in Figure 110, 6.8% of DoD men indicated experiencing at least one behavior
that was consistent with a sex-based MEO violation, which remained statistically unchanged
since 2014. In 2016, men in the Navy (9.7%) and Army (7.1%) were more likely than men in the
other Services to indicate experiencing a sex-based MEO violation, whereas men in the Marine
Corps (5.8%) and Air Force (4.0%) were less likely. Compared to 2014, the percentage of men
who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation showed a statistically significant
decrease in 2016 for Army (1.4 percentage points).
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Figure 110.
Sex-Based MEO Violation Prevalence Rate for DoD Men (Q8–Q47)

Coast Guard
In 2016, 7.3% (±0.4) of Coast Guard members indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO
violation in the past year. As shown in Figure 111, for Coast Guard women, 20.9% indicated
experiencing a sex-based MEO violation in the past year, which compared to 2014, showed a
statistically significant decrease of 2.5 percentage points. For Coast Guard men, 4.9% indicated
experiencing at least one behavior that was consistent with a sex-based MEO violation in the
past year, which remained statistically unchanged since 2014.

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Figure 111.
Sex-Based MEO Violation Prevalence Rate for Coast Guard (Q8–Q47)

Combination of Sex-Based MEO Violation Behaviors Experienced
It is possible a member could have experienced more than one potential sex-based MEO
violation (i.e., sexually hostile work environment, sexual quid pro quo, and/or gender
discrimination). This section details the combination of experiences making up the estimated
sex-based MEO violation prevalence rate and is broken down into the following categories:


Experienced sexually hostile work environment only;



Experienced sexual quid pro quo only;



Experienced gender discrimination only;



Experienced a combination of sex-based MEO violations; and



Did not experience any sex-based MEO violation.

DoD
As shown in Figure 112, the majority (74%) of women did not indicate experiencing any sexbased MEO violations in the past year. A little more than one-tenth (12%) indicated
experiencing a sexually hostile work environment only, which compared to 2014, showed a
statistically significant decrease in 2016 (1 percentage point). Additionally, <1% of women
indicated experiencing behaviors of sexual quid pro quo only, which remained statistically
unchanged since 2014. Moreover, 5% of women indicated experiencing gender discrimination
only, which showed a statistically significant increase from 2014 (1 percentage point). Finally,

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one-tenth (10%) of women indicated experiencing a combination of behaviors in the past 12
months, which showed a statistically significant increase from 2014 (2 percentage points).
In 2016, Air Force women were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate
experiencing sex-based MEO violations. Specifically, women in the Air Force (82%) were more
likely than women in the other Services to not indicate experiencing any sex-based MEO
violations in the past 12 months, whereas women in the Army (72%), Navy (68%), and Marine
Corps (68%) were less likely. Air Force women (8%) were less likely than women in the other
Services to indicate experiencing a sexually hostile work environment only, whereas Navy
women (15%) were more likely. Air Force women (<1%) were also less likely than women in
the other Services to indicate experiencing sexual quid pro quo only behaviors. Navy and Air
Force women (both 5%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate
experiencing gender discrimination only, whereas Army and Marine Corps women (both 6%)
were more likely. Air Force women (5%) were less likely than women in the other Services to
indicate experiencing a combination of behaviors, whereas women in the Marine Corps (13%),
Navy (12%), and Army (11%) were more likely.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated they did not indicate experiencing
any sex-based MEO violation behaviors showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for
Air Force (2 percentage points). The percentage of women who indicated experiencing a
sexually hostile work environment only showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for
Army and Navy women (1 percentage point for Army and 2 percentage points for Navy). The
percentage of women who indicated experiencing gender discrimination only showed a
statistically significant increase in 2016 for women in the Marine Corps and Air Force (2
percentage points for both). Lastly, the percentage of women who indicated experiencing a
combination of behaviors showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Air Force (1
percentage point).

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Figure 112.
Combination of Sex-Based MEO Violation Behaviors for DoD Women (Q8–Q47)

As shown in Figure 113, the vast majority (93%) of men did not indicate experiencing any sexbased MEO violations in 2016. However, 5% indicated experiencing a sexually hostile work
environment only, which showed a statistically significant decrease from 2014 (1 percentage
point). Additionally, <1% indicated experiencing sexual quid pro quo only (statistically
unchanged since 2014), and 1% indicated experiencing gender discrimination only, which
showed a statistically significant increase from 2014 (<1 percentage point). One percent of men
indicated experiencing a combination of behaviors (statistically unchanged since 2014).
In 2016, Air Force men were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate experiencing
sex-based MEO violations (Figure 113). Specifically, men in the Air Force (96%) and Marine
Corps (94%) were more likely than men in the other Services to not indicate experiencing any
sex-based MEO violations in the past 12 months, whereas men in the Army (93%) and Navy
(90%) were less likely. Marine Corps (4%) and Air Force men (3%) were less likely than men in
the other Services to indicate experiencing a sexually hostile work environment only, whereas
Navy men (7%) were more likely. Air Force men (1%) were also less likely than men in the
other Services to experience gender discrimination only, whereas Navy men (2%) were more
likely. Men in the Air Force (<1%) were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate
experiencing a combination of behaviors, whereas men in the Army and Navy (both 1%) were
more likely.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated they did not indicate experiencing any
sex-based MEO violations showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Army (2
percentage points). The percentage of Army men who indicated experiencing a sexually hostile
work environment only showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 (1 percentage point).
The percentage of men who indicated experiencing gender discrimination only showed a
statistically significant increase in 2016 for Marine Corps (<1 percentage point).

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Figure 113.
Combination of Sex-Based MEO Violation Behaviors for DoD Men (Q8–Q47)

Coast Guard
For the Coast Guard, the majority (79%) of women and the vast majority (95%) of men did not
indicate experiencing any sex-based MEO violations in the past 12 months (Figure 114).
Compared to 2014, the percentage of those who indicated they did not indicate experiencing any
MEO violation behaviors showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Coast Guard
women (2 percentage points) and remained statistically unchanged for men. Nine percent of
women and 4% of men indicated experiencing a sexually hostile work environment only, which
showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for women (3 percentage points) and
remained statistically unchanged since 2014 for men. Additionally, 6% of women and 1% of
men indicated experiencing gender discrimination only, which showed a statistically significant
increase in 2016 for women (2 percentage points) and remained statistically unchanged for men.
Less than one percent of women and men indicated experiencing sexual quid pro quo only,
which remained statistically unchanged since 2014. Fewer (6%) women and <1% of men
indicated experiencing a combination of behaviors in the past 12 months, which showed a
statistically significant decrease in 2016 for women (2 percentage points) and remained
statistically unchanged for men.

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Figure 114.
Combination of Sex-Based MEO Violation Behaviors for Coast Guard (Q8–Q47)

Considered Any Behaviors in Past Year as Hazing and/or Bullying
Active duty members who indicated experiencing any unwanted gender-related behaviors were
asked to consider if any of the behaviors they selected as happening to them were hazing and/or
bullying. Hazing refers to things done to humiliate or “toughen up” people before accepting
them into a group. Bullying refers to repeated verbally or physically abusive behaviors that are
threatening, humiliating, or intimidating.
DoD
As shown in Figure 115, of the 41% of DoD women who indicated experiencing any unwanted
gender-related behaviors in the past 12 months, 12% would consider any of the behaviors to be
hazing and 31% would consider any of the behaviors to be bullying. When combining these
behaviors to assess whether they considered any of the behaviors they indicated experiencing to
be a combination of hazing and bullying, 9% of women considered the behaviors to be both
hazing and bullying. Sixty-six percent did not consider any of the unwanted gender-related
behaviors as either hazing or bullying, whereas 3% would describe any behavior as hazing
(without bullying) and 21% would describe any behavior as bullying (without hazing).
Of the 13% of DoD men who indicated experiencing any unwanted gender-related behaviors in
the past 12 months, 19% would consider any of the behaviors as hazing and 29% would consider
any of the behaviors as bullying (Figure 115). When combining these behaviors to assess
whether they considered any of the behaviors they indicated experiencing to be a combination of
hazing and bullying, 14% of men considered the behaviors to be both hazing and bullying.
Sixty-six percent did not consider any of the unwanted gender-related behaviors as being either
hazing or bullying in the past year, whereas 5% would describe any behavior as hazing (without
bullying) and 16% would describe any behavior as bullying (without hazing).
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Figure 115.
Considered Any Behaviors in Past Year as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q49)

As shown in Table 24, examining the behaviors of hazing and bullying shows Navy women
(14%) were more likely than women in the other Services to describe any of the unwanted
gender-related behaviors as hazing, whereas women in the Marine Corps and Air Force (both
10%) were less likely. Air Force women (26%) were also less likely than women in the other
Services to consider the behaviors to involve bullying. When considering the combination of
behaviors experienced, Air Force women (71%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate neither hazing nor bullying were involved, whereas Army women (65%)
were less likely. Navy women (12%) were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate the unwanted gender-related behaviors they indicated experiencing included both hazing
and bullying, whereas Air Force women (6%) were less likely. Marine Corps women (25%)
were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate any of the unwanted genderrelated behaviors were considered to be bullying (without hazing), whereas Air Force women
(20%) were less likely. Marine Corps women (2%) were also less likely than women in the other
Services to indicate the behaviors could be considered hazing (without bullying).
When examining the behaviors of hazing and bullying for men, Army men (20%) were more
likely than men in the other Services to indicate the behaviors experienced could be described as
hazing, whereas Marine Corps men (14%) were less likely (Table 24). Additionally, Air Force
men (24%) were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate the upsetting behaviors
could be described as bullying. When considering the combination of behaviors experienced,
Marine Corps and Air Force men (both 70%) were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate neither hazing nor bullying were involved in any of the unwanted situations, whereas
Navy men (63%) were less likely. Army men (16%) were more likely than men in the other
Services to indicate the behaviors involved both hazing and bullying, whereas Marine Corps
(12%) and Air Force men (11%) were less likely. Air Force men (13%) were less likely than
men in the other Services to indicate the unwanted situations could be described as bullying
(without hazing). Air Force men (6%) were more likely than men in the other Services to
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indicate the unwanted situations could be described as hazing (without bullying), whereas
Marine Corps men (3%) were less likely.
Table 24.
Considered Any Behaviors in Past Year as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q49)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
Hazing and Bullying
Experienced hazing
Experienced bullying

12
31
Margins of Error

±1

Hazing and Bullying Combinations
Hazing (without bullying)
Bullying (without hazing)
Both hazing and bullying
Neither hazing nor bullying

3
21
9
66
Margins of Error

±1

Men
Hazing and Bullying
Experienced hazing
Experienced bullying
Hazing and Bullying Combinations
Hazing (without bullying)
Bullying (without hazing)
Both hazing and bullying
Neither hazing nor bullying

3
22
10
65

19
29
Margins of Error

±1

3
20
12
65

20
31

10
26
±1

2
25
8
66
±2–4

19
31
±2

5
15
16
64

10
32
±2

±1–2

±2

5
16
14
66

14
32
±2

±1–2

Air
Force

Lower Response

13
32
±1–2

Marine
Corps

Navy

4
20
6
71
±1–2

14
27
±2–3

5
17
14
63

Margins of Error
±1–2
±1–2
±2–3
±2–3
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing at least one unwanted gender-related behavior in the past 12 months

17
24
±2

3
16
12
70

6
13
11
70
±2

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 116, of the 20.9% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing at
least one unwanted gender-related behavior in the past 12 months, 9% would consider any of the
behaviors to be hazing and 25% would consider any of the behaviors to be bullying. When
combining these behaviors to assess whether they considered any of the behaviors they indicated
experiencing to be a combination of hazing and bullying, 6% considered the behavior(s) as both
hazing and bullying. The majority (72%) of Coast Guard women did not consider any of the
unwanted gender-related behaviors to be hazing or bullying in the past year. However, 19%
considered the behavior(s) as bullying (without hazing), whereas 2% considered the behavior(s)
as hazing (without bullying).

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Of the 4.9% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing at least one unwanted genderrelated behavior in the past 12 months, 14% would consider any of the behaviors to be hazing
and 21% would consider any of the behaviors to be bullying. When combining these behaviors
to assess whether they considered any of the behaviors they indicated experiencing to be a
combination of hazing and bullying, 9% considered the behavior(s) to involve both hazing and
bullying. The majority (73%) did not consider any of the unwanted gender-related behaviors as
either hazing or bullying. However, 13% considered the behavior(s) to be bullying (without
hazing), whereas 5% considered the behavior(s) to be hazing (without bullying).
Figure 116.
Considered Any Behaviors in Past Year as Hazing and/or Bullying for Coast Guard (Q49)

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Chapter 7:
One Situation of Sex-Based Military Equal Opportunity (MEO)
Violation With the Biggest Effect
Ms. Amanda Grifka and Ms. Lisa Davis

Introduction
This chapter provides details of the circumstances in which perceived sex-based MEO violations
occur. Active duty members who indicated experiencing at least one upsetting behavior that is
considered to be a sex-based MEO violation were asked to consider the one situation in the past
12 months that had the biggest effect—the one considered to be the worst or most serious. To be
counted in the one situation, members must have indicated experiencing at least one upsetting
behavior that is consistent with sexual harassment (i.e., hostile work environment and/or sexual
quid pro quo) and/or gender discrimination and met the legal requirements for the experienced
behavior(s) to be considered a sex-based MEO violation. With that one situation in mind,
members then reported on the circumstances surrounding the experience.43 This chapter
addresses the following topics:

Results are reported for 2016 and trend comparisons to the 2014 RMWS are provided where data
are available.

43

While all members who responded to questions on the one situation had previously indicated experiencing a sexbased MEO violation, there was no requirement for members to meet legal criteria for the one situation they
indicated had the biggest effect on them.

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Type of Behavior Experienced in the One Situation as Identified by
Members
Members who indicated experiencing at least one sex-based MEO violation in the past 12
months were asked to think about the one situation that had the biggest effect—the one situation
considered to be the worst or most serious. In order to better understand if members correctly
categorized the various types of sex-based MEO violations they indicated experiencing,
members were asked if they would consider the one situation to be a hostile work environment,
sexual quid pro quo, and/or gender discrimination. Definitions were provided to the respondent
for each behavior:

Members were asked to mark “Yes” or “No” for each of the three behaviors to indicate the one
situation that had the biggest effect. Respondents could have considered the one situation to
include more than one behavior (e.g., sexual quid pro quo and gender discrimination).
DoD
As shown in Figure 117, in 2016, of the 21.3% of DoD women and 5.6% of DoD men who
indicated experiencing a sexually hostile work environment in the past 12 months, a little more
than half (54%) of women and half (50%) of men identified the most upsetting situation as a
sexually hostile work environment. Women in the Army (59%) were more likely than women in
the other Services to identify the situation as a sexually hostile work environment, whereas Air
Force women (44%) were less likely. Similarly, Army men (56%) were more likely than men in
the other Services to identify the situation as a sexually hostile work environment, whereas men
in the Marine Corps and Air Force (both 43%) were less likely.

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Figure 117.
Sexually Hostile Work Environment Identified by Members as Most Upsetting Behavior
Experienced in the One Situation for DoD (Q51)

Of the 2.2% of DoD women and 0.3% of DoD men who indicated experiencing sexual quid pro
quo, two-thirds (66%) of women and more than half (57%) of men identified the most upsetting
situation as sexual quid pro quo (Figure 118). Men in the Army (74%) were more likely than
men in the other Services to identify the situation as sexual quid pro quo.
Figure 118.
Sexual Quid Pro Quo Identified by Members as Most Upsetting Behavior Experienced in the
One Situation for DoD (Q51)

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As shown in Figure 119, of the 14.1% of DoD women and 2.0% of DoD men who indicated
experiencing gender discrimination, the majority of women (89%) and men (80%) identified the
most upsetting situation as gender discrimination. There were no significant differences between
the Services for identifying the most upsetting situation as gender discrimination.
Figure 119.
Gender Discrimination Identified by Members as Most Upsetting Behavior Experienced in the
One Situation for DoD (Q51)

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 120, of the 15.1% of Coast Guard women and 4.0% of Coast Guard men
who indicated experiencing a sexually hostile work environment in the past 12 months, a little
less than half (49%) of Coast Guard women and less than half (43%) of Coast Guard men
identified the most upsetting situation as a sexually hostile work environment. Of the 0.9% of
Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing sexual quid pro quo, more than half (56%)
identified the most upsetting situation as sexual quid pro quo. Data are not reportable for the
0.1% of Coast Guard men who indicating experiencing sexual quid pro quo. Of the Coast Guard
members who indicated experiencing gender discrimination—11.5% of women and 1.3% of
men—the majority of women (86%) and men (76%) identified the most upsetting situation as
gender discrimination.

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Figure 120.
Sex-Based MEO Violation Behavior Indicated by Members as Most Upsetting Behavior
Experienced in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q51)

Characteristics of the Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation
Active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation in the past 12
months were asked to describe the alleged offender(s) in the most upsetting situation. Members
were asked to indicate the number, gender, military status, and rank of the alleged offender(s).
Number and Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation
DoD
In 2016, of the 26.5% of DoD women who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation,
more than half (59%) indicated more than one person was involved in the upsetting situation
(Figure 121). Compared to 2014, this showed a statistically significant increase of 22 percentage
points in 2016 for women. With regard to gender of the alleged offender(s), the majority (77%)
of women indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) men (a statistically significant decrease
of 10 percentage points since 2014), whereas only 4% indicated the alleged offender(s) was
(were) women (statistically unchanged from 2014). Additionally, 19% of women indicated the
alleged offenders were a mix of men and women (a statistically significant increase in 2016 of
10 percentage points since 2014).
Of the 6.8% of DoD men who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation, more than half
(57%) indicated more than one person was involved in the upsetting situation (Figure 121).
Compared to 2014, this showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 of 11 percentage
points for men. When asked about the gender of the alleged offender(s), a little more than half
(53%) indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) men, a little less than one-fifth (19%)
indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) women, and more than one-quarter (29%) indicated
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they were a mix of men and women. Compared to 2014, there were no significant differences in
gender of the alleged offender(s) for DoD men in 2016.
Figure 121.
Number and Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q52–Q53)

As shown in Table 25, in 2016, Navy women (61%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate more than one person was involved in the one situation, whereas Air Force
women (56%) were less likely. Conversely, Air Force women (44%) were more likely to
indicate only one person was involved in the situation, whereas Navy women (39%) were less
likely. Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated more than one person was
involved in the upsetting situation showed a statistically significant increase for women in all
Services: 23 percentage points for Marine Corps, 22 percentage points for Army and Air Force,
and 21 points for Navy.
In 2016, Marine Corps women (2%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate
the alleged offender(s) was (were) women, whereas Navy women (21%) were more likely to
indicate the alleged offenders were a mix of women and men. Compared to 2014, the percentage
of women who indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) men showed a statistically
significant decrease across all Services: 14 percentage points for Marine Corps, 11 percentage
points for Army, 9 percentage points for Navy, and 8 percentage points for Air Force. With
regard to indicating the alleged offender(s) was (were) women, compared to 2014, this response
showed a statistically significant increase of 2 percentage points for Army women in 2016.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated the alleged offenders were a mix of
men and women showed a statistically significant increase across all Services (13 percentage
points for Marine Corps and 9 percentage points for Army, Navy, and Air Force).
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As shown in Table 25, in 2016, there were no significant differences between Services for men
who indicated the number of alleged offender(s) involved in the one situation. Compared to
2014, the percentage of men who indicated more than one person was involved in the upsetting
situation showed a statistically significant increase for Army (19 percentage points) and Air
Force men (14 percentage points).
In 2016, Marine Corps men (14%) were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate the
alleged offender(s) was (were) women, while Army men (27%) were less likely to indicate the
alleged offenders were a mix of women and men. Compared to 2014, the percentage of men
who indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) men showed a statistically significant decrease
in 2016 for men in all Services: 24 percentage points for Marine Corps, 15 percentage points for
Army, and 11 percentage points for Navy and Air Force. The percentage of men who indicated
the alleged offender(s) was (were) women in 2016 showed a statistically significant increase of 8
percentage points for Marine Corps men. Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who
indicated the alleged offenders were a mix of men and women showed a statistically significant
increase in 2016 for men in all Services: 15 percentage points for Marine Corps, 13 percentage
points for Army and Air Force, and 12 percentage points for Navy.

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Table 25.
Number and Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q52–Q53)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

Women
Number of Offender(s) (Q52)
One person
More than one person

2016
2014
2016
2014

41 
63
59 
37

42 
64
58 
36

39 
60
61 
40

39 
62
61 
38

44 
66
56 
34

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

77 
87
4
3
19 
9

77 
88
5
3
18 
9

76 
85
3
3
21 
12

79 
93
2
1
19 
6

78 
86
5
6
18 
9

Gender of Offender(s) (Q53)
Men
Women
A mix of men and women

Margins of Error

±1–2

±1–2

±1–3

±2–5

±1–3

Men
Number of Offender(s) (Q52)
One person
More than one person

2016
2014
2016
2014

43 
54
57 
46

42 
61
58 
39

43
50
57
50

42
39
58
61

41 
55
59 
45

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

53 
67
18
16
29 
16

54 
69
19
17
27 
14

52 
63
17
18
31 
19

54 
78
14 
6
31 
16

53 
64
18
20
29 
16

Gender of Offender(s) (Q53)
Men
Women
A mix of men and women

Margins of Error
±2–4
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation

±3–6

±4–8

±5–11

±3–7

Coast Guard
In 2016, of the 20.9% of Coast Guard women who experienced a sex-based MEO violation,
more than half (51%) indicated more than one person was involved in the upsetting situation
(Figure 122). This is a significant increase of 14 percentage points compared to 2014. When
asked about the gender of the alleged offender(s), the majority (84%) of women indicated the
alleged offender(s) was (were) men, which showed a statistically significant decrease from 2014
of 9 percentage points. Only 5% of Coast Guard women indicated the alleged offender(s) was
(were) women (a statistically significant decrease from 2014 of 3 percentage points) and 12%

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indicated they were a mix of men and women (a statistically significant increase from 2014 of 7
percentage points).
Of the 4.9% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation, more
than half (53%) indicated more than one person was involved. Compared to 2014, this is a
significant increase of 18 percentage points. More than half (57%) of Coast Guard men
indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) men and 16% indicated the alleged offender(s) was
were women. More than one-quarter (27%) of men indicated the alleged offenders were a mix
of men and women, which showed a statistically significant increase from 2014 of 15 percentage
points.
Figure 122.
Number and Gender of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q52–Q53)

Status and Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in the One Situation
Active duty members were asked if any of the individuals involved in the one situation were
military members. They were also asked about details of the employment status of the alleged
offender(s). If a member indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) a military member, then
the member was asked to identify the rank(s) of the member(s).
DoD
As shown in Figure 123, of the 26.5% of DoD women who indicated experiencing a sex-based
MEO violation, the majority (83%) indicated all of the offenders in the one situation were
military members, 12% indicated some were, but not all, whereas fewer (4%) indicated none

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were military, and 1% were not sure. Of the 99% of women who knew the alleged offender(s)
military status,44 41% indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) someone in their chain of
command (excluding their immediate supervisor), whereas more than one-third indicated the
alleged offender(s) was (were) an immediate supervisor or some other higher ranking military
member (both 34%). More than one-quarter (27%) of women indicated the alleged offender(s)
was (were) a subordinate(s) or someone they manage, whereas 13% indicated they were a DoD
or government civilian working for the military, and 6% indicated they were contractor(s)
working for the military. A little more than one-tenth (12%) of women indicated they were not
sure of the employment status of the alleged offender(s).
Of the 95% of women who indicated at least some or all of the alleged offender(s) was (were) in
the military, a little more than half (53%) indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked
E5–E6, whereas more than one-third (36%) indicated they were ranked E7–E9, and more than
one-quarter (26%) indicated they were ranked E4.

44

Active duty DoD women who indicated they were not sure of the military status of the alleged offender(s) were
not asked this question.

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Figure 123.
Military Status and Rank of Alleged Offender(s) for DoD Women (Q54–Q56)

As shown in Figure 124, of the 6.8% of DoD men who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO
violation, the majority (82%) indicated the alleged offenders in the one situation were all military
members, whereas 10% indicated some were, but not all, and 4% indicated none were military or
they were not sure of the military status of the alleged offender(s). Of the 96% of men who
knew the alleged offender(s) military status,45 40% of men indicated they were someone in their
chain of command (excluding their immediate supervisor), whereas less than one-third (32%)
indicated they were an immediate supervisor, and 31% indicated they were some other higher
ranking military member. More than one-quarter (28%) indicated the alleged offender(s) was
45

Active duty DoD men who indicated they were not sure of the military status of the alleged offender(s) were not
asked this question.

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(were) subordinate(s) or someone they manage, whereas a little more than one-tenth (11%)
indicated they were a DoD or government civilian working for the military, and fewer (5%)
indicated they were contractor(s) working for the military. Seventeen percent of men were not
sure of the employment status of the alleged offender(s).
Of the 92% of DoD men who indicated at least some or all of the alleged offenders were in the
military, more than half (55%) indicated the alleged offenders were ranked E5–E6. More than
one-third (34%) of men indicated the alleged offenders were ranked E7–E9, and 29% indicated
they were ranked E4.
Figure 124.
Military Status and Rank of Alleged Offender(s) for DoD Men (Q54–Q56)

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Table 26 shows within Service comparisons for both DoD women and DoD men. In 2016,
women in the Marine Corps (89%), Army, and Navy (both 85%) were more likely than women
in the other Services to indicate the alleged offenders were all military members, whereas Air
Force women (75%) were less likely. Air Force women (16%) were more likely than women in
the other Services to indicate some of the alleged offenders were military members, but not all,
whereas Marine Corps women (7%) were less likely. Women in the Air Force (7%) were also
more likely than women in the other Services to indicate none of the alleged offenders were
military members, whereas Navy (3%) and Marine Corps (1%) were less likely.
In 2016, men in the Army (84%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate the
alleged offenders were all military members, whereas Air Force men (76%) were less likely
(Table 26). Air Force men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate some of
the alleged offenders were military members, but not all (14%) and none were military (7%).
Table 26.
Military Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q54)
Within Service Comparisons
Marine
Army
Navy
Air Force
Corps

Total
DoD

Higher Response

Women
Yes, they all were
Yes, some were, but not all
No, none were military
Not sure

83
12
4
1
Margins of Error

Men
Yes, they all were
Yes, some were, but not all
No, none were military
Not sure

±1

85
11
3
1
±1–2

82
10
4
4

Margins of Error
±1–2
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation

Lower Response

85
11
3
1
±1–2

84
10
4
3
±1–2

89
7
1
3
±1–3

83
9
3
5
±2–3

75
16
7
2
±1–3

79
10
3
8
±2–4

76
14
7
4
±2–3

As shown in Table 27, with regard to employment status of the alleged offender(s), women in the
Navy (37%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the alleged
offender(s) was (were) an immediate supervisor, whereas Air Force women (27%) were less
likely. Navy women (31%) were also more likely than women in the other Services to indicate
the alleged offender(s) was (were) subordinate(s) or someone they manage, whereas Army
(25%) and Air Force women (23%) were less likely. Army women (36%) were more likely than
women in the other Services to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were) some other higher
ranking military member, whereas Navy women (32%) were less likely. In regards the status of
the alleged offender(s) as DoD or government civilians working for the military, Air Force
women (20%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate this status, whereas
Army (11%) and Marine Corps (5%) women were less likely. For contractor(s) working for the
military, both Air Force (9%) and Navy women (7%) were more likely than women in the other

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Services to indicate they were the alleged offender(s), whereas Army (4%) and Marine Corps
women (3%) were less likely.
Air Force men were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate the status of the alleged
offender(s) was (were) an immediate supervisor (22%) or a subordinate(s) or someone they
manage (21%; Table 27). However, Air Force men (20%) were more likely than men in the
other Services to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were) DoD or government civilian(s)
working for the military, whereas Navy men (9%) were less likely. Marine Corps men (3%)
were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were)
contractor(s) working for the military.
Table 27.
Employment Status of Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation for DoD (Q55)
Within Service Comparisons
Marine
Army
Navy
Air Force
Corps

Total
DoD

Higher Response

Women
Your immediate supervisor
Someone else in your chain of command
Some other higher ranking military member not listed
Subordinate(s) or someone you manage
DoD/government civilian(s) working for the military
Contractor(s) working for the military
Not sure
Margins of Error

Men
Your immediate supervisor
Someone else in your chain of command
Some other higher ranking military member not listed
Subordinate(s) or someone you manage
DoD/government civilian(s) working for the military
Contractor(s) working for the military
Not sure

34
41
34
27
13
6
12
±1–2

35
41
36
25
11
4
12
±2–3

32
40
31
28
11
5
17

Lower Response

37
41
32
31
12
7
12
±2–3

33
39
33
28
11
4
16

34
44
34
26
5
3
14
±2–5

35
41
30
30
9
5
17

27
41
34
23
20
9
12
±2–3

36
41
30
30
10
3
20

22
39
31
21
20
6
18

Margins of Error
±1–2
±2–3
±2–4
±2–5
±2–4
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation and knew the military status of the alleged offender(s)

As shown in Table 27, women in the Navy and Marine Corps were more likely than women in
the other Services to indicate the rank of the alleged military offender(s) was (were) E1–E3 (23%
Navy, 25% Marine Corps) and E4 (30% Navy, 38% Marine Corps), whereas Army and Air
Force women (12% for both for E1–E3, 22% for Army and 19% for Air Force for E4) were less
likely. Women in the Army were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the
rank of the alleged military offender(s) was (were) E7–E9 (39%), W1–W5 (5%), O1–O3 (19%),
and O4–O6 (19%), but were less likely to indicate the alleged military offender(s) was (were) an
E5–E6 (49%). Navy women (61%) were more likely than women in the other Services to

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indicate the alleged military offender(s) was (were) an E5–E6, whereas Air Force women (46%)
were less likely. Additionally, Navy women were less likely than women in the other Services to
indicate the rank of the military alleged offender(s) was (were) W1–W5 (1%), O1–O3 (10%),
and O4–O6 (12%). Women in the Marine Corps (5%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate the rank of the alleged offender(s) was (were) W1–W5, but were less likely
to indicate the alleged military offender(s) was (were) E7–E9 (27%) or O4–O6 (10%).
Similar patterns are shown for DoD men (Table 27). Men in the Air Force were less likely than
men in the other Services to indicate the rank of the alleged military offender(s) was (were) E1–
E3 (16%), E4 (25%), E5–E6 (47%), E7–E9 (30%), and W1–W5 (1%), but were more likely to
indicate the alleged military offender(s) was (were) an O4–O6 (20%). Army men were more
likely than men in the other Services to indicate the rank of the alleged offender(s) was (were)
E7–E9 (38%), W1–W5 (5%), O1–O3 (18%), and O4–O6 (15%), whereas Navy men were less
likely (2% for W1–W5, 11% for O1–O3, and 7% for O4–O6). Additionally, Marine Corps men
were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate the alleged military offender(s) was
(were) an E1–E3 (25%) and E4 (37%), but were less likely to indicate they were ranked E7–E9
(26%) and O4–O6 (7%).
Table 28.
Rank of Alleged Military Offender(s) in Relation to Member’s Rank in the One Situation for
DoD (Q56)
Within Service Comparisons
Marine
Army
Navy
Air Force
Corps

Total
DoD

Higher Response

Women
E1–E3
E4
E5–E6
E7–E9
W1–W5
O1–O3
O4–O6 and above
Not sure

17
26
53
36
3
15
17
6
Margins of Error

Men
E1–E3
E4
E5–E6
E7–E9
W1–W5
O1–O3
O4–O6 and above
Not sure

±1–2

12
22
49
39
5
19
19
6
±1–3

20
29
55
34
3
14
12
7

Lower Response

23
30
61
34
1
10
12
5
±1–3

18
27
53
38
5
18
15
5

25
38
50
27
5
13
10
6
±3–5

21
30
59
34
2
11
7
6

12
19
46
38
<1
14
25
7
±1–3

25
37
53
26
4
12
7
13

16
25
47
30
1
14
20
8

Margins of Error
±1–2
±2–4
±2–4
±3–6
±1–4
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation and indicated offender was a military member

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Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 125, of the 20.9% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing a sexbased MEO violation, the majority (81%) indicated the alleged offender(s) in the one situation
were all military members, whereas 12% indicated some were, but not all. Of the 98% of Coast
Guard women who knew the military status of the alleged offender(s), more than one-third
indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) someone in their chain of command (excluding their
immediate supervisor; 38%) or their immediate supervisor (37%), while 33% indicated the
alleged offender(s) was (were) some other higher ranking military member. More than onequarter (26%) indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) subordinate(s) or someone they
manage, 12% indicated they were a DoD or government civilian(s) working for the military, and
fewer (5%) indicated they were contractor(s) working for the military. A little more than onetenth (11%) of women indicated they were not sure of the employment status of the alleged
offender(s).
Of the women who indicated at least some of the alleged offenders were in the military, a little
less than half (46%) indicated they were ranked E5–E6, whereas 32% indicated they were ranked
E7–E9, and 21% indicated they were ranked E4.

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Figure 125.
Military Status and Rank of Alleged Offender(s) for Coast Guard Women (Q54–Q56)

As shown in Figure 126, of the 6.8% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing a sexbased MEO violation, the majority (82%) indicated the alleged offenders in the one situation
were all military members, whereas 9% indicated some were, but not all, and fewer indicated
none were in the military (5%) or were not sure (4%). Of the 96% of Coast Guard men who
knew of the military status of the alleged offender(s), 32% indicated the alleged offender(s) was
(were) someone in their chain of command (excluding their immediate supervisor), whereas
more than one-quarter indicated the alleged offender was (were) some other higher ranking
military member (29%), was (were) subordinate(s) or someone they manage (27%) or an
immediate supervisor (26%). Additionally, 12% indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were)
DoD or government civilian(s) working for the military, and fewer (4%) indicated the alleged

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offender(s) was (were) contractor(s) working for the military. A little less than one-fifth (18%)
of men indicated they were not sure of the employment status of the alleged offender(s).
Of the Coast Guard men who indicated at least one of the alleged offenders were in the military,
a little less than half (47%) indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) ranked E5–E6. More
than one-quarter (26%) of men indicated the alleged military offender(s) was (were) ranked E7–
E9, whereas 24% indicated they were ranked E4.
Figure 126.
Military Status and Rank of Alleged Offender(s) for Coast Guard Men (Q54–Q56)

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Length of Time the One Situation Continued
DoD
Of the 26.5% of DoD women and 6.8% of DoD men who indicated experiencing a sex-based
MEO violation, a little less than one-fifth (19%) of women and more than one-quarter (28%) of
men indicated the most upsetting situation occurred one time (Figure 127). Forty percent of
DoD women and a little less than one-third (32%) of DoD men indicated the situation continued
for a few months, whereas 20% of women and 21% of men indicated it continued for a year or
more. Twelve percent of women and 10% of men indicated the situation continued for about one
month, and 9% of women and 10% of men indicated the upsetting situation occurred for about
one week.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of those who indicated the upsetting behavior happened one
time showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 of 7 percentage points in 2016 for men.
Conversely, the percentage of men who indicated the upsetting behavior continued for a year or
more showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 of 8 percentage points. There were no
significant differences compared to 2014 on length of time the one situation continued for
women.
Figure 127.
Length of Time the One Situation Continued for DoD (Q57)

As shown in Table 28, in 2016, Air Force women were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate the upsetting situation occurred one time (22%) and continued for a year or
more (23%). They were also less likely than women in the other Services to indicate the
upsetting situation continued for about one week (8%) and a few months (37%). Additionally,
Army women (18%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate the upsetting
situation continued for a year or more.
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Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated the upsetting situation happened one
time showed a statistically significant increase of 3 percentage points in 2016 for Air Force.
In 2016, men in the Army (12%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate the
upsetting situation continued for about one month, whereas Navy men (8%) were less likely
(Table 28). Air Force men were less likely to indicate the upsetting behavior occurred for a few
months (27%), but were more likely to indicate it occurred for a year or more (24%) compared to
men in the other Services.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated the upsetting behavior happened one
time showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Navy (9 percentage points), Air Force
(7 percentage points), and Army (6 percentage points). The percentage of men who indicated the
situation continued for about one week showed a statistically significant increase of 6 percentage
points in 2016 for Marine Corps compared to 2014. The percentage of men who indicated the
upsetting situation continued for a year or more showed a statistically significant decrease of 15
percentage points in 2016 for Navy men compared to 2014.

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Table 29.
Length of Time the One Situation Continued for DoD (Q57)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

Women
It happened one time
About one week
About one month
A few months
A year or more

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
Margins of Error

19
20
9
10
12
12
40
39
20
20

19
19
9
9
13
13
41
41
18
18

18
20
10
11
11
13
41
37
20
19

19
22
9
10
12
12
40
36
20
19

±1–2

±2

±2–3

±3–5

22 
19
8
8
11
11
37
39
23
23
±1–3

Men
It happened one time
About one week
About one month
A few months
A year or more

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

28 
21
10
11
10
10
32
29
21 
29

Margins of Error
±2–4
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation

27 
21
10
15
12
10
32
30
19
24
±2–6

28 
19
9
8
8
9
34
28
21 
36
±3–9

30
24
11 
5
8
13
29
25
21
33
±3–12

29 
22
9
11
11
13
27
31
24
24
±2–8

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 128, of the 20.9% of Coast Guard women who indicated experiencing a sexbased MEO violation, more than one-third (36%) indicated the upsetting situation continued for
a few months. A little less than one-quarter (23%) indicated it continued for a year or more,
whereas one-fifth (20%) indicated it happened one time. Thirteen percent of Coast Guard
women indicated the upsetting situation continued for about one month and fewer (8%) indicated
it continued for about one week.
Of the 4.9% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation, a little
less than one-third (32%) indicated the upsetting situation happened one time (Figure 128). A
little less than one-quarter (23%) indicated it continued for a few months, whereas a little more
than one-fifth (22%) indicated it continued for a year or more. Fourteen percent of Coast Guard
men indicated the upsetting situation continued for about one week, whereas 10% indicated it
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continued for about one month. Compared to 2014, there were no statistically significant
differences for Coast Guard women and Coast Guard men in 2016.
Figure 128.
Length of Time the One Situation Continued for Coast Guard (Q57)

Where the One Situation Occurred
Active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation in the past 12
months were asked to select all applicable locations of where the one situation occurred.
Examples of locations include at a military installation or ship, during an overseas port visit
while deployed, or while at a location off base. Detailed location information is displayed
followed by a “roll-up” of whether the locations selected were military or civilian locations.
DoD
Figure 129 shows the top five (out of 12) locations where the one situation occurred for DoD
women and DoD men. Of the 26.5% of women and 6.8% of men who indicated experiencing a
sex-based MEO violation in the past 12 months, the majority of women (92%) and men (88%)
indicated the upsetting situation occurred at a military installation/ship. A little more than onefifth (22%) of women and 23% of men indicated the upsetting situation occurred while on TDY/
TAD, at sea, or during field exercises/alerts, and similarly, 21% of women and 22% of men
indicated the upsetting situation occurred while at an official military function (either on or off
base). A little less than one-fifth (19%) of DoD women and 15% of DoD men indicated the
situation occurred while at a location off base, whereas 12% of women and 13% of men
indicated it occurred while completing military occupational specialty school or technical
training.

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Figure 129.
Top Five Locations Where the One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q58)

Table 29 displays the gender and Service breakouts for active duty DoD members for all 12
locations provided for members to endorse. To highlight some key differences, in 2016, women
in the Air Force were generally less likely than women in the other Services to indicate the one
situation occurred at a majority of the locations listed. For example, women in the Air Force
were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate the situation occurred while at a
location off base (17%), while at an official military function (either on or off base; 15%), and
while on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field exercises/alerts (15%).
In 2016, women in the Army and Marine Corps yielded similar patterns of responses in regard to
the locations they each endorsed. For example, they were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate the one situation occurred at an official military function (23% for Army and
25% for Marine Corps) and while completing military occupational specialty school or technical
training (14% for Army and 17% for Marine Corps). Women in the Army (12%) and Marine
Corps (13%) were also more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the upsetting
situation occurred while in any other military combat training (12% for Army and 13% for
Marine Corps), and while in Officer Candidate or Training School or a Basic or Advanced
Officer Course (4% for both Army and Marine Corps women).
Women in the Navy (93%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the one
situation occurred at a military installation/ship, whereas Marine Corps women (86%) were less
likely. Women in the Navy were also more likely than women in the other Services to indicate
the situation occurred during an overseas port visit while deployed (15%), whereas women in the
other Services were less likely (4% for Army, 3% for Marine Corps, and 2% for Air Force).
Navy women (10%) were also more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the

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situation occurred while transitioning between operational theaters, whereas Army women (5%)
and Air Force women (2%) were less likely.
Among the Services, patterns of responses for DoD men yielded similar results as DoD women
for locations where the one situation occurred (Table 29). Navy men (90%) were more likely
than men in the other Services to indicate the upsetting situation occurred at a military
installation/ship, whereas Marine Corps men (79%) were less likely. Air Force men were less
likely than men in the other Services to indicate the upsetting situation occurred at the locations
provided. For example, Air Force men were less likely to indicate the situation occurred while at
an official military function (18%), while on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field exercises/alerts
(15%), or while in recruit/basic training (5%). Many of the locations more likely to be endorsed
by Army men were less likely to be endorsed by Navy men. For instance, the upsetting situation
was more likely to occur at an official military function for Army men (24%) and less likely for
Navy men (19%). This also applies to while completing military occupational specialty school/
technical training (15% for Army and 10% for Navy), while in recruit/basic training (11% for
Army and 5% for Navy), and while in any other training (14% for Army and 5% for Navy).
Men in the Navy were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate the upsetting
situation occurred during an overseas port visit while deployed (15%) and while transitioning
between operational theaters (12%).

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Table 30.
Location Where the One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q58)
Within Service Comparisons
Marine
Army
Navy
Air Force
Corps

Total
DoD

Higher Response

Women
At a military installation/ship
While on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field exercises/alerts
While deployed to a combat zone/area where you drew
imminent danger pay or hostile fire pay
During an overseas port visit while deployed
While transitioning between operational theaters
While in a delayed entry program
While in recruit training/basic training
While in any other type of military combat training
While in Officer Candidate or Training School/Basic or
Advanced Officer Course
While completing military occupational specialty school/
technical training
While at an official military function (either on or off base)
While at a location off base
Margins of Error

Men
At a military installation/ship
While on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field exercises/alerts
While deployed to a combat zone/area where you drew
imminent danger pay or hostile fire pay
During an overseas port visit while deployed
While transitioning between operational theaters
While in a delayed entry program
While in recruit training/basic training
While in any other type of military combat training
While in Officer Candidate or Training School/Basic or
Advanced Officer Course
While completing military occupational specialty school/
technical training
While at an official military function (either on or off base)
While at a location off base

Lower Response

92
22

91
23

93
26

86
21

91
15

10

11

10

6

9

7
6
2
5
7

4
5
3
10
12

15
10
2
3
4

3
5
5
4
13

2
2
1
2
3

2

4

1

4

1

12

14

9

17

10

21
19

23
18

20
21

25
23

15
17

±1–2

±1–2

±1–3

±2–4

±1–3

88
23

88
24

90
25

79
24

89
15

11

12

11

8

9

8
8
2
8
9

5
7
2
11
14

15
12
2
5
5

7
7
6
10
11

3
3
2
5
4

3

4

2

3

2

13

15

10

14

11

22
15

24
16

19
14

27
17

18
15

Margins of Error
±1–2
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation

±1–3

±1–4

±3–5

±1–3

Combining the locations where active duty members indicated the upsetting situation occurred,
results are shown in Figure 130 for whether the situation occurred at a military location, a
civilian location, at both locations, or at neither location. Of the 26.5% of DoD women and 6.8%
of DoD men who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation in the past 12 months, the
majority of women and men (both 77%) indicated the one situation occurred at a military
location. A little less than one-fifth (18%) of women and 14% of men indicated it occurred at
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both military and civilian locations, whereas fewer (1% for both women and men) indicated the
situation occurred only at a civilian location.
Women in the Air Force (79%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the
situation occurred at a military location, whereas Marine Corps women (70%) were less likely.
Air Force women (1%) were also more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the
situation occurred at a civilian location but were less likely to indicate it occurred at both military
and civilian locations (16%).
Men in the Navy (81%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate the situation
occurred at a military location, whereas Marine Corps men (69%) were less likely. However,
Navy men (<1%) were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate the situation
occurred at a civilian location. Marine Corps men (14%) were more likely than men in the other
Services to not disclose a location, while Navy men (5%) were less likely.
Figure 130.
Where the One Situation Occurred for DoD (Q58)

Coast Guard
As shown in Table 31, of the 20.9% of Coast Guard women and 4.9% of Coast Guard men who
indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation in the past 12 months, the majority of Coast
Guard women (89%) and Coast Guard men (86%) indicated the one situation occurred at a
military installation/ship. One-quarter (25%) of women and 16% of men indicated it occurred
while at a location off base, whereas one-fifth (20%) of women and 23% of men indicated the
situation occurred while on TDY/TAD, at least, or during field exercises/alerts.

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Table 31.
Where the One Situation Occurred for Coast Guard (Q58)
Women
At a military installation/ship
While you were on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field exercises/alerts
While you were deployed to a combat zone or to an area where you drew imminent danger pay
or hostile fire pay
During an overseas port visit while deployed
While transitioning between operational theaters
While you were in a delayed entry program
While you were in recruit training/basic training
While you were in any other type of military combat training
While you were in Officer Candidate or Training School/Basic or Advanced Officer Course
While you were completing military occupational specialty school/technical training/advanced
individual training/professional military education
While at an official military function (either on or off base)
While you were at a location off base
Margins of Error

±1–7

Men

89
20
1

86
23
2

11
3
1
3
1
2
13

11
5
<1
3
1
1
7

15
25

16
16
±1–4

Percent of Coast Guard members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation

Looking at the combinations of where the location occurred, the majority of Coast Guard women
(71%) and Coast Guard men (76%) indicated the one situation occurred at a military location
(Figure 131). Twenty-four percent of women and 15% of men indicated the situation occurred at
both military and civilian locations, whereas fewer (2% for both women and men) indicated it
occurred at a civilian location.

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Figure 131.
Where the One Situation Occurred for Coast Guard (Q58)

Considered the One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying
Active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation in the past 12
months were asked if they would consider the one situation with the biggest effect to be hazing
and/or bullying. Hazing refers to things done to humiliate or “toughen up” people before
accepting them into a group. Bullying refers to repeated verbally or physically abusive
behaviors that are threatening, humiliating, or intimidating.
DoD
As shown in Figure 132, of the 26.5% of DoD women who indicated experiencing a sex-based
MEO violation in the past 12 months, 17% indicated they considered the situation to be hazing,
and 42% indicated it involved bullying. When combining these behaviors to assess whether they
considered the one situation to be a combination of hazing and bullying, 13% of women
considered it to be both hazing and bullying. More than half (55%) would not describe the one
situation as hazing or bullying, whereas 28% would describe the unwanted situation as bullying
(without hazing) and 3% would describe the unwanted situation as hazing (without bullying).
As shown in Figure 132, of the 6.8% of DoD men who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO
violation in the past 12 months, 25% indicated they considered the one situation to be hazing and
42% indicated it involved bullying. When combining these behaviors to assess whether they
considered the one situation to be a combination of hazing and bullying, 19% of men considered
the situation to be both hazing and bullying. More than half (53%) would not describe the
unwanted situation as hazing or bullying, whereas 22% would describe the unwanted situation as
bullying (without hazing) and 5% would describe the unwanted situation as hazing (without
bullying).

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Figure 132.
Considered One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q60)

As shown in Table 30, women in the Navy (19%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to consider the situation to be hazing, whereas Marine Corps and Air Force women
(both 13%) were less likely. Marine Corps women (47%) were more likely than women in the
other Services to consider the situation to be bullying, whereas Air Force women (37%) were
less likely. When combining these behaviors together, women in the Air Force (59%) were more
likely than women in the other Services to indicate neither hazing nor bullying took place during
the one situation. Navy women (16%) were more likely than women in the other Services to
consider the unwanted situation to involve both hazing and bullying, whereas Air Force women
(9%) were less likely. Marine Corps women (35%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate bullying (without hazing) took place and were less likely to indicate hazing
(without bullying) took place during the one situation.
Men in the Army (29%) were more likely to indicate the situation involved hazing than men in
the other Services, whereas Marine Corps men (19%) were less likely (Table 30). Additionally,
Army men (46%) were more likely than men in the other Services to consider the one situation to
be bullying, whereas Air Force men (34%) were less likely. When combining these behaviors
together, men in the Marine Corps and Air Force (both 59%) were more likely than men in the
other Services to indicate neither hazing nor bullying were involved in the one situation, whereas
men in the Army (48%) were less likely (Table 30). Army men (23%) were more likely than
men in the other Services to indicate both hazing and bullying took place, whereas Air Force
men (15%) were less likely. Air Force men (19%) were less likely than men in the other Services
to indicate they considered bullying (without hazing) took place, while Marine Corps men (2%)
were less likely to indicate hazing (without bullying) was involved in the one situation.

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Table 32.
Considered One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying for DoD (Q60)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
Hazing and Bullying
Experienced hazing
Experienced bullying

17
42
Margins of Error

±1

Hazing and Bullying Combinations
Hazing (without bullying)
Bullying (without hazing)
Both hazing and bullying
Neither hazing nor bullying

3
28
13
55
Margins of Error

±1–2

Men
Hazing and Bullying
Experienced hazing
Experienced bullying

4
28
14
54

25
42
Margins of Error

Hazing and Bullying Combinations
Hazing (without bullying)
Bullying (without hazing)
Both hazing and bullying
Neither hazing nor bullying

±2

4
27
16
54

29
46

5
22
19
53

4
28
9
59
±1–3

19
38
±4

5
22
18
54
±2–4

±1–2

±2–5

±3

13
37

1
35
12
51

24
41

6
23
23
48
±2–3

13
47
±3–4

±2–3

±3

Margins of Error
±1–2
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation

19
43
±2

±1–3

Air
Force

Lower Response

18
42
±2

Marine
Corps

Navy

22
34
±3

2
22
17
59
±3–5

7
19
15
59
±2–3

Coast Guard
Of the 20.9% of Coast Guard women and 4.9% of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing
a sex-based MEO violation in the past 12 months, 14% of women and 21% of men described the
one situation to be hazing (Figure 133). Forty percent of women and 32% of men indicated they
considered the one situation as involving bullying. When combining these behaviors to assess
whether they considered the one situation to be a combination of hazing and bullying, 11% of
women and 13% of men indicated both hazing and bullying took place. More than half of
women (58%) and men (60%) considered the one situation to be neither hazing nor bullying.
More than one-quarter (29%) of women and 19% of men indicated the upsetting situation
involved bullying (without hazing), and 3% of women and 8% of men indicated experiencing
hazing (without bullying).

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Figure 133.
Considered One Situation as Hazing and/or Bullying for Coast Guard (Q60)

Situation Made Member Take Steps to Leave/Separate From the
Military
DoD
Of the 26.5% of DoD women and 6.8% of DoD men who indicated experiencing a sex-based
MEO violation in the past 12 months, 29% of women and 27% of men indicated the upsetting
situation made them take steps to leave or separate from the military (Figure 134). Women in
the Air Force (25%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate they took steps
to leave or separate from the military as a result of the upsetting situation. Army men (29%)
were more likely to indicate they took steps to leave or separate from the military because of the
upsetting situation, whereas Air Force men (20%) were less likely than men in the other Services.

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Figure 134.
Situation Made Member Take Steps to Leave/Separate From the Military for DoD (Q59)

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 135, of the 20.9% of Coast Guard women and 4.9% of Coast Guard men
who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation in the past 12 months, 22% of Coast
Guard women and 15% of Coast Guard men indicated they took steps to leave or separate from
the military because of the upsetting situation.

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Figure 135.
Situation Made Member Take Steps to Leave/Separate From the Military for Coast Guard
(Q59)

Reporting/Discussing of the One Situation
Active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation in the past 12
months were asked to indicate who they discussed the one situation with and if they reported the
situation to the military.
DoD
As shown in Figure 136, of the 26.5% of DoD women who indicated experiencing a sex-based
MEO violation, the majority (83%) indicated they discussed the situation with family, friends, or
coworkers. Less than half (43%) of women indicated they discussed the situation with a
supervisor/chain of command to get guidance on what to do, and 40% indicated they discussed
the situation with a supervisor/chain of command with the expectation of corrective action. Onequarter (25%) indicated they discussed the situation with a chaplain, counselor, or medical
person, and 15% indicated they reported the situation as possible harassment or gender
discrimination.
Of the 6.8% of DoD men who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation, a little less
than two-thirds (65%) indicated they discussed with family, friends, or coworkers. A little less
than one-third (30%) indicated they discussed the situation with a supervisor/chain of command
with the expectation of corrective action, and 29% indicated they discussed the situation with a
supervisor/chain of command to get guidance on what to do. Sixteen percent indicated they
discussed the situation with a chaplain, counselor, or medical person, and 7% indicated they
reported the situation as possible harassment or gender discrimination.

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2017

Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated discussing the upsetting situation
with a chaplain, counselor, or medical person showed a statistically significant increase in 2016
of 2 percentage points. There were no significant differences between 2014 and 2016 for DoD
men on reporting or disclosing the one situation.
Figure 136.
Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for DoD (Q61)

As shown in Table 32, Air Force women (85%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate discussing the situation with friends, family, or coworkers, and were less
likely to indicate discussing with a chaplain, counselor, or medical person (21%). Army women
(18%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate reporting the situation as
possible harassment or gender discrimination, whereas Air Force women (11%) were less likely.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated discussing the upsetting situation
with friends, family, or coworkers showed a statistically significant increase of 2 percentage
points in 2016 for Air Force. The percentage of Navy women who indicated discussing the
upsetting situation with a chaplain, counselor, or medical person showed a statistically
significant increase of 8 percentage points in 2016 compared to 2014.
In 2016, Marine Corps men were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate they
discussed the situation with friends, family, or workers (60%). Army men were more likely than
men in the other Services to discuss the situation with a chaplain, counselor, or medical person
(20%), whereas Air Force men (11%) were less likely. Army men were also more likely than
men in the other Services to indicate they reported the situation (9%), whereas Air Force men

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were less likely (4%). Although Army men were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate they discussed the situation with a supervisor/chain of command with the expectation of
corrective action (32%), Marine Corps men (25%) and Air Force men (26%) were less likely.
Marine Corps and Air Force men (both 25%) were less likely than men in the other Services to
indicate they discussed the situation with a supervisor/chain of command to get guidance on
what to do.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated discussing with a chaplain, counselor,
or medical person showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Army men (6 percentage
points).

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Table 33.
Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for DoD (Q61)
Within Service Comparisons

2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
To Whom Discussed/Reported To
Discussed situation with friends, family, or
coworkers
Discussed situation with chaplain, counselor, or
medical person
Reported situation as possible harassment or
gender discrimination
Discussed situation with supervisor/chain of
command with expectation of correction action*
Discussed situation with supervisor/chain of
command to get guidance on what to do*

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

83
81
25 
22
15
14
40
NA
43
NA

83
81
27
25
18
19
40
NA
42
NA

82
81
26 
18
13
11
41
NA
44
NA

80
78
27
26
12
14
39
NA
42
NA

85 
83
21
18
11
10
40
NA
44
NA

2016
2014

50
NA

50
NA

50
NA

49
NA

51
NA

±2

±2–3

±3–5

±2–3

Summary Of To Whom Discussed/Reported To
Reported/discussed with supervisor/leadership

Margins of Error

Men
To Whom Discussed/Reported To
Discussed situation with friends, family, or
coworkers
Discussed situation with chaplain, counselor, or
medical person
Reported situation as possible harassment or
gender discrimination
Discussed situation with supervisor/chain of
command with expectation of correction action*
Discussed situation with supervisor/chain of
command to get guidance on what to do*

±1–2

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

65
66
16
14
7
8
30
NA
29
NA

66
67
20 
14
9
8
32
NA
31
NA

65
67
16
13
6
7
30
NA
32
NA

60
59
13
16
6
14
25
NA
25
NA

67
66
11
13
4
6
26
NA
25
NA

2016
2014

37
NA

39
NA

38
NA

33
NA

33
NA

±2–6

±3–8

±3–12

±2–6

Summary Of To Whom Discussed/Reported To
Reported/discussed with supervisor/leadership

Margins of Error
±1–4
Percent of active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation
*Denotes item is not comparable to 2014 due to wording changes

Coast Guard
Of the 20.9% of Coast Guard women and 4.9 % of Coast Guard men who indicated experiencing
a sex-based MEO violation in the past 12 months, the vast majority of women (85%) and a little
more than two-thirds (68%) of men indicated discussing the one situation with family, friends, or

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coworkers (Figure 137). Less than half (47%) of women and 26% of men indicated they
discussed the situation with a work supervisor or anyone up their chain of command to get
guidance, whereas 42% of women and 31% of men indicated they discussed the situation with
those individuals with the expectation of some corrective action. Additionally, 22% of women
and 10% of men indicated discussing with a chaplain, counselor, or medical person, and fewer
(14% of women and 6% of men) indicated they reported the situation. There were no significant
differences between 2014 and 2016 for Coast Guard women or Coast Guard men on reporting or
disclosing the one situation.
Figure 137.
Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q61)

Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One Situation
Active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation and either reported
the situation or discussed the situation with a supervisor or chain of command, were asked to
indicate the actions taken in response to the report/discussion.
DoD
Of the 50% of DoD women and 37% of DoD men who reported or discussed the sex-based MEO
violation with a supervisor or someone in the chain of command, 23% of women and 25% of
men indicated a positive action was taken in response to reporting/disclosing the one situation
(Figure 138). Conversely, 21% of women and 22% of men indicated a negative action was
taken, whereas 49% of women and 42% of men indicated experiencing both positive and
negative actions taken in response to reporting/disclosing the one situation.
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Navy women (52%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate experiencing
both positive and negative actions, whereas Air Force women (37%) were less likely. However,
women in the Navy (19%) were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate
experiencing negative actions, whereas Air Force women (30%) were more likely.
In 2016, there were no significant differences between Services for men who indicated
experiencing positive and/or negative actions taken in response to reporting/disclosing the one
situation.
Figure 138.
Positive and/or Negative Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One
Situation for DoD (Q62)

The top four positive and negative actions are shown in Figure 139, and all actions along with
Service breakouts are shown in Table 34 (DoD women) and Table 35 (DoD men). As shown in
Figure 139, the positive action selected most by DoD women was the rules of harassment were
explained to everyone in the workplace (44%). Compared to 2014, this showed a statistically
significant decrease in 2016 (20 percentage points). Forty-one percent of women indicated
someone talked to the person(s) to ask them to change their behavior, which showed a
statistically significant decrease from 2014 (8 percentage points). Additionally, 22% of women
indicated their work station or duties were changed to help them avoid the person(s) and 29% of
women indicated the person(s) stopped their upsetting behavior, which showed a statistically
significant decrease from 2014 (3 percentage points).
The top negative action to reporting/discussing the one situation indicated by DoD women was
they were encouraged to drop the issue (44%). Compared to 2014, this showed a statistically
significant increase in 2016 (7 percentage points). Thirty-eight percent of women indicated the
person they told took no action. Additionally, 34% of women indicated their coworkers treated
them worse, avoided them, or blamed them for the problem, which showed a statistically
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significant increase from 2014 (3 percentage points). A little less than one-third (32%) of
women indicated they were discouraged from filing a complaint, which showed a statistically
significant increase from 2014 (5 percentage points).
As shown in Figure 139, of the 37% of DoD men who reported or discussed the sex-based MEO
violation with a supervisor or someone in the chain of command, the positive action selected
most was the rules of harassment were explained to everyone in the workplace (46%).
Compared to 2014, this showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for DoD men (19
percentage points). Thirty-seven percent of men indicated someone talked to the person(s) to ask
them to change their behavior, and 27% indicated the person(s) stopped their upsetting behavior.
Sixteen percent indicated their work station or duties were changed to help them avoid the
person(s).
In 2016, as shown in Figure 139, the top negative action of reporting/discussing the one situation
indicated by DoD men was they were encouraged to drop the issue (44%). Thirty-seven percent
of men indicated the person they told took no action and 32% indicated they were discouraged
from filing a complaint. Additionally, 26% of men indicated their coworkers treated them
worse, avoided them, or blamed them for the problem.
Figure 139.
Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for DoD (Q62)

In 2016, as shown in Table 34, Air Force women were less likely than women in the other
Services to indicate experiencing many of the positive actions taken in response to reporting.
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For example, Air Force women were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate
someone talked to the person(s) to ask them to change their behavior (34%), whereas Marine
Corps women (51%) were more likely. In addition, Air Force women (33%) were less likely than
women in the other Services to indicate the rules of harassment were explained to everyone in
the workplace, whereas Army women (48%) were more likely. Further, Army women (25%)
were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate their work station/duties were
changed to help avoid the person(s), whereas Air Force women (19%) were less likely. Army
women (33%) were also more likely than women in the other Services to indicate the person(s)
stopped their upsetting behavior, whereas Navy and Air Force women (both 26%) were less
likely. Marine Corps women (13%) were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate there was some official career action taken against the person(s) for their upsetting
behavior, whereas Navy women (7%) were less likely.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated the rules of harassment were
explained to everyone in the workplace showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for all
Services: Air Force (24 percentage points), Navy (21 percentage points), Marine Corps (19
percentage points), and Army (18 percentage points). There were also statistically significant
decreases in 2016 for women who indicated someone talked to the person(s) to ask them to
change their behavior (8 percentage points for Air Force and 6 percentage points for Army
women) and the person(s) stopped their upsetting behavior compared to 2014 (6 percentage
points each for Navy and Air Force women). Further, the percentage of Air Force women who
indicated their work station was changed to help avoid the person(s) and the person(s) was
(were) moved so the member did not have as much contact with them showed statistically
significant decreases in 2016 (5 percentage points for both). Lastly, the percentage of women
who indicated there was some official career action taken against the person(s) showed a
statistically significant decrease in 2016 for Army (6 percentage points).
Similar to the positive actions experienced from reporting the one situation, in 2016, Air Force
women were less likely to indicate experiencing many of the negative actions (Table 34).
Specifically, Air Force women were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate they
were discouraged from filing a formal complaint (26%), whereas Navy women (38%) were more
likely. Women in the Air Force (29%) were also less likely than women in the other Services to
indicate their coworkers treated them worse, whereas Navy women (38%) were more likely. Air
Force women were also less likely than women in the other Services to indicate the person(s)
who did this took action against them for complaining (22%) and their supervisor punished them
for bringing it up (16%). Additionally, Navy women (48%) were more likely to indicate they
were encouraged to drop the issue than women in the other Services.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated their coworkers treated then worse/
avoided them/blamed them showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Navy women
(10 percentage points), they were encouraged to drop the issue (8 percentage points), they were
discouraged from filing a formal complaint (8 percentage points), and their supervisor punished
them for bring it up (6 percentage points).

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Table 34.
Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for DoD Women (Q62)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Positive Actions
The rules of harassment were explained to
everyone in the workplace
Someone talked to the person(s) to ask them to
change their behavior
Your work station or duties were changed to help
you avoid that person(s)
The person(s) was/were moved/reassigned so that
you did not have as much contact with them
There was some official career action taken
against the person(s) for their upsetting behavior
The person(s) stopped their upsetting behavior

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

44 
64
41 
49
22
24
15 
18
9
12
29 
32

48 
66
42 
48
25
26
17
21
10 
16
33
32

45 
66
43
49
22
21
14
15
7
8
26 
32

45 
64
51
58
21
27
20
18
13
15
32
36

33 
57
34 
46
19 
24
14 
19
8
7
26 
32

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

38
38
44 
37
32 
27
26
28
34 
31
21
19

39
40
42
38
31
29
29
32
34
32
23
23

37
36
48 
36
38 
26
26
24
38 
28
21 
15

35
36
45
42
31
30
29
31
36
40
20
21

40
39
42
37
26
23
22
24
29
31
16
18

Negative Actions
The person you told took no action
You were encouraged to drop the issue
You were discouraged from filing a formal
complaint
The person(s) who did this took action against you
for complaining
Your coworkers treated you worse, avoided you,
or blamed you for the problem
Your supervisor punished you for bringing it up

Margins of Error
±1–2
±2–3
±2–5
±3–8
±2–5
Percent of active duty women who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation and reported/discussed with a supervisor/leadership

In 2016, as shown in Table 35, men across the Services showed little difference in their
likelihood to indicate or not indicate nearly all positive actions taken in response to reporting the
one situation. The exceptions include Air Force men (39%) who were less likely than men in the
other Services to indicate the rules of harassment were explained to everyone and Navy men
(9%) who were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate the person(s) was (were)
moved/reassigned so the member did not have as much contact with them.
There were also nearly no significant differences among Services for men from 2014 and 2016
for the positive actions, except the percentage of men who indicated the rules of harassment were
explained to everyone in the workplace which showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016

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for Army (24 percentage points), Navy (21 percentage points), and Air Force men (17 percentage
points).
Similar to the positive actions resulting from reporting/disclosing the one situation, there were
little differences between Services for men for negative actions (Table 35). However, men in the
Army (30%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate the person(s) who did
this took action against them for complaining. Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who
indicated the person(s) who did this took action against them for complaining showed a
statistically significant decrease for Navy (7 percentage points).
Table 35.
Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for DoD Men (Q62)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Positive Actions
The rules of harassment were explained to
everyone in the workplace
Someone talked to the person(s) to ask them to
change their behavior
Your work station or duties were changed to help
you avoid that person(s)
The person(s) was/were moved/reassigned so that
you did not have as much contact with them
There was some official career action taken
against the person(s) for their upsetting behavior
The person(s) stopped their upsetting behavior

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

46 
65
37
39
16
17
12
14
7
10
27
24

47 
71
37
40
16
14
14
13
9
11
26
26

48 
69
37
39
18
19
9
13
6
6
28
19

48
NR
35
27
12
NR
16
NR
8
11
26
20

39 
56
37
45
15
14
12
11
5
10
27
29

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

37
44
44
50
32
33
26 
34
26
31
20
22

40
49
46
48
34
38
30
35
26
24
23
22

35
47
43
52
34
30
23 
40
28
36
19
24

34
27
41
NR
27
NR
23
22
22
NR
17
16

38
37
41
43
27
28
21
28
25
30
17
17

Negative Actions
The person you told took no action
You were encouraged to drop the issue
You were discouraged from filing a formal
complaint
The person(s) who did this took action against you
for complaining
Your coworkers treated you worse, avoided you,
or blamed you for the problem
Your supervisor punished you for bringing it up

Margins of Error
±2–7
±3–9
±3–14
±5–17
±3–9
Percent of active duty men who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation and reported/discussed with a supervisor/leadership

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Coast Guard
Of the 52% of Coast Guard women and 37% of Coast Guard men who reported or discussed the
sex-based MEO violation with a supervisor or someone in the chain of command, 28% of
women and 34% of men indicated experiencing a positive action taken in response to reporting/
discussing the one situation (Figure 140). Conversely, 22% of women and 20% of men indicated
experiencing a negative action, whereas 39% of women and 36% of men indicated experiencing
both positive and negative actions taken in response to reporting/discussing the one situation.
Figure 140.
Positive and/or Negative Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One
Situation for Coast Guard (Q62)

The top four positive and negative actions taken in response to reporting/discussing the one
situation for the Coast Guard are shown in Figure 141, and all actions are shown in Table 36. As
shown in Figure 141, the positive action selected most by Coast Guard women was someone
talked to the person(s) to ask them to change their behavior (40%), which showed a statistically
significant decrease from 2014 (13 percentage points). More than one-third (35%) of women
indicated the rules of harassment were explained to everyone in the workplace, which showed a
statistically significant decrease from 2014 (21 percentage points). Additionally, 32% of women
indicated the person(s) stopped their upsetting behavior and 18% indicated their work station or
duties were changed to help them avoid the person(s).
The top negative action indicated by Coast Guard women was they were encouraged to drop the
issue (37%; Figure 141). Thirty-four percent of women also indicated the person they told took
no action, and 30% indicated their coworkers treated them worse, avoided them, or blamed them
for the problem. One-quarter (25%) of women indicated they were discouraged from filing a
formal complaint. There were no statistically significant differences between 2014 and 2016 for
negative actions experienced by Coast Guard women.
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As shown in Figure 141, the positive action selected most by Coast Guard men was someone
talked to the person(s) to ask them to change their behavior (44%). More than one-third (35%)
of men indicated the rules of harassment were explained to everyone in the workplace, which
showed a statistically significant decrease from 2014 (30 percentage points). Additionally, 34%
of men indicated the person(s) stopped their upsetting behavior, and 11% indicated their work
station or duties were changed to help them avoid the person(s).
The top negative actions indicated by Coast Guard men were they were encouraged to drop the
issue and the person they told took no action (38% for both; Figure 141). Further, 26% of men
indicated they were discouraged from filing a formal complaint, and 16% indicated their
coworkers treated them worse, avoided them, or blamed them for the problem.
Figure 141.
Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q62)

As shown in Table 36, compared to 2014, the percentage of those who indicated the person(s)
was/were moved/reassigned so that they did not have as much contact with member showed a
statistically significant decrease in 2016 for Coast Guard women (7 percentage points). Data are
not reportable for 2014 for Coast Guard men for all negative actions; therefore comparisons
between survey years are not possible.

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Table 36.
Actions Taken in Response to Reporting/Discussing the One Situation for Coast Guard (Q62)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Survey
Women
Year

Men

Positive Actions
The rules of harassment were explained to everyone in the workplace
Someone talked to the person(s) to ask them to change their behavior
Your work station or duties were changed to help you avoid that person(s)
The person(s) was/were moved/reassigned so that you did not have as much
contact with them
There was some official career action taken against the person(s) for their upsetting
behavior
The person(s) stopped their upsetting behavior

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error

35 
56
40 
53
18
23
11 
18
12
18
32
32

35 
65
44
NR
11
NR
10
NR
8
NR
34
NR

±3–6

±4–18

34
38
37
31
25
28
22
28
30
30
16
20

38
NR
38
NR
26
NR
18
NR
18
NR
17
NR

Negative Actions
The person you told took no action
You were encouraged to drop the issue
You were discouraged from filing a formal complaint
The person(s) who did this took action against you for complaining
Your coworkers treated you worse, avoided you, or blamed you for the problem
Your supervisor punished you for bringing it up

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error
±3–6
±4–11
Percent of Coast Guard members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation and reported/discussed with a supervisor/leadership

Satisfaction With Reporting/Discussing the One Situation
For those active duty members who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation and
either reported the situation or discussed the situation with their supervisor or someone in the
chain of command, they were asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with how the report
and/or discussion was handled.
DoD
Of the 50% of DoD women who reported or discussed the sex-based MEO violation with a
supervisor or someone in the chain of command, 21% indicated they were satisfied with the
responses/actions taken by the personnel handling their situation, which showed a statistically

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2017

significant decrease of 11 percentage points from 2014 (Figure 142). A little less than half
(47%) of women were dissatisfied with the responses/actions taken, which showed a statistically
significant increase of 12 percentage points from 2014.
In 2016, women in the Army (24%) were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate they were satisfied with the responses/actions taken, whereas Navy women (18%) were
less likely.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated they were satisfied with the
responses/actions taken by the personnel handling their situation showed a statistically
significant decrease in 2016 for Navy (14 percentage points), Army, and Air Force women (9
percentage points for both). Those who indicated they were dissatisfied with responses/actions
showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for women in all Services compared to 2014:
Navy (15 percentage points), Marine Corps (12 percentage points), Army (11 percentage points)
and Air Force (9 percentage points).
Figure 142.
Satisfaction With How the Reporting/Discussion Was Handled for DoD Women (Q63)

As shown in Figure 143, of the 37% of DoD men who indicated they reported or discussed the
sex-based MEO violation with a supervisor or someone in the chain of command, 21% indicated
they were satisfied, whereas a little less than half (45%) indicated they were dissatisfied with the
response/actions taken by the personnel handling their situation. There were no significant
differences among Services between 2014 and 2016 for DoD men on satisfaction with reporting/
discussing the one situation.

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Figure 143.
Satisfaction With How the Reporting/Discussion Was Handled for DoD Men (Q63)

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 144, of the 28% of Coast Guard women and 34% Coast Guard of men who
reported or discussed the sex-based MEO violation with a supervisor or someone in the chain of
command, a little more than one-fifth (21%) of women and a little less than one-third (31%) of
men indicated they were satisfied with the responses/actions taken by the personnel handling
their situation. For women, this showed a statistically significant decrease from 2014 of 10
percentage points. Less than half (44%) of women and 41% of men indicated they were
dissatisfied with the responses/actions taken by the personnel handling their situation
(statistically unchanged for men and women compared to 2014).

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Figure 144.
Satisfaction With How the Reporting/Discussion Was Handled for Coast Guard (Q63)

Reasons for Not Reporting/Discussing the One Situation With Someone in the
Chain of Command With the Expectation of Action
Active duty members who indicated they did not report or discuss their sex-based MEO violation
with leadership with the expectation for action to be taken were asked to indicate all applicable
reasons for deciding not to report or discuss the one situation.
DoD
As shown in Figure 145, the top 10 reasons DoD women selected for not reporting/discussing the
situation with someone in the chain of command with the expectation for action are shown and
the top three reasons endorsed are described. A little less than half (45%) of women indicated
they did not report because they wanted to forget about it and move on. Forty-five percent also
indicated they did not think anything would be done, and 43% of women indicated they thought
it was not serious enough to report.
For DoD men, 40% indicated they did not report because they did not think it was serious
enough to report. Thirty-nine percent of men indicated they did not think anything would be
done, and 37% indicated they wanted to forget about it and move on.

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Figure 145.
Reasons for Not Reporting/Discussing the One Situation With Someone in the Chain of
Command With the Expectation of Action for DoD (Q64)

As shown in Table 37, there is little difference between women in the Services on reasons for not
reporting. However, Air Force women were less likely than women in the other Services to
indicate they wanted to forget and move on (41%), they thought it would hurt their performance
evaluation (19%), they felt shamed or embarrassed (18%), they thought they would get in trouble
for something they did (7%), and they were concerned for their physical safety (1%). Air Force
women (48%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate it was not serious
enough to report, whereas Army women (38%) were less likely. Navy women (21%) were more
likely than women in the other Services to indicate the offensive behavior stopped on its own,
whereas Marine Corps women (14%) were less likely. Marine Corps women (42%) were more
likely than women in the other Services to indicate they did not want people to see them as weak.
Additionally, Army women were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate it
might hurt their career (29%) and they were worried about negative consequences by the
person(s) who did it (29%).

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Table 37.
Reasons for Not Reporting/Discussing the One Situation With Someone in the Chain of
Command With the Expectation of Action for DoD Women (Q64)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

The offensive behavior stopped on its own
You thought it was not serious enough to report
You did not want more people to know
You did not want people to see you as weak
You did not know who to discuss with/report the situation to
You wanted to forget about it and move on
You did not think anything would be done
You did not think you would be believed
You did not trust that the process would be fair
You felt partially to blame
You thought other people would blame you
You thought you might get in trouble for something you did
You thought you might be labeled as a troublemaker
You felt shamed or embarrassed
You were concerned for your physical safety
You thought it might hurt your performance evaluation
You thought it might hurt your career
You did not want to hurt the person’s career or family
You were worried about negative consequences by the
person(s) who did it
You were worried about negative consequences by
supervisor or someone in chain of command
You were worried about negative consequences from your
military coworkers or peers
You took other actions to handle the situation

Marine
Corps

Navy

Air
Force

Lower Response

18
43
29
35
10
45
45
21
36
12
20
9
32
20
3
22
27
23

17
38
29
33
9
45
43
21
36
11
20
9
33
20
3
23
29
23

21
44
28
36
12
47
46
21
37
12
20
11
31
20
3
23
26
25

14
44
33
42
12
46
46
23
36
14
25
8
32
24
3
21
24
23

17
48
27
34
9
41
47
19
34
12
18
7
30
18
1
19
25
21

28

29

28

26

25

26

29

25

24

25

37
24

36
25

40
24

37
21

36
26

Margins of Error
±1–2
±2–3
±2–4
±3–7
±1–4
Percent of active duty women who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation and did not report/discuss with chain of command for
action

As shown in Table 38, men in the Army were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate they did not report/discuss the situation with the chain of command with expectation for
action because they thought they would be labeled as a troublemaker (28%), they were worried
about negative consequences from the chain of command (28%), and they were worried about
negative consequences from the person(s) who did it (26%), but were less likely to indicate they
thought it was not serious enough to report (35%). Navy men were less likely than men in the
other Services to indicate they thought they would be labeled as a troublemaker (21%) and they
felt shamed or embarrassed (11%). Marine Corps men (20%) were less likely than men in the
other Services to indicate they were worried about negative consequences by their supervisor or
someone in their chain of command. Additionally, Air Force men (33%) were more likely than

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men in the other Services to indicate they were worried about negative consequences from their
peers, whereas Marine Corps men were less likely (23%). Air Force men (1%) were less likely
than men in the other Services to indicate they were concerned for their physical safety.
Table 38.
Reasons for Not Reporting/Discussing the One Situation With Someone in the Chain of
Command With the Expectation of Action for DoD Men (Q64)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

The offensive behavior stopped on its own
You thought it was not serious enough to report
You did not want more people to know
You did not want people to see you as weak
You did not know who to discuss with/report the situation to
You wanted to forget about it and move on
You did not think anything would be done
You did not think you would be believed
You did not trust that the process would be fair
You felt partially to blame
You thought other people would blame you
You thought you might get in trouble for something you did
You thought you might be labeled as a troublemaker
You felt shamed or embarrassed
You were concerned for your physical safety
You thought it might hurt your performance evaluation
You thought it might hurt your career
You did not want to hurt the person’s career or family
You were worried about negative consequences by the
person(s) who did it
You were worried about negative consequences by
supervisor or someone in chain of command
You were worried about negative consequences from your
military coworkers or peers
You took other actions to handle the situation

Marine
Corps

Navy

Air
Force

Lower Response

19
40
19
27
8
37
39
18
31
6
12
8
24
14
4
21
24
20

19
35
20
27
8
38
39
19
32
6
12
9
28
15
6
21
26
20

20
42
20
26
8
38
39
18
31
6
11
9
21
11
4
22
23
21

18
42
16
28
8
34
40
20
33
5
12
7
21
15
4
20
21
21

19
43
17
27
9
36
38
15
32
6
13
7
27
14
1
20
23
20

22

26

20

20

22

24

28

23

20

22

29
24

32
23

28
25

23
22

33
23

Margins of Error
±2–3
±2–4
±3–5
±3–6
±2–4
Percent of active duty men who indicated experiencing a sex-based MEO violation and did not report/discuss with chain of command for action

Coast Guard
As shown in Table 39, the top reason Coast Guard women did not report/discuss the situation
with someone in the chain of command with the expectation for corrective action was they
thought it was not serious enough to report (56%). Forty-one percent indicated they wanted to
forget about it and move on, whereas 38% indicated they did not think anything would be done.

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For Coast Guard men, 40% indicated they did not report/discuss the situation with someone in
the chain of command with the expectation for corrective action because they did not think it was
serious enough to report (Table 39). Thirty-four percent of men indicated they wanted to forget
about it and move on, whereas 30% indicated they did not think anything would be done.
Table 39.
Reasons for Not Reporting/Discussing the One Situation With Someone in Chain of
Command With Expectation for Action for Coast Guard (Q64)
Women
The offensive behavior stopped on its own
You thought it was not serious enough to report
You did not want more people to know
You did not want people to see you as weak
You did not know who to discuss with/report the situation to
You wanted to forget about it and move on
You did not think anything would be done
You did not think you would be believed
You did not trust that the process would be fair
You felt partially to blame
You thought other people would blame you
You thought you might get in trouble for something you did
You thought you might be labeled as a troublemaker
You felt shamed or embarrassed
You were concerned for your physical safety
You thought it might hurt your performance evaluation/fitness report
You thought it might hurt your career
You did not want to hurt the person’s career or family
You were worried about negative consequences by the person(s) who did it
You were worried about negative consequences by supervisor or someone in chain of command
You were worried about negative consequences from your military coworkers or peers
You took other actions to handle the situation
Margins of Error

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Men

18
56
25
34
10
41
38
17
31
11
20
11
32
19
2
23
26
18
28
27
34
30
±2–9

23
40
12
21
6
34
30
10
23
4
7
5
22
10
1
14
18
19
19
16
23
23
±1–4

2017

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Chapter 8:
Training on Topics Related to Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment
Mr. Michael Siebel and Ms. Amanda Grifka

Introduction
This chapter provides information on sexual assault and sexual harassment training—the
percentage of active duty members who had training in the past 12 months, information on
various aspects of training, effectiveness of training, and awareness of resources for prevention
of and response to sexual assault.
Results are reported for 2016 and trend comparisons to the 2014 RMWS are provided where data
are available.

Training on Topics Related to Sexual Assault
DoD
As shown in Figure 146, the vast majority of DoD women (96%) received training on topics
related to sexual assault in the past 12 months, which compared to 2014, showed a statistically
significant decrease of 1 percentage point. In 2016, Navy women (97%) were more likely than
women in the other Services to indicate receiving sexual assault training, whereas Army women
(95%) were less likely. Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated receiving
sexual assault training showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for Air Force (3
percentage points) and Army women (2 percentage points).
Figure 146.
Training During the Last 12 Months on Topics Related to Sexual Assault for DoD Women
(Q199)

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As shown in Figure 147, the vast majority of DoD men (97%) received training on topics related
to sexual assault in the past 12 months, which compared to 2014, showed a statistically
significant decrease of 1 percentage point. In 2016, Navy men (98%) were more likely than men
in the other Services to indicate receiving sexual assault training, whereas Army men (96%)
were less likely. Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated receiving sexual
assault training showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for Navy and Air Force men
(1 percentage point for both).
Figure 147.
Training During the Last 12 Months on Topics Related to Sexual Assault for DoD Men
(Q199)

Coast Guard
The vast majority of Coast Guard members (96% of women and 98% of men) received training
on topics related to sexual assault in the past 12 months (Figure 148). Compared to 2014, this
showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for women (3 percentage points) and men (1
percentage point).

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Figure 148.
Training During the Last 12 Months on Topics Related to Sexual Assault for Coast Guard
(Q199)

Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Assault Training
Members who indicated they had training in the past 12 months on sexual assault were asked
about the effectiveness/relevance of training topics related to sexual assault, such as training
provides a good understanding of what actions are considered sexual assault and whether it
explained how sexual assault is a mission readiness problem.
DoD
Across all topics of sexual assault training, the majority of DoD members (81%–95% of women,
87%–95% of men) indicated training was effective (Table 40 and Table 41). The percentage of
women and men who rated the effectiveness of sexual assault training showed a statistically
significant increase in 2016 on all metrics compared to 2014 (2–4 percentage points for women
and 3–5 percentage points for men).
In general, women in the Navy and Air Force were more likely than women in the other Services
to agree their Service’s training was effective, and Army women were less likely (Table 40). For
example, women in the Air Force (94%) were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate their Service’s training provides a good understanding of what actions are considered
sexual assault, whereas Army women (93%) were less likely. Air Force women (94%) were also
more likely than women in the other Services to indicate training teaches you to intervene when
you witness a situation involving a fellow Service member, whereas Army women (91%) were
less likely. Air Force women were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate
training explains reporting options available if a sexual assault occurs (95%) and training
identifies the point of contact for reporting (96%). Army women were less likely than women in
the other Services to indicate training explains the reporting options (94%) and training identifies
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the point of contact for reporting (92%). Additionally, Air Force women were more likely than
women in the other Services to indicate training explains the resources available to victims
(94%) and explains that, in addition to women, men can experience sexual assault (95%),
whereas Army women were less likely (training explains the resources available to victims
[92%] and training explains men can be victims too [93%]).
Women in the Navy were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate their
Service’s training teaches how to intervene when you witness a situation involving a fellow
Service member (94%), teaches how to avoid situations that might increase the risk of sexual
assault (91%), and teaches how to obtain medical care following a sexual assault (91%).
Additionally, women in the Navy and Marine Corps were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate training teaches that the consumption of alcohol may increase the likelihood
of sexual assault (93% Navy and 94% Marine Corps) and explains how sexual assault is a
mission readiness problem (91% Navy and 92% Marine Corps).
Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated topics were effective and/or relevant
to sexual assault training showed a statistically significant increase in general for Army (2–4
percentage points), Navy (3–6 percentage points), and Marine Corps women (5–6 percentage
points).

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Table 40.
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Assault Training for DoD Women (Q200)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
Provides a good understanding of what actions are
considered sexual assault
Teaches that the consumption of alcohol may
increase the likelihood of sexual assault
Teaches how to avoid situations that might
increase risk of being a victim of sexual assault
Teaches how to intervene when you witness a
situation involving a fellow Service member
Teaches how to obtain medical care following a
sexual assault
Explains the role of the chain of command in
handling sexual assault allegations
Explains the reporting options available if a
sexual assault occurs
Identifies the point of contact for reporting sexual
assault (e.g., SARC, VA)
Explains how sexual assault is a mission readiness
problem
Explains the recourses available to victims (e.g.,
Safe Helpline)
Explains that, in addition to women, men can
experience sexual assault*
Highlights engagement of chain of command
outside of formal training*
Explains use of social media and community to
engage with SAPR prevention*

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

94 
90
92 
90
90 
87
93 
90
90 
86
90 
87
95 
91
94 
91
90 
88
93 
89
94
NA
86
NA
81
NA

Margins of Error
±1
Percent of active duty women who received sexual assault training in the past 12 month
*Denotes new item for 2016 WGRA and therefore not comparable to 2014 RMWS

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

93 
90
92
90
90 
87
91 
89
89 
86
90 
86
94 
90
92 
89
90 
88
92 
88
93
NA
85
NA
81
NA

94 
88
93 
89
91 
85
94 
88
91 
85
90 
84
95 
89
94 
90
91 
88
93 
88
95
NA
85
NA
82
NA

94 
88
94 
88
91 
86
93 
88
90 
84
91 
85
95 
89
94 
88
92 
84
94 
88
94
NA
87
NA
81
NA

94 
93
91
92
89
89
94 
92
90
89
91
90
95 
94
96 
94
89
90
94 
92
95
NA
86
NA
81
NA

±1-2

±1-3

±2-5

±1-2

As shown in Table 41, in 2016, there was little difference between Services for men on their
views of effectiveness of sexual assault training, with the exceptions of Air Force and Army
men. Air Force men generally were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate sexual
assault training was effective, and Army men were less likely. For example, men in the Air
Force (94%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate their Service’s training
explains the role of the chain of command in handling sexual assault allegations, whereas Army
men (93%) were less likely. Air Force men were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate training explains the reporting options available if sexual assault occurs (96%), whereas
Army (95%) and Marine Corps men (94%) were less likely. Air Force men were more likely
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than men in the other Services to indicate training identifies the point of contact for reporting
sexual assault (96%), whereas Army and Marine Corps men (94% for both) were less likely.
Additionally, Air Force men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate training
explains resources available to victims (95%) and highlights engagement of chain of command
outside of formal training (91%), whereas Army men were less likely (explains resources
available [94%] and highlights chain of command outside of formal training [90%]). Men in the
Marine Corps (93%) and Navy (93%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate
training teaches how to avoid situations that might increase risk of being a victim of sexual
assault, whereas Air Force men (91%) were less likely.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated topics were effective and/or relevant to
sexual assault training showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Army (2–4
percentage points), Navy (4–6 percentage points), Marine Corps (4–6 percentage points), and Air
Force men (1–2 percentage points).

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Table 41.
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Assault Training for DoD Men (Q200)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Provides a good understanding of what actions are
considered sexual assault
Teaches that the consumption of alcohol may
increase the likelihood of sexual assault
Teaches how to avoid situations that might
increase risk of being a victim of sexual assault
Teaches how to intervene when you witness a
situation involving a fellow Service member
Teaches how to obtain medical care following a
sexual assault
Explains the role of the chain of command in
handling sexual assault allegations
Explains the reporting options available if a
sexual assault occurs
Identifies the point of contact for reporting sexual
assault (e.g., SARC, VA)
Explains how sexual assault is a mission readiness
problem
Explains the recourses available to victims (e.g.,
Safe Helpline)
Explains that, in addition to women, men can
experience sexual assault*
Highlights engagement of chain of command
outside of formal training*
Explains use of social media and community to
engage with SAPR prevention*

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

94 
90
94 
91
92 
88
94 
89
93 
88
93 
89
95 
91
95 
91
93 
90
94 
90
93
NA
91
NA
87
NA

Margins of Error
±1–2
Percent of active duty men who received sexual assault training in the past 12 month
*Denotes new item for 2016 WGRA and therefore not comparable to 2014 RMWS

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

94 
88
94 
88
92 
85
93 
87
92 
85
93 
86
95 
88
94 
88
93 
87
94 
87
93
NA
90
NA
86
NA

95 
92
94
93
93
90
94 
92
93 
90
93 
91
95 
92
95
93
93
92
94
92
93
NA
90
NA
86
NA

94 
91
94
90
93
90
93 
89
92
89
93 
89
94
91
94 
89
93
88
94 
89
93
NA
91
NA
87
NA

94 
92
93
93
91
90
94 
91
93 
90
94 
92
96 
93
96 
94
93
92
95 
93
93
NA
91
NA
87
NA

±1–3

±1–3

±1–5

±1–2

Coast Guard
As shown in Table 42, the majority of Coast Guard members (90%–97% of women, 94%–97%
of men) indicated the majority of the aspects of training regarding sexual assault were effective.
For example, 83% of Coast Guard women and 92% of men indicated training effectively
highlights engagement of chain of command outside of formal training. Seventy-three percent of
women and 85% of men indicated training explains the use of social media and community to
engage with SAPR prevention.

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Compared to 2014, the percentage of those who indicated they agree training provides an
effective and/or relevant understanding of sexual assault showed a statistically significant
increase on all topics in 2016 for Coast Guard women (4–8 percentage points) and Coast Guard
men (4–7 percentage points).
Table 42.
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Assault Training for Coast Guard (Q200)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Provides a good understanding of what actions are considered sexual assault
Teaches that the consumption of alcohol may increase the likelihood of sexual
assault
Teaches how to avoid situations that might increase risk of being a victim of sexual
assault
Teaches how to intervene when you witness a situation involving a fellow Service
member
Teaches how to obtain medical care following a sexual assault
Explains the role of the chain of command in handling sexual assault allegations
Explains the reporting options available if a sexual assault occurs
Identifies the point of contact for reporting sexual assault (e.g., SARC, VA)
Explains how sexual assault is a mission readiness problem
Explains the recourses available to victims (e.g., Safe Helpline)
Explains that, in addition to women, men can experience sexual assault*
Highlights engagement of chain of command outside of formal training*
Explains use of social media and community to engage with SAPR prevention*

Survey
Year

Women

Men

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

96 
91
96 
92
92 
88
93 
87
91 
83
91 
84
97 
91
96 
88
90 
86
94 
87
95
NA
83
NA
73
NA

96 
92
96 
92
95 
90
95 
88
94 
87
95 
90
97 
91
96 
90
94 
90
96 
90
95
NA
92
NA
85
NA

±1–2

±1–2

Margins of Error
Percent of Coast Guard members who received sexual assault training in the past 12 month
*Denotes new item for 2016 WGRA and therefore not comparable to 2014 RMWS

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Training on Topics Related to Sexual Harassment
DoD
As shown in Figure 149, the vast majority of DoD women (95%) received training on topics
related to sexual harassment in the past 12 months, which compared to 2014, showed a
statistically significant decrease in 2016 (2 percentage points).
Navy women (96%) were more likely than women in the other Services to receive training on
topics related to sexual harassment in the past 12 months, whereas Air Force women (93%) were
less likely (Figure 149). Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated receiving
training on sexual harassment in the past 12 months showed a statistically significant decrease in
2016 for Air Force (4 percentage points) and Army women (2 percentage points).
Figure 149.
Training During the Last 12 Months on Topics Related to Sexual Harassment for DoD
Women (Q201)

As shown in Figure 150, the vast majority of DoD men (96%) received training on topics related
to sexual harassment in the past 12 months, which compared to 2014, showed a statistically
significant decrease in 2016 (2 percentage points).
Navy men (97%) were more likely than men in the other Services to receive training on topics
related to sexual harassment in the past 12 months, whereas Air Force men (96%) were less
likely (Figure 150). Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated receiving training
on sexual harassment in past 12 months showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for
Air Force and Marine Corps men(2 percentage points for both), and Navy men (1 percentage
point).

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Figure 150.
Training During the Last 12 Months on Topics Related to Sexual Harassment for DoD Men
(Q201)

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 151, the vast majority of Coast Guard members (95% of women and 97% of
men) received training on topics related to sexual harassment in the past 12 months. Compared
to 2014, this showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for Coast Guard women (2
percentage points) but remained statistically unchanged since 2014 for Coast Guard men.

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Figure 151.
Training During the Last 12 Months on Topics Related to Sexual Harassment for Coast
Guard (Q201)

Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Harassment Training
Members who indicated receiving training in the past 12 months on sexual harassment were
asked about a series of topics related to sexual harassment, such as whether training explained
that, in addition to women, men can experience sexual harassment and whether it identified the
point of contact for reporting sexual harassment complaints. Members were asked to indicate the
level of effectiveness/relevance for each item.
DoD
The vast majority of DoD members (91%–94% of women, 94%–95% of men), indicated their
Service’s sexual harassment training was effective in conveying relevant information (Figure
152). Ninety-two percent of women and 95% of men indicated their training explains the role of
the chain of command in handling sexual harassment complaints. Ninety-four percent of women
and 95% of men indicated training identifies the point of contact for reporting sexual harassment
complaints, whereas 91% of women and 94% of men indicated training explains sexual
harassment is a mission readiness problem. Additionally, 94% of women and men indicated
training explains that, in addition to women, men can be experience sexual harassment.

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Figure 152.
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Harassment Training for DoD (Q202)

As shown in Table 43, there is little difference between Services among DoD women on their
views of effectiveness of sexual harassment training, with the exceptions of Air Force and Army.
Air Force women (94%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate their
Service’s sexual harassment training identifies the points of contact for reporting sexual
harassment complaints. Women in the Air Force (95%) were also more likely than women in the
other Services to indicate their Service’s sexual harassment training explains that, in addition to
women, men can experience sexual harassment, whereas Army women (93%) were less likely.
Similar to DoD women, there is little difference between Services for DoD men on their views of
the effectiveness of sexual harassment training, with the exception of the Air Force (Table 43).
Air Force men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate their Service’s sexual
harassment training explains the role of the chain of command in handling sexual harassment
complaints (95%) and identifies the points of contact for reporting sexual harassment (96%).

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Table 43.
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Harassment Training for DoD (Q202)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Navy

Higher Response

Women
Explains the role of the chain of command in handling sexual
harassment complaints
Identifies the point of contact for reporting sexual harassment
complaints
Explains how sexual harassment is a mission readiness
problem
Explains that, in addition to women, men can experience
sexual harassment

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

92

92

91

92

92

94

93

93

93

94

91

91

92

91

91

94

93

94

93

95

±1

±1

±1

±2

±1

95

95

95

94

95

95

95

95

95

96

94

94

94

94

94

94

94

94

94

94

Margins of Error
±1
±1
Percent of active duty members who received sexual harassment training in the past 12 months

±1

±1

±1

Margins of Error

Men
Explains the role of the chain of command in handling sexual
harassment complaints
Identifies the point of contact for reporting sexual harassment
complaints
Explains how sexual harassment is a mission readiness
problem
Explains that, in addition to women, men can experience
sexual harassment

Coast Guard
The vast majority of Coast Guard members (90%–95% of women and 94%–96% of men)
indicated their Service’s sexual harassment training is effective in conveying relevant
information (Figure 153). Ninety-three percent of Coast Guard women and 96% of Coast Guard
men indicated their training explains the role of the chain of command in handling sexual
harassment complaints. Ninety-three percent of women and 96% of men indicated training
identifies the point of contact for reporting sexual harassment complaints, whereas 90% of
women and 95% of men indicated training explains sexual harassment is a mission readiness
problem. Additionally, 95% of women and men indicated training explains that, in addition to
women, men can experience sexual harassment.

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Figure 153.
Effectiveness/Relevance of Sexual Harassment Training for Coast Guard (Q202)

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Chapter 9:
Military Workplace Climate
Mr. Hunter Peebles, Ms. Amanda Grifka, and Ms. Lisa Davis

Introduction
This chapter examines various topics related to the workplace climate within the military. One
of the main topics covered within this section is bystander intervention—witnessing a
problematic situation that potentially involved sexual assault, the actions taken in response to
observing the harmful situation, and what contributed to the decision to intervene. Other
important topics on military workplace climate that are discussed below include positive actions
and/or behaviors demonstrated by military members within the workplace, female coworkers in
the workplace, and the use of social media in the workplace.
Results are reported for 2016 and trend comparisons to the 2014 RMWS are provided where data
are available.

Likelihood to Encourage a Member to Come Forward to Report Sexual
Assault and/or Sexual Harassment
Active duty members were asked how likely they would be to encourage a member to come
forward to report sexual assault and/or sexual harassment, to tell a military supervisor about
sexual harassment if it happened to them, and to report a sexual assault if it happened to them.
DoD
As shown in Table 44 and Table 45, the majority of DoD women and men indicated they would
encourage a member to come forward to report sexual assault and/or sexual harassment.
Overall, women in the Army were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate that
they would be more likely to encourage a member to come forward to report, whereas Marine
Corps women were less likely (Table 44). For example, Army women were more likely than
women in the other Services to indicate they would be likely to encourage someone who has
experienced sexual assault to report it (95%), to encourage someone who has experienced sexual
harassment to tell a military supervisor (91%), to tell a military supervisor about sexual
harassment if it happened to them (79%), and to report a sexual assault if it happened to them
(87%). Moreover, Marine Corps women were less likely than women in the other Services to
indicate they would be likely to encourage someone who has experienced sexual assault to report
it (91%), to tell a military supervisor about sexual harassment if it happened to them (71%), and
to report a sexual assault if it happened to them (78%).
Additionally, women in the Air Force (97%) were more likely than women in the other Services
to indicate they would be likely to encourage someone who has experienced sexual assault to
seek counseling, while Marine Corps women (94%) were less likely. Air Force women were less
likely than women in the other Services to indicate they would be likely to encourage someone to
tell a military supervisor (87%) and to tell a military supervisor if it happened to them (75%).

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Navy women were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate they would be likely
to encourage someone who has experienced sexual assault to report it (93%) and to encourage
someone who has experienced sexual harassment to tell a military supervisor (87%).
As shown in Table 44, compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated they would be
likely to encourage someone who has experienced sexual assault to seek counseling and
encourage someone who has experienced sexual assault to report it showed statistically
significant increases in 2016 for Army (3 percentage points for each) and Navy women (3
percentage points and 4 percentage points, respectively). The percentage of women who
indicated they would be likely to tell a military supervisor about sexual harassment if it happened
to them showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Army (5 percentage points), Navy
(5 percentage points), and Air Force women (2 percentage points). The percentage of women
who indicated they would report a sexual assault if it happened to them showed a statistically
significant increase in 2016 for Army (5 percentage points), Navy (3 percentage points), and Air
Force women (2 percentage points).

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Table 44.
Likelihood to Encourage a Member to Come Forward to Report for DoD Women (Q177)
Within Service Comparisons

2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Likely
Would encourage someone who has experienced
sexual harassment to tell a military supervisor
Would encourage someone who has experienced
sexual assault to seek counseling
Would encourage someone who has experienced
sexual assault to report it
Would tell a military supervisor about sexual
harassment if it happened to you
Report a sexual assault if it happened to you

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error

Unlikely
Would encourage someone who has experienced
sexual harassment to tell a military supervisor
Would encourage someone who has experienced
sexual assault to seek counseling
Would encourage someone who has experienced
sexual assault to report it
Would tell a military supervisor about sexual
harassment if it happened to you
Report a sexual assault if it happened to you

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error

89
88
97 
94
94 
91
77 
72
85 
82
±1–2

5
4
1
2
2
2
11
13
7
8
±1

91
89
96 
93
95 
92
79 
74
87 
82
±1–2

4
4
1
2
2
2
10 
13
6
8
±1–2

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

87
85
96 
93
93 
89
76 
71
84 
81

87
86
94
90
91
88
71
69
78
78

±1–3

±2–5

5
4
1
1
2
2
11
13
7
8

5
5
1
3
2
3
13
15
9
10

±1–3

±1–4

87
88
97
97
94
94
75 
73
85 
83
±1–2

5
4
1
1
1
1
12 
14
6
7
±1–2

Percent of active duty women

Overall, men in the Army and Air Force were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate they would be likely to encourage a member to come forward to report, while men in the
Marine Corps were less likely (Table 45). For example, Army (95%) and Air Force men (96%)
were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate they would be likely to encourage
someone who has experienced sexual assault to report it, whereas men in the Marine Corps
(92%) were less likely. Similarly, men in the Army (91%) and Air Force (90%) were more likely
than men in the other Services to indicate they would be likely to report a sexual assault if it
happened to them, whereas Navy (89%) and Marine Corps (86%) were less likely. Additionally,
men in the Army (93%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate they would
be likely to encourage someone who has experienced sexual harassment to tell a military
supervisor, whereas men in the Marine Corps (90%) and Air Force (92%) were less likely. Men
in the Army (87%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate they would be
likely to tell a military supervisor about sexual harassment if it happened to them, whereas Navy
(84%) and Marine Corps men (82%) were less likely. Air Force men (97%) were more likely
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than men in the other Services to indicate they would be likely to encourage someone who has
experienced sexual assault to seek counseling, whereas Marine Corps men (93%) were less
likely.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated they would be likely to encourage
someone who has experienced sexual assault to seek counseling showed a statistically significant
increase in 2016 for Army (4 percentage points) and Air Force men (2 percentage points; Table
45). The percentage of men who indicated they would be likely to encourage someone who has
experienced sexual assault to report it showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for
Army (2 percentage points) and Air Force men (1 percentage point), as well as their likelihood to
report sexual assault if it happened to them (Army men by 4 percentage points and Air Force
men by 1 percentage point). The percentage of men who indicated they would be likely to tell a
military supervisor about sexual harassment if it happened to them showed a statistically
significant increase in 2016 for Army men (3 percentage points).
Table 45.
Likelihood to Encourage a Member to Come Forward to Report for DoD Men (Q177)
Within Service Comparisons

2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Likely
Would encourage someone who has experienced
sexual harassment to tell a military supervisor
Would encourage someone who has experienced
sexual assault to seek counseling
Would encourage someone who has experienced
sexual assault to report it
Would tell a military supervisor about sexual
harassment if it happened to you
Report a sexual assault if it happened to you

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error

Unlikely
Would encourage someone who has experienced
sexual harassment to tell a military supervisor
Would encourage someone who has experienced
sexual assault to seek counseling
Would encourage someone who has experienced
sexual assault to report it
Would tell a military supervisor about sexual
harassment if it happened to you
Report a sexual assault if it happened to you

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error
Percent of active duty men

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92
91
95 
94
95
94
85
84
89 
88
±1–2

3
2
1
2
1
2
6
6
4
5
±1

93
91
96 
92
95 
93
87 
84
91 
87
±1–3

2
3
1
2
1
2
5
6
4
6
±1–2

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

92
91
95
97
94
96
84
84
89
89

90
90
93
93
92
93
82
83
86
87

±1–6

±1–4

3
2
1
1
1
1
7
5
4
4
±1–4

3
2
2
2
2
2
7
7
5
5
±1–4

92
91
97 
95
96 
95
85
83
90 
89
±1–2

2
3
1
2
1
2
6
7
3
4
±1

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2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members

Coast Guard
As shown in Table 46, the vast majority of Coast Guard members were likely to indicate they
would encourage someone who has experienced sexual assault to seek counseling (98% of
women and 97% of men), report a sexual assault if it happened to them (94% of women and 97%
of men), and encourage someone who has experienced sexual harassment to tell a military
supervisor (91% of women and 95% of men). The majority of members (80% of women and
90% of men) were likely to indicate they would tell a military supervisor if sexual harassment
happened to them and report sexual assault if it happened to them (87% of women and 93% of
men).
Compared to 2014, the percentage of those who indicated they would be likely to encourage
someone who has experienced sexual assault to seek counseling showed a statistically significant
increase in 2016 for Coast Guard women and men (1 percentage point for each). The percentage
who indicated they would be likely to report a sexual assault if it happened to them showed a
statistically significant increase in 2016 for women (3 percentage points) and men (2 percentage
points). Additionally, the percentage of those who indicated they would be likely to tell a
military supervisor about sexual harassment if it happened to them showed a statistically
significant increase in 2016 for Coast Guard women (3 percentage points).

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Table 46.
Likelihood to Encourage a Member to Come Forward to Report for Coast Guard (Q177)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Survey
Women
Year

Likely
Would encourage someone who has experienced sexual harassment to tell a military
supervisor
Would encourage someone who has experienced sexual assault to seek counseling
Would encourage someone who has experienced sexual assault to report it
Would tell a military supervisor about sexual harassment if it happened to you
Report a sexual assault if it happened to you

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error

Unlikely
Would encourage someone who has experienced sexual harassment to tell a military
supervisor
Would encourage someone who has experienced sexual assault to seek counseling
Would encourage someone who has experienced sexual assault to report it
Would tell a military supervisor about sexual harassment if it happened to you
Report a sexual assault if it happened to you

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error

91
90
98 
97
94
94
80 
77
87 
84
±1–2

3
3
<1
1
1
1
9
10
5
7
±1–2

Men

95
95
97 
96
97
96
90
88
93 
91
±1–2

1
2
1
1
1
1
3
5
2
3
±1–2

Percent of all Coast Guard members

Bystander Intervention
Bystander intervention involves members maintaining vigilance and acting to prevent sexual
assault. It focuses on perpetrators of sexual assault and on changing social norms around
appropriate sexual behavior in a social setting. To gauge the extent of bystander intervention,
members were asked whether they had observed a situation they believed was, or could have led
to, sexual assault and, if so, whether and how they had intervened, and what led them to decide
to intervene.
Observed a Potential Sexual Assault Situation
DoD
As shown in Figure 154, 8% of DoD women indicated they observed a situation in the past 12
months they believed was, or could have led to, a sexual assault. As shown in Table 47,
compared to 2014, this showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for DoD women (3

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percentage points). Of this 8% of DoD women who observed a potential sexual assault situation,
the vast majority (92%) indicated they took action.
Figure 154.
Observed a Potential Sexual Assault Situation and Whether Action Was Taken for DoD
Women (Q178–Q179)

As shown in Figure 155, 4% of DoD men indicated they observed a situation in the past 12
months they believed was, or could have led to, a sexual assault. As shown in Table 47,
compared to 2014, this showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for DoD men (2
percentage points). Of this 4% of DoD men who observed a potential sexual assault situation,
the majority (89%) indicated they took action.

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Figure 155.
Observed a Potential Sexual Assault Situation and Whether Action Was Taken for DoD Men
(Q178–Q179)

Table 47 shows in 2016, women in the Marine Corps (12%) and Navy (10%) were more likely
than women in the other Services to indicate observing a potential sexual assault situation in the
past 12 months, whereas Air Force women (6%) were less likely. Compared to 2014, the
percentage of women who indicated they observed a situation they believed was, or could have
led to, a sexual assault showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for Army (4 percentage
points), Navy (3 percentage points), and Air Force women (2 percentage points). There were no
significant differences within Services for women who indicated they took action in response to
observing a potential sexual assault in 2016. Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who
indicated they took action in response to observing a potential sexual assault showed a
statistically significant decrease in 2016 for Air Force women (3 percentage points).
Similar observations were found among DoD men in 2016 (Table 47). Men in the Navy and
Marine Corps (5% for both) were more likely than men in the other Services to observe a
potential sexual assault situation, whereas Air Force men (3%) were less likely. Compared to
2014, the percentage of men who indicated they observed a situation they believed was, or could
have led to, a sexual assault showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for Navy (3
percentage points) and Air Force men (1 percentage point). There were no significant
differences within Services from 2014 to 2016 for men who indicated they took action.
Related to bystander intervention, members were also asked to what extent they agreed it is their
duty to confront a fellow Service member from doing something potentially harmful to
themselves or others in social situations. In 2016, 93% of women indicated that in a social
setting, it is their duty to confront a fellow Service member from doing something potentially
harmful to themselves or others, which showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 by 1
percentage point. Women in the Air Force (95%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate that in a social setting, it is their duty to confront a fellow Service member
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from doing something potentially harmful to themselves or others, whereas Army women (92%)
were less likely. Compared to 2014, this showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for
Marine Corps (5 percentage points) and Navy women (3 percentage points).
For DoD men, 94% of men indicated that in a social setting, it is their duty to confront a fellow
Service member from doing something potentially harmful to themselves or others, which
showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 by 3 percentage points. Men in the Air Force
(95%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate that in a social setting, it is
their duty to confront a fellow Service member from doing something potentially harmful to
themselves or others, whereas Army and Marine Corps men (both 93%) were less likely.
Compared to 2014, this showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Army men (4
percentage points).

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Table 47.
Bystander Intervention for DoD (Q178–Q179, Q203a)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Within Service Comparisons
Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

Women
Observed a potential sexual assault situation (Q178)
2016
2014

Yes

Margins of Error

8
11
±1

8
12
±1–2

10 
13
±1–3

12
13
±2–4

6
8
±1

Of those who observed a potential sexual assault situation, took action in response to observing potential sexual
assault (Q179)
2016
92
92
92
92
93 
Yes
2014
93
90
93
NR
96
Margins of Error

±2–3

±4–6

±4–6

±5

±3

In a social setting, it is your duty to confront a fellow Service member from doing something potentially harmful
to themselves or others (Q203a)
2016
93 
92
92 
94 
95
Agree
2014
92
91
89
89
95
Margins of Error

±1

±1–2

±1–3

±2–4

±1

Men
Observed a potential sexual assault situation (Q178)
Yes

2016
2014
Margins of Error

4
6
±1

4
6
±1–2

5
8
±1–3

5
6
±1–4

3
4
±1

Of those who observed a potential sexual assault situation, took action in response to observing potential sexual
assault (Q179)
2016
89
88
89
91
90
Yes
2014
85
84
86
NR
88
Margins of Error

±2–6

±4–12

±3–13

±4

±3–8

In a social setting, it is your duty to confront a fellow Service member from doing something potentially harmful
to themselves or others (Q203a)
2016
94 
93 
93
93
95
Agree
2014
91
89
92
89
95
Margins of Error

±1–2

±1–2

±1–3

±1–4

±1

Percent of all active duty members

Coast Guard
For Coast Guard women, 5% indicated they observed a situation in the past 12 months they
believed was, or could have led to, a sexual assault (Figure 156). Compared to 2014, this
showed a statistically significant decrease for Coast Guard women in 2016 (3 percentage points).
Of this 5% of Coast Guard women who observed a potential sexual assault situation, the vast
majority (94%) indicated they took action (statistically unchanged since 2014; Table 48).

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Figure 156.
Observed a Potential Sexual Assault Situation and Whether Action Was Taken for Coast
Guard Women (Q178–Q179)

As shown in Figure 157, 2% of Coast Guard men indicated they observed a situation in the past
12 months they believed was, or could have led to, a sexual assault. Of this 2%, the vast
majority (92%) indicated they took action. There were no statistically significant differences
between 2014 and 2016 for Coast Guard men for observing and reacting to a potential sexual
assault situation (Table 48).

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Figure 157.
Observed a Potential Sexual Assault Situation and Whether Action Was Taken for Coast
Guard Men (Q178–Q179)

Related to bystander intervention, members were also asked to what extent they agreed it is their
duty to confront a fellow Service member from doing something potentially harmful to
themselves or others in social situations. As shown in Table 48, 96% of Coast Guard women
indicated in a social setting, it is their duty to confront a fellow Service member from doing
something potentially harmful to themselves or others, which showed a statistically significant
increase in 2016 by 5 percentage points. Additionally, 96% of Coast Guard men indicated in a
social setting, it is their duty to confront a fellow Service member from doing something
potentially harmful to themselves or others, which showed a statistically significant increase in
2016 by 3 percentage points.

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Table 48.
Bystander Intervention for Coast Guard (Q178–Q179, Q203a)
2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Survey Year

Women

Men

Observed a potential sexual assault situation (Q178)
Yes

2016
2014
Margins of Error

5
8
±1

2
3
±2

Of those who observed a potential sexual assault situation, took action in response to observing potential
sexual assault (Q179)
2016
94
92
Yes
2014
95
NR
Margins of Error

±4

±3

In a social setting, it is your duty to confront a fellow Service member from doing something potentially
harmful to themselves or others (Q203a)
2016
96 
96 
Agree
2014
91
93
Margins of Error

±1–2

±1–2

Percent of all Coast Guard members

Actions Taken in Response to Observing Potential Sexual Assault Situation
DoD
The top three actions taken in response to observing a potential sexual assault situation are the
same for DoD women and DoD men (Figure 158). More than a quarter (26%) of women and
20% of men asked the person who appeared to be at risk if they needed help. A little less than
one-quarter (23%) of women and men stepped in and separated the people involved.
Additionally, 13% of women and 17% of men indicated they confronted the person who
appeared to be causing the situation.

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Figure 158.
Actions Taken in Response to Observing Potential Sexual Assault Situation for DoD (Q179)

There is little difference among women in the Services, with the exception of Army women (4%)
who were less likely than women in the other Services to ask others to step in as a group and
diffuse the situation and Marine Corps women (19%) who were less likely to ask the person who
appeared to be at risk if they needed help (Table 49). There is also little difference between
women in 2014 and 2016 regarding actions taken. The exception is the percentage of women
who indicated they created a distraction to cause one or more of the people to disengage from the
situation, which showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for Air Force women (6
percentage points).
There is no difference among men in the Services on the likelihood to take certain actions (Table
49). However, compared to 2014, the percentage of Marine Corps men who indicated they asked
the person who appeared at risk if they needed help and created a distraction to cause one or
more of the people to disengage from the situation showed statistically significant increases in
2016 (13 percentage points and 14 percentage points, respectively). The percentage of men who
told someone in a position of authority about the situation showed a statistically significant
increase in 2016 for Navy men (5 percentage points).

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Table 49.
Actions Taken in Response to Observing Potential Sexual Assault Situation for DoD (Q179)
Within Service Comparisons

2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
You stepped in and separated the people involved
in the situation
You asked the person who appeared to be at risk if
they needed help
You confronted the person who appeared to be
causing the situation
You created a distraction to cause one or more of
the people to disengage from the situation
You asked others to step in as a group and diffuse
the situation
You told someone in a position of authority about
the situation
You considered intervening in the situation, but
you could not safely take any action
You decided to not take action

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error

Men
You stepped in and separated the people involved
in the situation
You asked the person who appeared to be at risk if
they needed help
You confronted the person who appeared to be
causing the situation
You created a distraction to cause one or more of
the people to disengage from the situation
You asked others to step in as a group and diffuse
the situation
You told someone in a position of authority about
the situation
You considered intervening in the situation, but
you could not safely take any action
You decided to not take action

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

23
24
26
23
13
15
13
17
6
4
12
10
3
3
5
4

22
25
25
19
13
18
13
10
4
2
14
15
2
5
6
5

21
21
28
26
12
14
14
20
7
5
10
6
5
2
4
5

28
24
19
18
16
13
13
24
7
9
11
7
3
NR
5
2

±2–4

±2–7

±2–9

±3–16

23
25
20
18
17
21
15
11
5
4
9
6
4
5
6
10

25
26
20
15
19
17
13
14
5
4
8
8
5
5
7
11

21
24
21
26
17
19
16
9
6
3
9
4
4
5
6
8

24
26
27
27
11
12
13 
19
6
5
11
8
3
2
4
2
±2–5

24
NR
21 
8
15
NR
17 
3
6
2
8
9
3
5
6
NR

25
20
21
18
16
23
14
18
5
4
9
6
5
3
6
9

Margins of Error
±1–9
±2–13
±3–18
±2–14
Percent of active duty members who witnessed a situation believed to be, or could have led to, a sexual assault in the past 12 months

±2–10

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Coast Guard
Figure 159 shows the top actions taken in response to observing a potential sexual assault
situation for Coast Guard women and men. Twenty-three percent of women and men stepped in
and separated the people involved, whereas 22% of women and 19% of men asked the person
who appeared to be at risk if they needed help. Additionally, 9% of Coast Guard women created
a distraction to cause one or more of the people disengage from the situation and 9% also told
someone in a position of authority. Sixteen percent of men confronted the person who appeared
to be causing the situation and 15% created a distraction.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of those who indicated they decided to not take action showed
a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Coast Guard men (4 percentage points). There
were no statistically significant differences between 2014 and 2016 for Coast Guard women
(Figure 159).
Figure 159.
Actions Taken in Response to Observing Potential Sexual Assault Situation for Coast Guard
(Q179)

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Reasons for Intervening
DoD
As shown in Figure 160, the most selected contribution to the decision to intervene in a situation
that was believed to be a sexual assault for DoD women and men (both 95%) was that it was the
right thing to do. Confidence in their ability to prevent a sexual assault was the second highest
selected contribution by 69% of women and 72% of men. Additionally, 65% of women and 66%
of men indicated a desire to uphold core military values was what led to the decision to
intervene.
Figure 160.
Reasons for Intervening for DoD (Q180)

In general, Air Force women were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate nearly
all of the contributions on their decision intervene (Table 50). For example, women in the Navy
were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate training on bystander invention
(69%) and another type of training related to sexual assault prevention (58%) contributed to their
decision to intervene, whereas Air Force women (training on bystander intervention [50%] and
another type of training [46%]) were less likely. Army women were more likely than women in
the other Services to indicate a desire to uphold core military values (71%), concern the situation
could hurt unit cohesion or morale (54%), and concern the situation could hurt duty performance
(49%), whereas Air Force women were less likely (desire to uphold core military values [57%],
harm to unit cohesion/morale [40%], and harm to duty performance [36%]).

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Similar to DoD women, men in the Army were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate nearly all of the reasons on their decision to intervene and Air Force men were less
likely (Table 50). For example, men in the Army were more likely than men in the other Services
to indicate a desire to uphold core military values (75%) and peer or coworker expectations
(55%), whereas Air Force men were less likely (desire to uphold core military values [54%] and
peer/coworker expectations [40%]). Additionally, men in the Navy (60%) and Army (58%)
were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate training on bystander intervention
contributed to their decision to intervene, whereas men in the Marine Corps and Air Force men
(44% for both) were less likely.
Table 50.
Reasons for Intervening for DoD (Q180)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
Training on bystander intervention
Another type of training related to sexual assault prevention
Unit leader expectations
Peer or coworker expectations
Desire to uphold core military values
Concern the situation could hurt unit cohesion or morale
Concern the situation could hurt duty performance
Confidence in my ability to prevent a sexual assault
Belief that others would view my actions positively
It was the right thing to do
Some other reason
Margins of Error

Men
Training on bystander intervention
Another type of training related to sexual assault prevention
Unit leader expectations
Peer or coworker expectations
Desire to uphold core military values
Concern the situation could hurt unit cohesion or morale
Concern the situation could hurt duty performance
Confidence in my ability to prevent a sexual assault
Belief that others would view my actions positively
It was the right thing to do
Some other reason

59
53
42
49
65
50
44
69
45
95
43
±2–3

54
48
50
52
66
54
48
72
48
95
38

69
58
42
50
64
51
45
71
47
95
43
±3–5

58
52
54
55
75
58
53
74
52
94
38

Air
Force

Lower Response

57
51
46
51
71
54
49
69
47
93
45
±3–5

Marine
Corps

Navy

52
53
49
49
67
55
45
66
45
95
49
±4–8

60
52
50
53
65
56
50
75
51
96
41

50
46
32
41
57
40
36
66
39
97
38
±2–5

44
43
52
54
63
52
46
69
45
93
41

Margins of Error
±2–3
±2–4
±3–5
±3–5
±2–4
Percent of active duty members who witnessed a situation believed to be, or could have led to, a sexual assault in the past 12 months and took
action

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44
40
35
40
54
41
34
66
39
97
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Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 161, the vast majority of Coast Guard members (97% of women and 95% of
men) intervened because it was the right thing to do. More than half (59%) of women indicated
they intervened because of confidence in their ability to prevent a sexual assault, a desire to
uphold core military values (56%), and training on bystander intervention (52%).
Coast Guard men were motivated to intervene by confidence in their ability to prevent a sexual
assault (76%), a desire to uphold core military values (70%), peer or coworker expectations
(56%), unit leader expectations (55%), and concern that the situation could hurt unit cohesion or
morale (55%; Figure 161).
Figure 161.
Reasons for Intervening for Coast Guard (Q180)46

Positive Workplace Actions/Behaviors Demonstrated by Military
Members
Active duty members were asked a series of questions regarding how well military members in
specific paygrades encouraged, promoted, and/or demonstrated positive military workplace
actions or behaviors regarding sexual assault and sexual harassment in the past 12 months. The
46

It should be noted that “some other reason” is not represented in Figure 161, but was selected by 55% of Coast
Guard women and 38% of men.

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questions asked are provided in Figure 162. Members were asked to select “Not applicable” if
they did not have interactions with members of a specific paygrade.
The first part of this section provides an overview of DoD members’ perceptions regarding their
leadership. Following this overview, each action/behavior is discussed in further detail for
within Service comparisons.
Figure 162.
Questions on Positive Workplace Actions/Behaviors Demonstrated by Military Members

DoD
Figure 163 and Figure 164 show how well active duty members believe members across ranks
demonstrate a positive workplace through their actions and behaviors. In general, according to
both DoD women and men, as a member’s paygrade increases, DoD women’s and men’s views
of a positive workplace increase as well.
Figure 163 shows the “well/very well” responses for DoD women by question number and
leadership ranking (question response options). The lowest paygrade—E1–E3— is represented
by the dark blue line falling below all other paygrade lines (hence, having the lowest scores
overall for encouraging, promoting, and/or demonstrating positive workplace actions or
behaviors). Moreover, the two highest paygrades—O4–O6 and O7 and above—are the top
most lines, meaning DoD women indicated members in these paygrade encouraged, promoted,
and/or demonstrated positive workplace actions better overall than members in the lower ranks.
Examining the responses across behaviors (question numbers), DoD women overall tended to
indicate lower responses to Q184 than the other questions. This suggests DoD women did not
indicate military members across the paygrades recognized and immediately corrected incidents
of sexual harassment, such as inappropriate jokes, comments, and behaviors as highly as they
indicated military members’ demonstrate other actions or behaviors. Furthermore, 54% of
women indicated members ranked E1–E3 recognized and immediately corrected incidents of

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sexual harassment well, and 75% of women indicated the same for members ranked O7 and
above (Table 51). When looking at an item that falls in the middle, such as whether members
across paygrades encouraged bystander intervention to assist others in situations at risk for
sexual assault or other harmful behaviors (Q186), 67% of women indicated members ranked E1–
E3 do this well and 81% of women indicated members ranked O7 and above do this well. This
suggests recognizing and immediately correcting incidents of sexual harassment is viewed less
favorable across paygrades among DoD women.
Figure 163.
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged, Promoted, and/or Demonstrated Positive
Workplace Actions or Behaviors for DoD Women (Q181–Q188)

DoD men (Figure 164) overall indicated all paygrades as more likely to encourage, promote and/
or demonstrate positive workplace behaviors or actions more so than DoD women (Figure 163).
This is shown by the general shift in the lines (paygrades) being higher for men, indicating a
more positive perception than women.
Similar to DoD women, for men, as paygrade increases, so does the overall perception of
members encouraging, promoting, and/or demonstrating positive workplace actions or behaviors.
The item that asks if military members recognized and immediately corrected incidents of sexual
harassment, such as inappropriate jokes, comments, and behaviors tends to be less favorable than
the other items. Another interesting finding among DoD men is the dispersion of Q181 among
paygrades (response options). As shown in Table 51, for made it clear that sexual assault has no
place in the military, 70% of men indicated members within E1–E3 do this well, while 92%
indicated members ranked O7 and above do this well.

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Figure 164.
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged, Promoted, and/or Demonstrated Positive
Workplace Actions or Behaviors for DoD Men (Q181–Q188)

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Table 51.
How Well Members Across Ranks Promoted a Positive Military Workplace for DoD (Q181–
Q188)
Paygrades Perceived as Promoting “Well/Very Well” Behaviors
(Q181–Q188 Response Options)

Women
Made it clear that sexual assault
has no place in military (Q181)
Promoted a unit climate based
on mutual respect/trust (Q182)
Refrained from sexist
comments/behaviors (Q183)
Recognized/corrected incidents
of sexual harassment (Q184)
Victims comfortable reporting
sexual harassment/assault
(Q185)
Encouraged bystander
intervention (Q186)
Publicized sexual assault report
resources (Q187)
Encouraged victims to report
sexual assault (Q188)
Margins of Error

Men
Made it clear that sexual assault
has no place in military (Q181)
Promoted a unit climate based
on mutual respect/trust (Q182)
Refrained from sexist
comments/behaviors (Q183)
Recognized/corrected incidents
of sexual harassment (Q184)
Victims comfortable reporting
sexual harassment/assault
(Q185)
Encouraged bystander
intervention (Q186)
Publicized sexual assault report
resources (Q187)
Encouraged victims to report
sexual assault (Q188)

O7 and
Above

W1–
W5*

87

87

80

79

81

81

77

80

81

84

85

80

69

72

71

74

75

72

72

76

78

78

80

79

76

70

76

80

82

80

82

81

78

62

66

74

80

82

79

81

81

76

66

68

75

79

82

80

82

81

77

±1

±1

±1

±1

±1

±1

±1

±1

±1

70

77

86

90

93

89

93

92

87

76

80

85

88

88

88

90

89

87

71

75

81

86

88

89

91

91

88

67

71

78

81

84

83

85

85

83

76

80

85

88

89

89

90

89

88

77

81

86

89

90

89

91

90

88

71

75

83

87

90

87

89

88

85

77

80

86

89

91

90

91

90

88

±1

±1

E1–E3

E4

E5

E6

E7–E9 O1–O3 O4–O6

61

67

77

83

87

82

67

70

75

78

79

62

66

71

76

54

58

64

63

66

67

Margins of Error
±1
±1
±1
±1
±1
±1
±1
Percent of all active duty members who indicated the paygrade was applicable (interacted with member of paygrade)
*Air Force members were not asked to rate members ranked W1–W5

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DoD Within Service Comparisons on How Well Members Across Ranks Promoted
a Positive Military Workplace
The second part of this section discusses within Service comparisons on the perceptions of
whether members encouraged, promoted, and/or demonstrated positive military workplace
actions or behaviors in the past 12 months regarding sexual assault and sexual harassment by
each individual question.
Made it Clear That Sexual Assault Has No Place in the Military (Q181)
As shown in Table 52, women in the Air Force were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate members in all paygrades (except O1–O3) made it clear that sexual assault
has no place in the military, whereas Army women were less likely (except E7–E9 and O1–O3).
Marine Corps women were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate members in
paygrades E4 (71%), E6 (85%), O1–O3 (86%), and W1–W5 (84%) made it clear that sexual
assault has no place in the military. Conversely, Navy women were less likely than women in
the other Services to indicate members in paygrades E4 (66%), E5 (76%), E7–E9 (85%), O1–O3
(81%), and O7 and above (85%) made it clear that sexual assault has no place in the military.
Men in the Air Force were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate members in all
paygrades (except members ranked O1–O3, which were less likely) made it clear that sexual
assault has no place in the military (Table 52). Army men were less likely than men in the other
Services (except members ranked E7–E9 and O1–O3, for which Army men were more likely) to
indicate members across paygrades made it clear that sexual assault has no place in the military.
Navy men were also less likely than men in the other Services to indicate members across all
paygrades made it clear that sexual assault has no place in the military (except members ranked
E1–E3 and W1–W5). Men in the Marine Corps were more likely than men in the other Services
to indicate members across all paygrades made it clear that sexual assault has no place in the
military (except members ranked E7–E9, O4–O6, and O7 and above).

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Table 52.
How Well Members Across Ranks Made it Clear That Sexual Assault Has No Place in the
Military for DoD (Q181)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5

61
67
77
83
87
82
87
87
80
Margins of Error

±1

Men
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5
Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated the item was applicable

70
77
86
90
93
89
93
92
87
±1

60
66
76
83
85
81
86
85
80
±1–2

68
74
85
90
93
90
92
91
86
±1

Air
Force

Lower Response

59
65
76
82
86
82
85
84
78
±1–2

Marine
Corps

Navy

60
71
79
85
88
86
87
87
84
±2–3

70
75
84
90
92
87
93
90
87
±1

64
70
80
84
89
83
90
90
NA
±1

72
82
88
92
94
91
94
92
90
±1

74
79
88
91
94
89
95
94
NA
±1

How Well Members Across Ranks Promoted a Unit Climate Based on Mutual
Respect and Trust (Q182)
As shown in Table 53, Air Force women were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate members across all paygrades promoted a unit climate based on mutual respect and
trust, whereas Army and Navy women were less likely (except for members within W1–W5).
Marine Corps women were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate members in
paygrades E1–E3 (62%), E4 (67%), E5 (73%), O4–O6, and O7 and above (79% for both)
promoted a unit climate based on mutual respect and trust.
Air Force men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate members across all
paygrades promoted a unit climate based on mutual respect and trust (Table 53). Marine Corps
men were also more likely than men in the other Services to indicate members ranked E1–E3
(77%), E4 (83%), E5 (86%), and W1–W5 (88%) promoted a unit climate based on mutual
respect and trust and were less likely to indicate members ranked O4–O6 promoted this behavior.
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Additionally, Army and Navy men were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate all
paygrades (except members ranked E7–E9, O1–O3 and W1–W5 for Army, and O4–O6 and W1–
W5 for Navy) promoted a unit climate based on mutual respect and trust.
Table 53.
How Well Members Across Ranks Promoted a Unit Climate Based on Mutual Respect and
Trust for DoD (Q182)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5

67
70
75
78
79
79
81
81
77
Margins of Error

±1

Men
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5
Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated the item was applicable

76
80
85
88
88
88
90
89
87
±1

65
68
73
76
76
77
80
79
77
±2

74
78
84
87
88
88
88
88
86
±1

Air
Force

Lower Response

65
69
74
76
78
78
79
79
77
±1–2

Marine
Corps

Navy

62
67
73
76
79
78
79
79
78
±2-3

74
79
84
86
86
86
89
88
87
±1

72
75
80
82
84
83
86
87
NA
±2

77
83
86
87
88
88
89
88
88
±1

80
84
88
90
91
90
92
92
NA
±1

How Well Members Led by Example by Refraining From Sexist Comments and
Behaviors (Q183)
As shown in Table 54, women in the Air Force were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate members across all paygrades led by example by refraining from sexist
comments and behaviors, whereas Army and Navy women were less likely (for all paygrades
except E5 and W1–W5 for Army and W1–W5 for Navy). Marine Corps women were less likely
than women in the other Services to indicate members ranked E1–E3 (57%), E4 (61%), E5
(65%), E6 (73%), and O4–O6 (82%) led by example by refraining from sexist comments and
behaviors.

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Similar results are shown for DoD men (Table 54). Air Force men were more likely than men in
the other Services to indicate members across all paygrades led by example by refraining from
sexist comments and behaviors, whereas Army and Navy men were less likely (for all paygrades
except O1–O3 and W1–W5 for Army and W1–W5 for Navy). Men in the Marine Corps were
more likely than men in the other Services to indicate members in paygrades E4 (77%) and W1–
W5 (89%) led by example by refraining from sexist comments and behaviors and less likely to
indicate members ranked O4–O6 demonstrated this behavior.
Table 54.
How Well Members Across Ranks Led by Example by Refraining From Sexist Comments and
Behaviors for DoD (Q183)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5

62
66
71
76
80
81
84
85
80
Margins of Error

±1

Men
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5
Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated the item was applicable

71
75
81
86
88
89
91
91
88
±1

58
62
67
72
76
80
83
83
79
±2

68
72
80
85
88
88
90
90
87
±1

Air
Force

Lower Response

60
64
70
74
79
80
82
83
80
±1–2

Marine
Corps

Navy

57
61
65
73
78
80
82
83
81
±2–3

70
73
80
84
86
87
90
89
87
±1

69
73
77
82
85
85
88
89
NA
±1

71
77
81
86
88
89
90
90
89
±1

78
81
86
89
92
91
94
93
NA
±1

How Well Members Across Ranks Recognized and Immediately Corrected
Incidents of Sexual Harassment (Q184)
Women in the Air Force were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate members
in all paygrades recognized and immediately corrected incidents of sexual harassment, whereas

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Navy women were less likely to indicate members in all paygrades (except W1–W5)
demonstrated this behavior (Table 55).

As shown in Table 55, Air Force men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate
members in all paygrades recognized and immediately corrected incidents of sexual harassment,
whereas Navy men were less likely to indicate members in all paygrades (except W1–W5)
demonstrate this behavior. Additionally, Marine Corps men were more likely to indicate
members in all paygrades (except those ranked E7–E9, O4–O6, and O7 and above) recognized
and immediately corrected incidents of sexual harassment. Army men were less likely than
members in the other Services to indicate members ranked E1–E3 (65%), E4 (69%), E5 (77%),
and O7 and above (85%) recognized and immediately corrected incidents of sexual harassment.
Table 55.
How Well Members Across Ranks Recognized and Immediately Corrected Incidents of Sexual
Harassment for DoD (Q184)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5

54
58
64
69
72
71
74
75
72
Margins of Error

±1

Men
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5
Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated the item was applicable

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67
71
78
81
84
83
85
85
83
±1

51
54
60
66
69
69
73
73
71
±2

65
69
77
81
84
83
85
85
82
±1

Air
Force

Lower Response

54
57
65
69
72
72
74
74
72
±2

Marine
Corps

Navy

53
59
63
68
72
72
74
75
73
±3

65
68
75
79
81
80
84
83
82
±1–2

72
75
81
84
86
84
87
88
NA
±1

69
75
79
82
85
84
86
86
84
±1–2

72
75
81
84
86
84
87
88
NA
±1

2017

2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members

How Well Members Across Ranks Created an Environment Where Victims Would
Feel Comfortable Reporting Sexual Harassment or Sexual Assault (Q185)
Table 56 shows women in the Air Force were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate members across all paygrades (except W1–W5) created an environment where victims
would feel comfortable reporting sexual harassment or sexual assault, whereas Navy women
were less likely to indicate members across all paygrades (except W1–W5) demonstrated this
behavior. Army women were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate this
behavior was demonstrated by members in the following ranks: E4 (65%), E5 (71%), O4–O6,
and O7 and above (78% for both). Marine Corps women were less likely than women in the
other Services to indicate members ranked E1–E3 (59%), E4 (63%), and E5 (69%) created an
environment where victims would feel comfortable reporting sexual harassment or sexual
assault.
As shown in Table 56, Air Force men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate
members across all paygrades created an environment where victims would feel comfortable
reporting sexual harassment or sexual assault, whereas Army and Navy men were less likely
(except for members ranked E7–E9 and O1–O3 for Army and E6, O4–O6, O7 and above, and
W1–W5 for Navy). Marine Corps men were more likely to indicate members ranked E4 (83%)
and W1–W5 (89%) created an environment where victims would feel comfortable reporting
sexual harassment or sexual assault.

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Table 56.
How Well Members Across Ranks Created an Environment Where Victims Would Feel
Comfortable Reporting Sexual Harassment or Sexual Assault for DoD (Q185)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5

63
66
72
76
78
78
80
79
76
Margins of Error

±1

Men
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5
Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated the item was applicable

76
80
85
88
89
89
90
89
88
±1

60
64
70
73
75
76
79
77
75
±2

74
78
84
87
89
89
89
89
87
±1

Air
Force

Lower Response

62
65
71
75
77
77
78
78
76
±1–2

Marine
Corps

Navy

59
63
69
74
78
78
78
78
78
±2–3

75
79
84
87
88
88
90
89
88
±1

±1

76
83
86
88
89
89
90
89
89
±1

69
71
76
79
81
80
82
83
NA

81
83
88
90
91
90
92
92
NA
±2–4

How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged Bystander Intervention to Assist
Others in Situations at Risk for Sexual Assault or Other Harmful Behaviors (Q186)
Table 57 shows Air Force women were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate
members across all paygrades encouraged bystander intervention to assist others in situations at
risk for sexual assault or other harmful behaviors, whereas Army women were less likely. Navy
women were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate members ranked E6
(81%), O1–O3 (81%), O4–O6 (84%), and W1–W5 (80%) encouraged bystander intervention to
assist others in situations at risk for sexual assault or other harmful behaviors.
Men in the Air Force were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate members across
all paygrades (except O1–O3) encouraged bystander intervention to assist others in situations at
risk for sexual assault or other harmful behaviors, whereas Army men were less likely (Table
57). Men in the Navy were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate members
ranked E6 (90%), E7–E9 (91%), O4–O6 (92%), and W1–W5 (89%) encouraged bystander
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intervention to assist others in situations at risk for sexual assault or other harmful behaviors.
Marine Corps men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate members in
paygrades E1–E3 (79%), E4 (84%), E5 (88%), O1–O3 (90%), and W1–W5 (89%) encouraged
bystander intervention to assist others in situations at risk for sexual assault or other harmful
behaviors.
Table 57.
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged Bystander Intervention to Assist Others in
Situations at Risk for Sexual Assault or Other Harmful Behaviors for DoD (Q186)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5

67
70
76
80
82
80
82
81
78
Margins of Error

±1

Men
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5
Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated the item was applicable

77
81
86
89
90
89
91
90
88
±1

67
71
77
81
83
81
84
82
80
±2

74
78
84
87
89
89
89
88
86
±1

Air
Force

Lower Response

64
67
73
77
79
78
79
78
76
±1–2

Marine
Corps

Navy

65
71
75
79
81
80
81
80
80
±2–3

78
81
87
90
91
90
92
90
89
±1

70
73
78
81
84
82
85
85
NA
±1

79
84
88
90
90
90
91
89
89
±1

81
83
88
90
92
90
92
92
NA
±1

How Well Members Across Ranks Publicized Sexual Assault Report Resources
(Q187)
As shown in Table 58, Air Force women were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate members across all paygrades (except E6) publicized sexual assault report resources,
whereas Army women were less likely (except O1–O3). Marine Corps women were more likely
than women in the other Services to indicate members ranked E4 (69%), E5 (77%), E6 (82%),
O1–O3 (82%), and W1–W5 (81%) publicized sexual assault report resources. Additionally,

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Navy women were less likely than women in the other Services to indicate members in
paygrades O1–O3 (78%) and O7 and above (79%) publicized sexual assault report resources.
Marine Corps and Air Force men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate
members across all paygrades (except E7–E9 for Marine Corps and O1–O3 for Air Force)
publicize sexual assault report resources, whereas Army men were less likely (except O1–O3;
Table 58). Navy men were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate members in
paygrades E7–E9 (89%), O1–O3 (86%), and O7 and above (87%) publicized sexual assault
report resources.
Table 58.
How Well Members Across Ranks Publicized Sexual Assault Report Resources for DoD
(Q187)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5

62
66
74
80
82
79
81
81
76
Margins of Error

±1

Men
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5
Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated the item was applicable

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71
75
83
87
90
87
89
88
85
±1

62
66
74
80
82
78
80
79
77
±2

68
71
80
86
89
87
87
86
84
±1

Air
Force

Lower Response

59
62
71
78
81
79
79
78
74
±1–2

Marine
Corps

Navy

63
69
77
82
83
82
82
82
81
±2–3

71
75
82
87
89
86
88
87
86
±1

66
69
76
80
84
81
84
84
NA
±1

73
79
85
89
90
89
90
89
88
±1–2

75
78
85
88
91
88
91
91
NA
±1

2017

2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members

How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged Victims to Report Sexual Assault
(Q188)
As shown in Table 59, Air Force women were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate members across all paygrades (except O1–O3) encouraged victims to report sexual
assault, whereas Navy women were less likely (except members ranked W1–W5). Marine Corps
women were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate members ranked W1–W5
(80%) encouraged victims to report sexual assault. Women in the Army were less likely than
women in the other Services to indicate members ranked O4–O6 and O7 and above (80% for
both) encouraged victims to report sexual assault.
Air Force men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate members across all
paygrades (except O1–O3) encouraged victims to report sexual assault (Table 59). Marine Corps
men were also more likely than men in the other Services to indicate members in paygrades E4
(83%), E5 (87%), E6 (90%), and W1–W5 (89%) encourage victims to report sexual assault.
Army men were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate members in all paygrades—
except members ranked O1–O3 (which was more likely), E6, and E7–E9—encouraged victims to
report sexual assault. Additionally, men in the Navy were less likely than men in the other
Services to indicate all paygrades, except members ranked E6, O4–O6, and W1–W5, encouraged
victims to report sexual assault.

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Table 59.
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged Victims to Report Sexual Assault for DoD
(Q188)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5

66
68
75
79
82
80
82
81
77
Margins of Error

±1

Men
E1–E3
E4
E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6
O7 and above
W1–W5
Margins of Error
Percent of active duty members who indicated the item was applicable

77
80
86
89
91
90
91
90
88
±1

64
67
73
78
80
78
80
79
77
±2

76
79
86
89
91
90
90
89
87
±1

Air
Force

Lower Response

65
68
75
79
82
80
80
80
77
±1–2

Marine
Corps

Navy

63
69
75
80
82
81
81
81
80
±2–3

76
79
85
89
90
88
90
89
88
±1

69
71
77
80
83
80
84
85
NA
±1

78
83
87
90
91
90
91
90
89
±1

80
83
88
90
92
90
92
92
NA
±1

Coast Guard
Figure 165 and Figure 166 show how well Coast Guard members across ranks demonstrated a
positive workplace through their actions and behaviors. As shown in Figure 165, for Coast
Guard women, as paygrade increases, members’ views of a positive workplace increase as well.
Overall, Q184 and Q181 had the lowest responses from Coast Guard women who indicated
members do these behaviors/actions well. In other words, compared to the other behavior/action
questions, those specified in Q184 and Q181 showed lower responses for members
demonstrating these behaviors well/very well. Specifically, for Q184, recognized and
immediately corrected incidents of sexual harassment, such as inappropriate jokes, comments,
and behaviors, 56% of women indicated members ranked E1–E3 do this well, while 76%
indicated members O7 and above do this well. Similarly, for Q181, made it clear that sexual
assault has no place in the military, 59% of women indicated members ranked E1–E3 do this
well, but as paygrade increases, the higher ranking members tend to be viewed as demonstrating

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this behavior well. This suggests members within the lower ranks do not demonstrate this
behavior as well/very well as members in higher ranks.
Figure 165.
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged, Promoted, and/or Demonstrated Positive
Workplace Actions or Behaviors for Coast Guard Women (Q181–Q188)

As shown in Figure 166, Coast Guard men tend to endorse all paygrades as higher in terms of
encouraging, promoting, and/or demonstrating positive workplace behaviors or actions compared
to the results of Coast Guard women (Figure 165). The action/behavior ranking lowest (Q187)
shows 69% of Coast Guard men indicated members ranked E1–E3 publicize sexual assault
report resources, such as SARC information, UVA/VA information, awareness posters, sexual
assault hotline number well.

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2017

Figure 166.
How Well Members Across Ranks Encouraged, Promoted, and/or Demonstrated Positive
Workplace Actions or Behaviors for Coast Guard Men (Q181–Q188)

Female Coworkers in the Workplace
Over the last three years, the military has opened approximately 110,000 positions to women and
have independently studied, developed, and verified operationally relevant standards for them.
Anyone who can meet these operationally relevant gender neutral standards, regardless of
gender, should be allowed to serve in that position. To assess this change in law, active duty
members were asked a series of questions regarding female coworkers in their workplace,
including if women are uncommon in the workplace, if their unit/career field has recently been
opened up to women, and the perceived impact of opening the unit/career field to women on
workplace climate.
Female Coworkers Uncommon in the Workplace
DoD
As shown in Figure 167, 52% of DoD women and 55% of DoD men indicated they currently
work in an environment where female coworkers are uncommon (less than 25% of their military
coworkers).

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Figure 167.
Female Coworkers Uncommon in the Workplace for DoD (Q190)

Women in the Marine Corps (70%) were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate working in an environment where female coworkers are uncommon, whereas Air Force
women (48%) were less likely.
Men in the Marine Corps (69%) and Air Force (64%) were more likely than men in the other
Services to indicate working in an environment where female coworkers are uncommon,
whereas Army (50%) and Navy (45%) men were less likely.
Coast Guard
A little less than two-thirds of Coast Guard women (61%) and Coast Guard men (60%) indicated
they work in an environment where female coworkers are uncommon (Figure 168).

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2017

Figure 168.
Female Coworkers Uncommon in the Workplace for Coast Guard (Q190)

Current Unit/Career Field Recently Opened to Women and the Impact of Opening
Unit/Career Field to Women on Climate
DoD
A little less than one-fifth (17%) of DoD women indicated they currently serve in a unit/career
field recently opened to women in the past 12 months (Figure 169). Of this 17%, 10% indicated
the climate in their unit is better than before being opened to women and 2% indicated it is worse
than before. More than half (55%) indicated they have no basis to judge, and 33% indicated the
climate is about the same.

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Figure 169.
Current Unit or Career Field Recently Opened to Women in the Past 12 Months and the
Result of Recent Opening for DoD Women (Q191–Q192)

A little less than one-third (31%) of DoD men indicated they currently serve in a unit/career field
recently opened to women in the past 12 months (Figure 170). Of this 31%, 8% indicated the
climate in their unit is better than before being opened to women and 8% indicated it is worse
than before. Forty-eight percent indicated they have no basis to judge, and 36% indicated the
climate is about the same.

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2017

Figure 170.
Current Unit or Career Field Recently Opened to Women in the Past 12 Months and the
Result of Recent Opening for DoD Men (Q191–Q192)

As shown in Table 60, women in the Army (3%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate the climate is worse than before, whereas Air Force women (1%) were less
likely. Air Force women (27%) were also less likely than women in the other Services to indicate
the climate is about the same as before opening the unit/career field to women.
Navy men (10%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate their climate is
better than before, whereas Marine Corps men (3%) were less likely (Table 60). Men in the
Navy (38%) were also more likely than men in the other Services to indicate the climate is about
the same, whereas Marine Corps men (34%) were less likely. Additionally, men in the Marine
Corps (12%) and Army (9%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate the
climate is worse than before, whereas Navy (7%) and Air Force (2%) were less likely.

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Table 60.
Impact on Climate After Opening Unit or Career Field to Women for DoD (Q192)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
Better than before
About the same as before
Worse than before
No basis to judge

10
33
2
55
Margins of Error

Men
Better than before
About the same as before
Worse than before
No basis to judge

±1–2

8
36
8
48

Air
Force

Lower Response

10
34
3
53
±1–3

Marine
Corps

Navy

11
34
2
53
±2–3

8
36
9
47

Margins of Error
±1
±1–2
±1–2
Percent of active duty members who are in a unit/career field recently opened to women in the past 12 months

7
37
3
53
±4–6

10
38
7
46

9
27
1
63
±1–3

3
34
12
51
±1–2

8
35
2
55
±1–2

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 171, 18% of Coast Guard women indicated they currently serve in a unit/
career field recently opened to women in the past 12 months. Of this 18%, more than half (55%)
indicated they have no basis to judge how this opening has affected the climate in their unit. A
little less than one-fifth (29%) indicated the climate is about the same, whereas 15% indicated it
is better than before being opened to women and 1% indicated the climate is worse.

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2017

Figure 171.
Current Unit or Career Field Recently Opened to Women in the Past 12 Months and the
Result of Recent Opening for Coast Guard Women (Q191–Q192)

For Coast Guard men, more than one-quarter (29%) indicated they currently serve in a unit/
career field recently opened to women (Figure 172). Of this 29%, a little less than half (48%)
indicated they have no basis to judge how this opening has affected the climate in their unit.
More than one-third (39%) indicated the climate is about the same. Ten percent indicated it is
better than before being opened to women, whereas 3% indicated the climate is worse.

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Figure 172.
Current Unit or Career Field Recently Opened to Women in the Past 12 Months and the
Result of Recent Opening for Coast Guard Men (Q191–Q192)

Social Media Use in the Workplace
The last section in this chapter addresses the issue of social media use within the military
workplace. Members were asked a series of questions about whether a social media policy exists
within their workplace, whether members comply to the policy, awareness of Service members
misusing social media, and if so, whether the member notified anyone about such misuse.
Military Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media and Compliance
With Social Media Policy
DoD
As shown in Figure 173, 55% of DoD women indicated their workplace has a formal policy
explaining appropriate and inappropriate use of social media sites. Of this 55%, the majority
(78%) indicated members of their work group generally comply with the policy.

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2017

Figure 173.
Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media Sites and Compliance With Social
Media Policy for DoD Women (Q207–Q208)

Two-thirds (66%) of DoD men indicated their workplace has a formal policy explaining
appropriate and inappropriate use of social media sites (Figure 174). Of this 66%, the majority
(84%) indicated members of their work group generally comply with the policy.
Figure 174.
Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media Sites and Compliance With Social
Media Policy for DoD Men (Q207–Q208)

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Table 61 shows women in the Marine Corps (60%) and Navy (59%) were more likely than
women in the other Services to indicate their workplace has a formal policy explaining
appropriate social media use, whereas Air Force women (50%) were less likely. However, Air
Force women (82%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate members
generally comply with the policy, whereas women in the Navy (76%) were less likely.
Similar to women, men in the Navy and Marine Corps (both 69%) were more likely than men in
the other Services to indicate their workplace has a formal policy explaining appropriate social
media use, whereas men in the Army (65%) and Air Force (61%) were less likely (Table 61).
Marine Corps and Air Force men (86%) were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate members generally comply with the policy, whereas men in the Army (84%) and Navy
(82%) were less likely.
Table 61.
Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media Sites and Members Comply with Social
Media Policy for DoD (Q207, Q208)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media (Q207)
Yes
No
Do not know
Margins of Error

55
11
34
±1

Members Generally Comply With Policy on Uses of Social Media (Q208)
Yes
78
No
3
Do not know
19
Margins of Error

±1

Men
Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media (Q207)
Yes
No
Do not know
Margins of Error

77
3
19

66
8
26
±1

59
11
30
±1–2

±1–2

76
3
21

65
9
26

Members Generally Comply With Policy on Uses of Social Media (Q208)
Yes
84
No
2
Do not know
14
Margins of Error
±1
±1
Percent of all active duty members (Q207)
Percent of active duty members whose workplace has formal policy on social media site use (Q208)

60
9
31
±2–3

±1–2

±1

Air
Force

Lower Response

54
11
35
±1–2

Marine
Corps

Navy

80
3
17

69
8
23

84
2
14

82
2
16
±1

69
8
24
±1

82
3
15
±1

±1

±2–3

±1

50
12
38

61
9
30
±1

86
2
11
±1

86
1
13
±1

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Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 175, a little more than half (52%) of Coast Guard women indicated their
workplace has a formal policy explaining appropriate and inappropriate uses of social media
sites. Of this 52%, the majority (81%) indicated members generally comply with the policy.
Figure 175.
Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media Sites and Compliance With Social
Media Policy for Coast Guard Women (Q207–Q208)

A little less than two-thirds (63%) of Coast Guard men indicated their workplace has a formal
policy for social media use (Figure 176). Of this 63%, the majority (84%) indicated members
generally comply with the policy.

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Figure 176.
Workplace Has Formal Policy on Use of Social Media Sites and Compliance With Social
Media Policy for Coast Guard Men (Q207–Q208)

Awareness of Abuse of Social Media by Service Member(s)
Members were asked whether they were aware of any Service member misusing social media
sites to ridicule, abuse, stalk, or harm another military member, their chain of command, their
Service, and/or the DoD as a whole. If they were aware of misuse, they were asked to indicate if
they notified anyone of this misuse.
DoD
Twelve percent of DoD women indicated they were aware of a Service member misusing social
media to ridicule, abuse, stalk, or harm another military member (Figure 177). Nine percent
indicated social media was used to harm their Service as well as used to harm the DoD as a
whole. Fewer (6%) indicated social media was used to harm their chain of command.
For DoD men, 9% indicated they are aware of a Service member misusing social media to
ridicule, abuse, stalk, or harm another military member and indicated the same for their Service.
Fewer (8%) indicated social media was used to harm the DoD as a whole and 7% indicated it
was used to harm their chain of command.

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Figure 177.
Awareness of Service Member Misuse of Social Media Sites to Ridicule, Abuse, Stalk, or
Harm for DoD (Q205)

As shown in Table 62, women in the Navy and Marine Corps were more likely than women in
the other Services to indicate all four populations were ridiculed, abused, stalked, or harmed by a
Service member’s social media misuse, whereas Air Force women were less likely.
Similarly, men in the Navy and Marine Corps were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate all four populations were ridiculed, abused, stalked, or harmed by a Service member’s
social media misuse, whereas Air Force men were less likely (Table 62). Additionally, Army
men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate a Service member misused
social media to ridicule, abuse, stalk, or harm their chain of command.

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Table 62.
Awareness of Service Member Misuse of Social Media Sites to Ridicule, Abuse, Stalk, or
Harm for DoD (Q205)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
Another military member
Your chain of command
Your Service
The DoD as a whole

12
6
9
9
Margins of Error

±1

Men
Another military member
Your chain of command
Your Service
The DoD as a whole

±1

Margins of Error

±1

13
8
11
10
±1–2

9
7
9
9
±1

Air
Force

Lower Response

12
7
9
9

9
7
9
8

Marine
Corps

Navy

19
10
17
15
±2

10
7
10
9
±1

8
4
6
6
±1

11
8
11
11
±1

6
5
6
6
±1

Percent of all active duty members

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 178, 7% of Coast Guard women and 5% of Coast Guard men indicated they
are aware of a Service member misusing social media to ridicule, abuse, stalk, or harm another
military member. Six percent of women and 5% of men indicated it was used to harm their
Service, and 5% of women and men indicated it was used to harm the DoD as a whole. Fewer
(3% of women and 4% of men) indicated social media was used to harm their chain of
command.

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Figure 178.
Awareness of Service Member Misuse of Social Media Sites to Ridicule, Abuse, Stalk, or
Harm for Coast Guard (Q205)

Made Appropriate Notifications of Social Media Misuse
DoD
As shown in Figure 179, of those who indicated they were aware of a Service member misusing
social media, more than half of members (56% of women and 57% of men) notified a military
peer of the misuse of social media. Thirty-nine percent of women and 44% of men notified a
member in their chain of command. More than one-quarter (29%) of women and 34% of men
notified another leader outside of their chain of command, whereas 31% of women and 37% of
men notified some other person or office. Additionally, 17% of women and 26% of men notified
their Service’s Inspector General office.

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Figure 179.
Made Appropriate Notifications on Social Media Misuse for DoD (Q206)

Women in the Army were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate notifying
social media misuse to some other person or office (34%), another leader outside of their chain
of command (32%), and their Service’s Inspector General Office (20%; Table 63). Women in
the Navy (28%) were less likely than women in the other Services to notify some other person or
office, and Air Force women (25%) were less likely than women in the other Services to notify
another leader outside of their chain of command.
As shown in Table 63, Army men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate
they notified another leader outside of their chain of command (37%) and their Service’s
Inspector General Office (28%) of social media misuse. Marine Corps men were more likely
than men in the other Services to indicate they notified some other person or office (40%) and
their Service’s Inspector General Office (29%). Navy men were less likely than men in the other
Services to indicate they notified some other person or office (33%), another leader outside of
their chain of command (31%), and their Service’s Inspector General Office (23%). Men in the
Air Force were less likely than men in the other Services to indicate they notified a military peer
(54%), a member of their chain of command (42%), and another leader outside of their chain of
command (30%).

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Table 63.
Made Appropriate Notifications on Social Media Misuse for DoD (Q206)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
A military peer
A member of your chain of command
Another leader outside of your chain of command
My Service’s Inspector General office
Some other person or office
Margins of Error

Men
A military peer
A member of your chain of command
Another leader outside of your chain of command
My Service’s Inspector General office
Some other person or office

56
39
29
17
31
±2

57
44
34
26
37

Margins of Error
±2
Percent of active duty members who were aware of social media misuse by Service members

54
38
30
16
28
±3–4

58
45
37
28
38
±2

Air
Force

Lower Response

58
41
32
20
34
±3–4

Marine
Corps

Navy

57
38
26
19
31
±5-6

57
44
31
23
33
±3

56
36
25
15
33
±2–3

59
47
37
29
40
±3

54
42
30
25
35
±2–3

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 180, of the Coast Guard members who indicated they were aware of a
Service member misusing social media, more than half of women (59%) and men (52%) notified
a military peer of the misuse of social media. Thirty-six percent of women and 45% men
indicated they notified a member of their chain of command, whereas 28% of women and 35%
of men notified some other person or office. Additionally, 24% of women and 33% of men
notified another leader outside of their chain of command and 13% of women and 26% of men
notified their Service’s Inspector General Office about social media misuse.

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Figure 180.
Made Appropriate Notifications on Social Media Misuse for Coast Guard (Q206)

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Chapter 10:
Perceptions of Unwanted Gender-Related Behaviors in the Military
Mr. William Xav Klauberg, Ms. Lisa Davis, Ms. Amanda Grifka, and Mr. Michael Siebel

Introduction
This chapter examines perceptions of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military and
the military’s willingness to act to prevent these behaviors. Service members were asked about
sexual assault and sexual harassment as problems in the military over the past two years as well
as their perceptions of the military’s response to sexual assault and sexual harassment.
Results are reported for 2016 and trend comparisons to the 2014 RMWS are provided where data
are available.

Perception of Sexual Assault in the Military
The first section of this chapter examines the perceptions of sexual assault in the military.
Members were asked if sexual assault in the military has become more or less of a problem over
the past two years as well as how much they agree or disagree with various statements about
their trust in the military’s response to sexual assault.
Perception of Sexual Assault in the Military Over Past Two Years
DoD
When members were asked to assess how sexual assault in the military compares to two years
ago, a little less than one-quarter (23%) of DoD women agreed sexual assault is less of a
problem in the military today (Figure 181). Compared to 2014, this showed a statistically
significant increase in 2016 for women (7 percentage points). A little more than one-tenth
(12%) of women indicated sexual assault is more of a problem today. Compared to 2014, this
showed a statistically significant decrease for women (16 percentage points).
As shown in Figure 181, Air Force women (25%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate sexual assault in the military is less of a problem today than two years ago,
whereas Marine Corps (21%) were less likely. Women in the Marine Corps (15%) and Army
(14%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate sexual assault in the
military is more of a problem today.
Compared to 2014, perceptions about sexual assault in the military have improved for DoD
women (Figure 181). The percentage of women who indicated sexual assault in the military is
less of a problem today than two years ago showed a statistically significant increase for women
across all DoD Services in 2016 (10 percentage points for Air Force, 8 percentage points for
Army, 6 percentage points for Marine Corps, and 5 percentage points for Navy). Conversely, the
percentage of women indicating sexual assault in the military is more of a problem today than
two years ago showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for women across all Services
(18 percentage points for Army and Air Force, 13 percentage points for Marine Corps, and 12
percentage points for Navy).
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Figure 181.
Perception of Sexual Assault in the Military Over Past Two Years for DoD Women (Q210)

When members were asked to assess how sexual assault in the military compares to two years
ago, more than one-third (39%) of DoD men agreed sexual assault is less of a problem in the
military today (Figure 182). Compared to 2014, this showed a statistically significant increase in
2016 for men (8 percentage points). Fewer (8%) men indicated sexual assault is more of a
problem today, which compared to 2014, showed a statistically significant decrease for men (11
percentage points).
As shown in Figure 182, Air Force (41%) and Navy men (40%) were more likely than men in the
other Services to indicate sexual assault in the military is less of a problem today than two years
ago, whereas Marine Corps men (35%) were less likely. Men in the Army (9%) and Marine
Corps (8%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate sexual assault in the
military is more of a problem today than two years ago.
Compared to 2014, perceptions about sexual assault in the military have also improved for DoD
men. The percentage of men indicating sexual assault in the military is less of a problem today
than two years ago showed a statistically significant increase in 2016 for Air Force (11
percentage points), Army (10 percentage points), and Navy men (6 percentage points).
Conversely, the percentage of men indicating sexual assault in the military is more of a problem
today than two years ago showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for men in all
Services (12 percentage points for Air Force and Army, 11 percentage points for Marine Corps,
and 10 percentage points for Navy).

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Figure 182.
Perception of Sexual Assault in the Military Over Past Two Years for DoD Men (Q210)

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 183, more than one-quarter (27%) of Coast Guard women and 42% of Coast
Guard men indicated sexual assault is less of a problem today than two years ago. Compared to
2014, this showed a statistically significant increase for women (7 percentage points) and men
(10 percentage points). Six percent of women and 4% of men indicated sexual assault in the
military is more of a problem today than two years ago, which showed a statistically significant
decrease for both women and men in 2016 (12 percentage points for both).

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Figure 183.
Perception of Sexual Assault in the Military Over Past Two Years for Coast Guard (Q210)

Perception of Military’s Response to Sexual Assault
Service members were asked to indicate their level of agreement regarding trust in the military
system if they were to experience a sexual assault. Members were asked about trusting the
military system to protect their privacy, ensure their safety, and to treat them with dignity and
respect should they experience a sexual assault while in the military.
DoD
As shown in Figure 184, a little less than two-thirds (62%) of DoD women and the majority
(78%) of DoD men indicated if they were sexually assaulted, they would trust the military
system to protect their privacy, which showed a statistically significant increase compared to
2014 for both women and men (8 percentage points for women and 7 percentage points for men).
Conversely, a little less than one-fifth (17%) of women and 8% of men indicated if they were
sexually assaulted, they would not trust the military system to protect their privacy, which
showed a statistically significant decrease compared to 2014 for both women and men (2
percentage points for women and 3 percentage points for men).
A little more than two-thirds (69%) of women and the majority (84%) of men indicated they
would trust the military system to ensure their safety if they were sexually assaulted, which
showed a statistically significant increase compared to 2014 (6 percentage points for women and
5 percentage points for men). Conversely, a little more than one-tenth (11%) of women and 5%
of men indicated they would not trust the military system to ensure their safety if they were
sexually assaulted, which showed a statistically significant decrease compared to 2014 for men
(1 percentage point).

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Lastly, two-thirds (66%) of women and the majority (82%) of men indicated if they were
sexually assaulted, they would trust the military system to treat them with dignity and respect.
Compared to 2014, this showed a statistically significant increase (6 percentage points for
women and men). Conversely, 13% of women and 5% of men indicated if they were sexually
assaulted, they would not trust the military system to treat them with dignity and respect.
Compared to 2014, this showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for men (2 percentage
points).
Figure 184.
Trust in the Military System’s Response to Sexual Assault for DoD (Q203b–d)

As shown in Table 64, in 2016, Air Force women were overall more likely than women in the
other Services to trust in the military system to protect their privacy (65%), ensure their safety
(73%), and treat them with dignity and respect (69%) if they were to experience sexual assault.
Navy women were less likely than women in the other Services to trust the military system to
protect their privacy (59%), and Army (68%) and Navy women (67%) were less likely than
women in the other Services to trust the military system to ensure their safety. Lastly, both
Marine Corps and Navy women (both 63%) were less likely than women in the other Services to
indicate they would trust the military system to treat them with dignity and respect if they were
to experience sexual assault.
In 2016, Navy women were overall more likely than women in the other Services to not trust the
military system to protect their privacy (19%), ensure their safety (13%), or treat them with
dignity and respect (15%) if they were to experience sexual assault (Table 64). In addition,
Army women (12%) were more likely than women in the other Services to not trust the military
system to ensure their safety. Marine Corps women (15%) were more likely than women in the
other Services to not trust the military system to treat them with dignity and respect.

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Compared to 2014, DoD women from all Services showed a statistically significant increase
when indicating they trust in the military system to protect their privacy if they were to
experience a sexual assault (10 percentage points for Army, 8 percentage points for Marine
Corps, 7 percentage points for Navy, and 5 percentage points for Air Force; Table 64). A
statistically significant increase was also found for women in the Army, Navy, and Air Force
women indicating they trust the military system to ensure their safety (8 percentage points for
Army, 6 percentage points for Navy, and 3 percentage points for Air Force) and treat them with
dignity and respect when compared to 2014 (10 percentage points higher for Army, 6 percentage
points higher for Navy, and 4 percentage points higher for Air Force).
For indicating disagreement with trust in the military, Army women showed a statistically
significant decrease when indicating their level of distrust in the military system if they were to
experience a sexual assault: distrust in the military system to protect their privacy (4 percentage
points), distrust in the military system to ensure their safety (3 percentage points), and distrust in
the military system to treat them with dignity and respect (2 percentage points).
As shown in Table 64, Marine Corps (80%) and Air Force men (79%) were more likely than men
in the other Services to indicate they would trust the military system to protect their privacy if
they were to be sexually assaulted, whereas Navy men (76%) were less likely. Conversely, Navy
men were more likely than men in the other Services to not trust in the military system to protect
their privacy (9%). Similarly, Marine Corps and Air Force men (both 85%) were more likely
than men in the other Services to trust the military system to ensure their safety, whereas Army
and Navy men (both 83%) were less likely. Conversely, Army men were more likely than men in
the other Services to indicate they would not trust the military system to ensure their safety (5%).
Finally, Air Force men (83%) were more likely than men in the other Services to trust the
military system to treat them with dignity and respect, whereas Navy men (80%) were less likely.
Conversely, Navy men were more likely than men in the other Services to not trust the military
system to treat them with dignity and respect (6%) if they were to experience sexual assault.
Compared to 2014, as displayed in Table 64, percentages for men from all Services showed a
statistically significant increase when indicating they trust the military system to protect their
privacy (10 percentage points for Army, 8 percentage points for Marine Corps, 6 percentage
points for Navy, and 4 percentage points for Air Force). A statistically significant increase in
responses from men in the Army and Air Force was also found when indicating they would trust
the military system to ensure their safety if they were to experience sexual assault compared to
responses from 2014 (9 percentage points for Army and 2 percentage points for Air Force). Men
in the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force showed a statistically significant increase for
indicating they trust the military system to treat them with dignity and respect compared to
responses from 2014 (9 percentage points for Army, 6 percentage points for Marine Corps, and 3
percentage points for Air Force). For indicating disagreement with trust in the military, Marine
Corps men showed a statistically significant decrease when indicating their level of distrust in
the military system if they were to experience a sexual assault: distrust in the military system to
protect their privacy (6 percentage points), distrust in the military system to ensure their safety (3
percentage points), and distrust in the military system to treat them with dignity and respect (4
percentage points).

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Table 64.
Trust in the Military System’s Response to Sexual Assault for DoD (Q203b–d)
Within Service Comparisons

2016 Trend Comparisons
 Higher Than 2014
 Lower Than 2014

Survey
Year

Total
DoD

Army

Higher Response

Women
Agree
If you are sexually assaulted, you can trust the
military system to protect your privacy
If you are sexually assaulted, you can trust the
military system to ensure your safety
If you are sexually assaulted, you can trust the
military system to treat you with dignity/respect

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error

Disagree
If you are sexually assaulted, you can trust the
military system to protect your privacy
If you are sexually assaulted, you can trust the
military system to ensure your safety
If you are sexually assaulted, you can trust the
military system to treat you with dignity/respect

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error

Men
Agree
If you are sexually assaulted, you can trust the
military system to protect your privacy
If you are sexually assaulted, you can trust the
military system to ensure your safety
If you are sexually assaulted, you can trust the
military system to treat you with dignity/respect

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error

Disagree
If you are sexually assaulted, you can trust the
military system to protect your privacy
If you are sexually assaulted, you can trust the
military system to ensure your safety
If you are sexually assaulted, you can trust the
military system to treat you with dignity/respect

2016
2014
2016
2014
2016
2014

Margins of Error

62 
54
69 
63
66 
60
±1–2

62 
52
68 
60
67 
57
±2

17 
19
11
12
13
14

17 
21
12 
15
13 
15

±1

±1-2

78 
71
84 
79
82 
76

78 
68
83 
74
82 
73

±1–2

8
11
5
6
5
7
±1–2

Navy

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

59 
52
67 
61
63 
57

62 
54
67
62
63
57

65 
60
73 
70
69 
65

±2–4

±3–5

±1–2

19
19
13
13
15
15

18
17
12
11
15
15

15
17
9
9
11
11

±2–3

±2–5

±1–2

76 
70
83
81
80
77

±1–3

±1–5

8
10
5
6
5
7

9
11
5
6
6
8

±1–3

±1–3

80 
72
85
81
82 
76
±1–5

7
13
4
7
5
9
±1–5

79 
75
85 
83
83 
80
±1–2

8
9
4
5
5
6
±1–2

Percent of all active duty members

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 185, more than half (60%) of Coast Guard women and the majority (78%) of
Coast Guard men indicated if they were sexually assaulted, they would trust the military system

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to protect their privacy. Compared to 2014, this showed a statistically significant increase (11
percentage points for women and 10 percentage points for men). Conversely, a little less than
one-fifth (18%) of women and 7% of men indicated if they were sexually assaulted, they would
not trust the military system to protect their privacy, which showed a statistically significant
decrease compared to 2014 for both women and men (4 percentage points for women and men).
The majority (70%) of women and men (85%) indicated they would trust the military system to
ensure their safety, which showed a statistically significant increase compared to 2014 (6
percentage points for both women and men). Conversely, a little more than one-tenth (11%) of
women and 4% of men indicate they would not trust the military system to ensure their safety,
which remained statistically unchanged in 2016 compared to 2014.
A little less than two-thirds (64%) of women and the majority (82%) of men indicated they
would trust the military system to treat them with dignity and respect if they were to experience
sexual assault, which showed a statistically significant increase from 2014 of 10 percentage
points for women and 6 percentage points for men. Conversely, 13% of women and 5% of men
indicate they would not trust the military system to treat them with dignity and respect, which
remained statistically unchanged in 2016 compared to 2014.
Figure 185.
Trust in the Military System’s Response to Sexual Assault for Coast Guard (Q203b–d)

Perceptions of Sexual Harassment in the Military
The second section of this chapter examines the perceptions of sexual harassment in the military.
Service members were asked about sexual harassment in the military today compared to two
years ago, their perception of how their supervisor or chain of command would react to instances
of sexual harassment, and to what extent they would be willing to act to prevent sexual
harassment.

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Perception of Sexual Harassment in the Military Over Past Two Years
DoD
As shown in Figure 186, 25% of DoD women indicated sexual harassment in the military is less
of a problem today compared to two years ago, which showed a statistically significant increase
compared to 2014 (8 percentage points). Conversely, a little more than one-tenth (12%) of
women indicated sexual harassment in the military is more of a problem today than two years
ago. Compared to 2014, this showed a significant decrease for women (16 percentage points).
Figure 186 shows in 2016, Air Force women (27%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate sexual harassment in the military is less of a problem today than two years
ago, whereas Army (24%) and Marine Corps (20%) women were less likely. Women in the
Marine Corps (15%) and Army (14%) were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate sexual harassment in the military is more of a problem today than two years ago.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of women who indicated sexual harassment in the military is
less of a problem today than two years ago showed a statistically significant increase in
responses for women in the Air Force, Army, and Navy in 2016 (9 percentage points for Air
Force, 8 percentage points for Army, and 7 percentage points for Navy). Responses from
women in all Services indicating sexual harassment in the military is more of a problem today
showed a statistically significant decrease compared to responses in 2014 (18 percentage points
for Army and Air Force, 16 percentage points for Marine Corps, and 13 percentage points for
Navy).
Figure 186.
Perception of Sexual Harassment in the Military Over Past Two Years for DoD Women
(Q209)

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As shown in Figure 187, 40% of DoD men indicated sexual harassment in the military is less of
a problem today compared to two years ago, which showed a statistically significant increase
compared to 2014 (9 percentage points for men). Conversely, 8% of men indicated sexual
harassment in the military is more of a problem today than two years ago. Compared to 2014,
this showed a significant decrease for men (12 percentage points).
In 2016, Air Force men (43%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate sexual
harassment in the military is less of a problem today than two years ago, whereas men in the
Army (39%) and Marine Corps (36%) were less likely. Army (10%) and Marine Corps (9%)
men were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate sexual harassment is more of a
problem today compared to two years ago.
Compared to 2014, the percentage of men who indicated sexual harassment in the military is less
of a problem today than two years ago showed a statistically significant increase for Air Force
(12 percentage points), Army (10 percentage points), and Navy men (7 percentage points).
Responses from men across all Services indicating sexual harassment in the military is more of a
problem today than two years ago showed a statistically significant decrease compared to
responses in 2014 (13 percentage points for Army, 12 percentage points for Navy and Air Force,
and 10 percentage points for Marine Corps).
Figure 187.
Perception of Sexual Harassment in the Military Over Past Two Years for DoD Men (Q209)

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 188, a little less than one-third (30%) of Coast Guard women and less than
half (44%) of Coast Guard men indicated sexual harassment is less of a problem today than it
was two years ago. Fewer (6%) women and men (4%) indicated sexual harassment in the
military is more of a problem today than compared to two years ago.
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Compared to 2014, responses from Coast Guard women and men indicating sexual harassment is
less of a problem today than two years ago showed a statistically significant increase (11
percentage points for men and 9 percentage points for women). A statistically significant
decrease was also found for Coast Guard women and men indicating sexual harassment is more
of a problem today compared to 2014 (13 percentage points for women and 12 percentage points
for men).
Figure 188.
Perception of Sexual Harassment in the Military Over Past Two Years for Coast Guard
(Q209)

Perception of Leadership’s Response to Sexual Harassment
DoD
As shown in Figure 189, a little less than one-third (30%) of DoD women indicated they would
not be treated differently by their supervisor or chain of command if they reported they were
sexually harassed, whereas a little less than half (47%) indicated they would be treated
differently. Air Force women (33%) were more likely than women in the other Services to
indicate they disagree that their supervisor or chain of command would treat them differently if
they reported being sexually harassed, whereas Navy (29%) and Marine Corps (25%) women
were less likely to disagree. Marine Corps (52%) and Navy women (48%) were more likely than
women in the other Services to agree they would be treated differently by leadership.
More than one third (34%) of DoD men indicated their supervisor or chain of command would
not treat them differently if they reported that they were sexually harassed, whereas 48%
indicated they would be treated differently (Figure 189). Army and Air Force men (35% for
both) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate they disagree leadership would
treat them differently if they reported being sexually harassed, whereas Marine Corps (30%)
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were less likely to disagree. Men in the Marine Corps (51%) were more likely than men in the
other Services to indicate they agree leadership would treat them differently if they reported
being sexually harassed.
Figure 189.
Perception of Being Treated Differently by Leadership if Member Reports Member Was
Sexually Harassed for DoD (Q203e)

As shown in Figure 190, more than one-third (38%) of women indicated their supervisor or chain
of command would not treat them differently if they reported someone else was sexually
harassed; however, the same percentage (38%) agreed they would be treated differently. Air
Force women (42%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate they disagree
leadership would treat them differently if they reported someone else was sexually harassed,
whereas Army (36%), Navy (36%), and Marine Corps women (35%) were less likely to
disagree. Women in the Marine Corps (41%) and Army (40%) were more likely than women in
the other Services to indicate they agree leadership would threat them differently.
Forty percent of men indicated they disagreed their supervisor or chain of command would treat
them differently if they reported that someone else was sexually harassed; however, 42% agreed
they would be treated differently. Navy (41%) and Air Force men (41%) were more likely than
men in the other Services to indicate they disagree leadership would treat them differently if they
reported someone else was sexually harassed, whereas Marine Corps (36%) were less likely to
disagree. Marine Corps men (46%) were also more likely than men in the other Services to
agree leadership would treat them differently.

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Figure 190.
Perception of Being Treated Differently by Leadership if Member Reports Someone Else Was
Sexually Harassed for DoD (Q203f)

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 191, a little less than one-third (32%) of Coast Guard women and more than
one-third (38%) of Coast Guard men indicated their supervisor or chain of command would not
treat them differently if they reported being sexually harassed; however, a little less than half
(46%) of women and less than half (44%) of men indicated they would be treated differently.
With regard to reporting someone else was sexually harassed, less than half (43%) of women and
men (44%) indicated they would not be treated differently by leadership if they reported. Onethird (33%) of women and more than one-third (38%) of men indicated leadership would treat
them differently if they reported someone else was sexually harassed.

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Figure 191.
Perception of Being Treated Differently by Leadership if Member Reports Member Was
Sexually Harassed (Q203e) and if Reports Someone Else Was Sexually Harassed (Q203f) for
Coast Guard

Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment
Active duty members were asked to indicate to what extent they are willing to respond to various
situations involving sexual harassment, such as to point out when someone “crossed the line”
with gender-related comments or jokes, their willingness to encourage other Service members to
do the same, and their willingness to seek help from their chain of command.
DoD
As shown in Figure 192, the majority of DoD women (77%) and DoD men (81%) indicated they
would point out when they think someone “crossed the line” with gender-related comments or
jokes to a large extent and would encourage others to point out when they think others “crossed
the line” (77% of women and 80% of men). Additionally, the majority of women (75%) and
men (82%) indicated they would seek help from their chain of command to confront Service
members who continue to engage in sexual harassment. Conversely, fewer women (2%–4%)
and men (3%) would not at all intervene to prevent sexual harassment.

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Figure 192.
Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment for DoD (Q204)

As shown in Table 65, women in the Army and Air Force (both 79%) were more likely than
women in the other Services to indicate they would point out to someone when they think they
“crossed the line” with gender-related comments or jokes to a large extent, whereas women in
the Navy (75%) and Marine Corps (75%) were less likely. Similarly, women in the Army (78%)
and Air Force (79%) were more likely than women in the other Services to indicate they would
encourage others to point out when they think others “crossed the line” with gender-related
comments or jokes to a large extent, whereas women in the Navy (75%) and Marine Corps
(73%) were less likely. Lastly, Air Force women (78%) were more likely than women in the
other Services to indicate they would seek help from their chain of command to confront
members who continue to engage in sexual harassment, whereas women in the Navy (73%) and
Marine Corps (70%) were less likely.
As far as not intervening at all, Army women (5%) were more likely than women in the other
Services to indicate they would not seek help from leadership to confront members who continue
to engage in sexual harassment. Marine Corps women (3%) were more likely than women in the
other Services to indicate they would not point out to someone when they “crossed the line” with
gender-related comments or jokes.
Men in the Army (83%) and Air Force (82%) were more likely than men in the other Services to
indicate they would point out to someone when they think they “crossed the line” with genderrelated comments or jokes to a large extent, whereas Navy (80%) and Marine Corps men (77%)
were less likely (Table 65). Similarly, Army (82%) and Air Force (81%) men were more likely
than men in the other Services to indicate they would encourage others to point out when they
think others “crossed the line” with gender-related comments or jokes to a large extent, whereas
men in the Navy (78%) and Marine Corps (76%) were less likely. Army (83%) and Air Force
men (84%) were more likely than men in the other Services to indicate they would seek help

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from their chain of command to confront members who continue to engage in sexual harassment,
whereas men in the Navy (80%) and Marine Corps (77%) were less likely.
As far as not intervening at all, Army and Marine Corps men were more likely than men in the
other Services to indicate they would not point out to someone when they “crossed the line” with
gender-related comments or jokes (3% for Army men and 4% for Navy men), they would not
encourage others to point out when they think others “crossed the line” with gender-related
comments or jokes (4% for both), and they would not seek help from leadership to confront
members who continue to engage in sexual harassment (4% for both).

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Table 65.
Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment for DoD (Q204)
Within Service Comparisons
Total
DoD

Army

Navy

Higher Response

Women
Large Extent
Point out to someone when you think they “crossed the
line” with gender-related comments or jokes
Encourage others point out when they think others
“crossed the line” with gender-related comments or jokes
Seek help from chain of command to confront members
who continue to engage in sexual harassment
Margins of Error

Not at All
Point out to someone when you think they “crossed the
line” with gender-related comments or jokes
Encourage others point out when they think others
“crossed the line” with gender-related comments or jokes
Seek help from chain of command to confront members
who continue to engage in sexual harassment
Margins of Error

Men
Large Extent
Point out to someone when you think they “crossed the
line” with gender-related comments or jokes
Encourage others point out when they think others
“crossed the line” with gender-related comments or jokes
Seek help from chain of command to confront members
who continue to engage in sexual harassment
Margins of Error

Not at All
Point out to someone when you think they “crossed the
line” with gender-related comments or jokes
Encourage others point out when they think others
“crossed the line” with gender-related comments or jokes
Seek help from chain of command to confront members
who continue to engage in sexual harassment
Margins of Error

Marine
Corps

Air
Force

Lower Response

77

79

75

75

79

77

78

75

73

79

75

75

73

70

78

±1

±1

±2

±3

±1

2

3

2

3

1

2

3

3

3

2

4

5

5

5

3

±1

±1

±1

±2

±1

81

83

80

77

82

80

82

78

76

81

82

83

80

77

84

±1

±1

±1

±1

±1

3

3

3

4

2

3

4

3

4

2

3

4

4

4

2

±1

±1

±1

±1

±1

Percent of all active duty members

Coast Guard
As shown in Figure 193, the majority of Coast Guard women (79%) and Coast Guard men (85%)
indicated they would point out to someone when they think they “crossed the line” with genderrelated comments or jokes. The majority of women (77%) and men (84%) indicated they would
encourage others to point out when they think others “crossed the line,” and would seek help

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from chain of command to confront members who continue to engage in sexual harassment (79%
of women and 87% of men). Fewer Coast Guard women (1%–3%) and Coast Guard men (2%)
would not at all act to prevent sexual harassment.
Figure 193.
Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment for Coast Guard (Q204)

Predictive Capabilities
The 2016 WGRA provides important information on how members’ trust in the military system
affects their perception of the DoD in preventing instances of sexual assault and sexual
harassment. This section connects actionable policy items related to military culture with DoD
members’ perception regarding the effectiveness of sexual assault and sexual harassment
prevention strategies. Specifically, this chapter seeks to understand whether increases in
members’ trust in the military system to protect sexual assault victims lead to perceived
improvements in preventing sexual assault. Analysis is then extended to sexual harassment by
observing whether increases in members’ willingness to speak openly about sexual harassment
issues or to seek help from the chain of command leads to perceived improvements in preventing
of sexual harassment in the military.
Perceptions of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault
Earlier in this chapter, members’ responses to whether sexual assault and sexual harassment in
the military is more or less of a problem today than two years ago were discussed. As shown in
Figure 194 and Figure 195, DoD active duty members generally hold positive perceptions
regarding the DoD’s handling of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military, with only
8% (for each) indicating more of a problem today compared to two years ago.

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In order to analyze these perceptions, the next sections will examine what potentially contributes
to predicting three outcomes. These three outcomes include members indicating there is more of
a problem today compared to two years ago, less of a problem today compared to two years ago,
and it is same as two years ago. To accomplish this, only members who indicated one of the
previously mentioned response options were examined; members who did not endorse one of
these response options or indicated they did not know are excluded from this analysis as it is
assumed they do not hold an opinion on sexual assault or sexual harassment in the military.
As shown in Figure 194 and Figure 195, among members who indicated they had an opinion on
sexual assault or sexual harassment in the military, more than half indicated sexual assault and
sexual harassment (both 55%) was less of a problem today than two years ago. In both cases,
12% of members indicated it was more of a problem today than two years ago.
Figure 194.
Perception of Sexual Assault in the Military Over the Past Two Years for Total DoD—
Removing “Do not know” (Q210)

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Figure 195.
Perception of Sexual Harassment in the Military Over the Past Two Years for Total DoD—
Removing “Do not know” (Q209)

Trust in the Military’s Response to Sexual Assault
Members were asked to indicate their level of agreement regarding trust of the military system if
they were to experience a sexual assault. Members were asked about trusting the military system
to protect their privacy, ensure their safety, and treat them with dignity and respect should they
experience a sexual assault while in the military. These responses were combined into a single
index based on their inter-item covariances (α = 0.94), which measures members’ trust in the
military’s response to sexual assault (Trust in the Military System index).
An ordered logistic regression was used to capture the relationship between members’ opinions
of sexual assault as a problem in the military over the last two years and their trust in the
military’s response to sexual assault. An open climate in which members trust the military
system to protect sexual assault victims is hypothesized to yield a perceived improvement in the
military in regards to issues related to sexual harassment. The regression holds members’
Service, race, gender, and experiences of sexual assault at their mean and only applies to
members who indicated having an opinion on the problem of sexual assault in the military.
While holding all other variables at their means, Figure 196 displays predicted probabilities of
members’ opinions of sexual assault as a problem in the military as their agreement regarding
trust in the military’s system changes from strongly disagree to strongly agree. For members
who are the least trusting in the military system, the predicted probability of perceiving sexual
assault as less of a problem today is 18%. The predicted probability of this positive perception
rises to 63% as members’ trust in the military system increases. By contrast, the predicted
probabilities of perceiving sexual assault as more of a problem today decreases from 40% to 8%
as members’ trust in the military system moves from disagreement to agreement.

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Members were more likely to perceive that sexual assault is becoming less of a problem today
compared to more of a problem if they indicated a response beyond disagree regarding their trust
in the military system. As members continue to mark higher responses on the Trust in the
Military System index, their positive perception of the DoD’s sexual assault prevention grows at
a high rate, demonstrating a strong relationship between policy and reality. In other words, a
member’s higher level of trust in the military system about sexual assault-related issues
potentially causes a very large difference between predicted probabilities of positive (63%) and
negative perceptions (8%) about problems in the military; specifically a 55-percentage-point gap.
Figure 196.
Trust in the Military System’s Response to Sexual Assault for DoD Active Duty Members by
Perceptions of Sexual Assault (Q203b–d, Q210)

Figure 197 displays predicted probabilities of the same model–while distinguishing between
DoD men and women using marginal standardization.47 The predicted probabilities for DoD
men indicating sexual assault was less of a problem today is 20% among DoD men that are the
least trusting in the military system. The predicted probability of this positive perception is
expected to rise to 66% as male members maximize their trust in the military system. As trust in
the military system moves from disagreement to agreement, the predicted probabilities among
DoD women indicating sexual assault as less of a problem today increases from 13% to 54%.
47

Members indicating no change in sexual harassment as a problem in the military for the past two years are not
displayed for easier interpretability. Service, race, and experiences of sexual harassment are held at their means.

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Figure 197.
Changes in Gender—Trust in the Military System’s Response to Sexual Assault for DoD
Active Duty Members by Perceptions of Sexual Assault (Q203b–d, Q210)

Using marginal standardization, Figure 198 displays predicted probabilities distinguishing
between members who experienced sexual assault and those who did not. Among those who did
not experience sexual assault, the predicted probability for members indicating sexual assault is
less of a problem today is 18% for members who are the least trusting in the military system.
Among those who indicated experiencing a sexual assault, the predicted probability of members
indicating sexual assault is less of a problem today is 12% for members who are the least trusting
of the military system. The predicted probabilities of these positive perceptions of the military’s
response to sexual assault rise to 63% among members who did not experience sexual assault,
whereas the predicted probabilities increase to 51% for members who experienced sexual
assault.
In order for the predicted probability for members who indicated sexual assault is becoming less
of a problem today to be higher among those who did not experience sexual assault, members
needed to indicate a response beyond disagreement in their trust in the military system.
However, members who experienced sexual assault needed to indicate a response beyond
neither agreeing nor disagreeing in their trust in the military system in order to increase the
predicted probability for a positive perception.

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Figure 198.
Changes Based on Experienced Sexual Assault—Trust in the Military System’s Response to
Sexual Assault for DoD Active Duty Members by Perceptions of Sexual Assault (Q203b–d,
Q210)

Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment
Members were asked to indicate to what extent they are willing to respond to various situations
involving sexual harassment. Specifically, they were asked how willing they were to point out
when someone “crossed the line” using gender-related comments or jokes, to encourage other
members to do the same, and to seek help from their chain of command. Responses to these
assessments were combined into a single index based on their inter-item covariances (α = 0.92),
which measures members’ willingness to act to prevent sexual harassment (Willingness to Act
index).
An ordered logistic regression was used to capture the relationship between members’ opinions
of sexual harassment as a problem in the military over the last two years and their willingness to
act to prevent sexual harassment. An open climate in which members feel they are able to speak
openly about sexual harassment and/or seek help from their chain of command is hypothesized to
yield a perceived improvement in the military in regards to issues related to sexual harassment in
the past two years. The regression holds members’ Service, race, gender, and experiences of
sexual harassment at their mean and only applies to members who indicated having an opinion
on the problem of sexual harassment in the military.

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While holding all other variables at their means, Figure 199 displays predicted probabilities of
members’ opinions of sexual harassment as a problem in the military as their willingness to act
to prevent sexual harassment changes from not at all to very large extent. These predicted
probabilities show as members feel more willing to prevent sexual harassment, they were more
likely to have positive perceptions about sexual harassment in the military. For example, the
predicted probability of members perceiving sexual harassment is less of a problem today is 32%
for those who were not at all willing to act to prevent sexual harassment. The predicted
probability of this positive perception rises to 59% as members maximize their willingness to act
to prevent sexual harassment. By comparison, this same change in the Willingness to Act index
shows a decrease in the predicted probabilities of members perceiving sexual harassment is more
of a problem today from 26% to 10%.
In a climate where members are not at all willing to discuss or seek help regarding sexual
harassment, they are more likely to hold a positive perception regarding sexual harassment in the
military (32%). However, this positive perception has a predicted probability of only 6
percentage points higher than the predicted probability of a negative perception (26%).
Meanwhile, positive perceptions (59%) have a predicted probability of 49 percentage points
higher than the predicted probability of negative perceptions (10%) in a climate where all
members feel willing to act to prevent sexual harassment. This shows that although assessments
of how the DoD handles sexual harassment are mostly positive, effective policy aimed at
fostering a climate where members can speak openly about sexual harassment issues and/or seek
help from their chain of command can greatly increase overall perceptions on sexual harassment
in the military.

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Figure 199.
Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment for DoD Active Duty Members by
Perceptions of Sexual Harassment (Q204, Q209)

Figure 200 displays predicted probabilities of the same model, while distinguishing between men
and women using marginal standardization.48 The predicted probability of DoD men who
indicated sexual harassment is less of a problem today is 35% for those that are not at all willing
to act to prevent sexual harassment. By comparison, the predicted probability for DoD women is
24%. The predicted probabilities for these positive perceptions rise to 62% among DoD men
and 49% for DoD women who are among the most willing to act to prevent sexual harassment.
DoD men were more likely to hold positive perceptions about occurrences of sexual harassment
in the military. By contrast, DoD women only become more likely to indicate that sexual
harassment is becoming less of a problem today if they indicate their willingness to act to
prevent sexual harassment is beyond a small extent.

48

Members indicating no change in sexual harassment as a problem in the military for the past two years are not
displayed for easier interpretability. Service, race, and experiences of sexual harassment are held at their means.

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Figure 200.
Changes in Gender—Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual Harassment for DoD Active Duty
Members by Perceptions of Sexual Harassment (Q204, Q209)

Using marginal standardization, Figure 201 shows the same relationship while distinguishing
between members who experienced sexual harassment and those who did not. The gap between
those experiencing sexual harassment and those who did not is considerably large. Among
members who did not experience sexual harassment, the predicted probability of indicating
sexual harassment is becoming less of a problem today increases from 33% to 60% across the
Willingness to Act index. This same change in predicted probabilities increases from 18% to
40% among those who experienced sexual harassment.
Again, the predicted probability of positive perceptions is always higher than negative
perceptions among those who did not experience sexual harassment. Among members who
experienced sexual harassment, positive perceptions were more likely to occur for members who
indicated their willingness to act to prevent sexual harassment was beyond a moderate extent.
Figure 201 suggests that policies targeted at improving workplace climate might help incline
members who experienced sexual harassment to believe sexual harassment is becoming less of a
problem in the military. Further, it also suggests policies should establish a strong willingness
among members to speak openly about sexual harassment issues and/or seek help from their
chain of command.

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Figure 201.
Changes based on Experienced Sexual Harassment—Willingness to Act to Prevent Sexual
Harassment for DoD Active Duty Members by Perceptions of Sexual Harassment (Q204,
Q209)

In summary, specific policies that foster openness between military members and their chain of
command increase the probability of members’ positive assessment of the DoD’s handling of
sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military. Particularly, policy aimed at increasing a
member’s confidence to speak to a higher authority in the military on matters of sexual assault
makes a substantial difference in the viewpoint of all members. This research suggests focusing
on improving both dialogue and trust between members and their military superiors regarding
gender-based issues would have an impact on the overall DoD workplace climate.

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Chapter 11:
Analysis of Men Who Indicated Experiencing Sexual Assault
Dr. Laura Severance, Dr. Jason Debus, and Ms. Lisa Davis
The goal of this chapter is to examine men who indicated experiencing sexual assault. To date,
most of the research on sexual assault both in the military and beyond has focused on women,
largely due to the fact that sexual assault is more prevalent among women than men. However,
due to the large male population in the military, sexual assault remains an issue that affects a
high number of men (Schry et al., 2015). The negative consequences of sexual assault make this
an important area for further exploration. Research conducted by Tolin and Foa (2008) and
Tewksbury (2007) showed that the consequences of sexual assault, although similar in kind, are
not similar in severity in men and women. Both women and men experience various physical,
emotional, psychological, and behavioral effects of sexual assault, with women more likely to
meet the criteria of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than men (Tolin & Foa, 2008). Male
survivors of sexual assault, on the other hand, face issues that do not necessarily occur among
women who experience sexual assault. For example, men struggle to seek treatment and
acceptance as survivors of sexual assault. In fact, Donnelly and Kenyon (1996) found that some
treatment facilities did not believe that sexual assault could even occur among men. Javaid
(2014) made the observation that men experiencing sexual assault are often not well-supported
and that the lack of treatment options after an assault may contribute to underreporting. This
observation is supported by research in which men tend to underreport to a greater extent than
women, partially due to gender-based stereotypes and culturally-defined roles that impede
survivors from reporting the assault (Turchik, Bucossi, & Kimerling, 2014).
Another unique factor is that men are more likely to be victims of same-sex perpetrators which,
for some men, calls into question their masculinity, sexual orientation, and gender identity (Bell,
Turchik, & Karpenko, 2014). This is a core difference in the experiences between male and
female survivors of sexual assault. Men are more likely to face gender identity, sexual
orientation, and sexual identity issues as a result of the assault than women. This contributes to
higher instances of self-harm and other negative psychological effects (Walker, Archer, &
Davies, 2005). In a military environment where traditional gender roles are emphasized and
masculinity is a valued commodity, for males who have experienced sexual assault, that role is
called into question, which may lead to feelings of shame, guilt, and embarrassment (Sable,
Danis, Mauzy, & Gallagher, 2006).
To aid in our understanding of the dynamics surrounding men who experience sexual assault, we
first sought to explore how men and women who indicated experiencing sexual assault differ
with respect to demographic characteristics. We also examined demographic differences
between men who do and do not indicate experiencing sexual assault. Understanding such
differences may help the Department target prevention and/or support efforts to more vulnerable
populations—the first focus on this chapter. The second part of this chapter outlines top-level
gender differences, highlighting where results of the 2016 WGRA have shown statistical
differences between the circumstances of women and men who indicated experiencing a sexual
assault. Of note, this preliminary analysis provides only simple single-dimensional statistical
findings.

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We then turn our attention to one focal issue—the characterization of sexual assault as hazing
and/or bullying. Men are far more likely to characterize the one sexual assault situation that had
the largest effect on them (henceforth referred to as the “one situation”) as hazing or bullying
than women. More specifically, 27% of men who indicated experiencing sexual assault
characterized the one situation as hazing compared to only 9% of women, and 39% of men who
indicated experiencing sexual assault characterized the one situation as bullying compared to
24% of women. Understanding the dynamics surrounding hazing-related and bullying-related
sexual assault may aid the Department in developing prevention-related efforts. Toward this
end, we examine demographic differences between those who characterize the one situation as
hazing or bullying versus those who do not to identify whether certain subpopulations are
particularly vulnerable. Subsequently, we examine characteristics of hazing and bullying sexual
assault situations to gain an understanding of how and when these incidents occur.
The WGRA 2016 false discovery rate49 for within year between subgroup analyses of p = .024
was used as the significance level for analyses conducted in this chapter. Analyses involving
interactions were conducted in Stata. Analyses involving subgroup comparisons were conducted
using OPA’s Statistical Analysis Macro program. Analyses are limited to the DoD active duty
Services.

Demographic Differences Between Women and Men Who Indicated
Experiencing Sexual Assault
We sought to explore the demographic profile of men who indicated experiencing sexual assault,
focusing on how they may differ from women who indicated experiencing sexual assault. To do
so, we examined interactions between gender and demographic variables of interest (i.e., age,
years of service, race/ethnicity, paygrade, education, Armed Forces Qualification Test [AFQT]
category, and deployment within the last 12 months) on the likelihood of experiencing sexual
assault. We chose to examine the interaction between
With the exception of age, there
gender and demographic characteristics rather than
were no unique demographic
simply conducting comparisons between men and
factors that place men versus
women who indicated experiencing sexual assault on
women at risk of sexual assault.
demographic characteristics, because men and women
overall (i.e., the total population of men and women in
the Services) differ on certain demographic characteristics (such as race/ethnicity). Examining
the interaction between gender and demographic characteristics allows us to identify any
predictors of sexual assault that may be unique to men or women. Results showed age was the
only unique demographic factor that placed men versus women at risk of sexual assault. Results
are described in more detail below.
Results showed a significant interaction between gender and age on experiencing sexual assault,
with women who indicated experiencing sexual assault tending to be slightly younger and men
tending to be slightly older (odds ratio = .96, p < .001; age was included as a continuous variable
in the regression equation but is shown as a categorical variable in the table below). As shown in
Table 66, 24% of women who indicated experiencing sexual assault were under the age of 21
49

For more information, see the WGRA 2016 Statistical Methods Report.

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compared to only 12% of men who indicated experiencing sexual assault. In contrast, 29% of
men who indicated experiencing sexual assault were above the age of 30 compared to only 15%
of women who indicated experiencing sexual assault.
Table 66.
Age of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate Experiencing Sexual Assault
Indicated Experiencing
Sexual Assault
Women
Men

Did Not Indicate Experiencing
Sexual Assault
Women
Men

<21

24%

12%

11%

10%

21 to 24.9

37%

37%

24%

22%

25 to 29.9

24%

22%

25%

23%

30 and older

15%

29%

39%

46%

A marginally significant interaction emerged between gender and years of service, with women
who indicated experiencing sexual assault tending to have fewer years of service and men who
indicated experiencing sexual assault tending to have more years of service. For example, as
seen in Table 67, 9% of women who indicated experiencing sexual assault had ten or more years
of service compared to 14% of men (odds ratio =.70, p =.029). It is important to note, however,
that women who did not experience sexual assault also tend to have fewer years of service than
men who did not experience sexual assault.
Table 67.
Years of Service of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate Experiencing Sexual
Assault
Indicated Experiencing
Sexual Assault
Women
Men

Did Not Indicate Experiencing
Sexual Assault
Women
Men

1 to 2 years

57%

46%

36%

31%

3 to 5 years

23%

27%

22%

20%

6 to 9 years

11%

13%

15%

14%

10+ years

9%

14%

28%

34%

There were no significant interactions between gender and AFQT category (Table 68), level of
education (Table 69), race/ethnicity (Table 70), paygrade (Table 71), or deployment status
(Table 72) on experiencing sexual assault.

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Table 68.
AFQT50 Category of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate Experiencing Sexual
Assault
Indicated Experiencing
Sexual Assault
Women
Men
7%
17%

I

Did Not Indicate Experiencing
Sexual Assault
Women
Men
5%
10%

II

47%

48%

40%

45%

III

46%

35%

55%

44%

IV and V

<1%

<1%

1%

1%

Table 69.
Level of Education of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate Experiencing Sexual
Assault
Indicated Experiencing
Sexual Assault
Women
Men

Did Not Indicate
Experiencing Sexual Assault
Women
Men

No College

73%

74%

51%

60%

Some College

10%

11%

17%

15%

4-year Degree

11%

11%

18%

15%

Graduate/Professional Degree

4%

3%

11%

9%

Unknown

1%

1%

2%

2%

Table 70.
Race/Ethnicity of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate Experiencing Sexual
Assault
Indicated Experiencing
Sexual Assault
Women
Men

Did Not Indicate
Experiencing Sexual Assault
Women
Men

Hispanic

18%

19%

18%

16%

White

51%

56%

45%

59%

Black

16%

9%

22%

13%

American Indian/Alaskan Native

1%

<1%

1%

1%

Asian

3%

4%

6%

5%

Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

1%

1%

1%

1%

Two or More Races

9%

10%

7%

6%

50

Lower categories indicate higher scores on the AFQT.

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Table 71.
Paygrade of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate Experiencing Sexual Assault
Indicated Experiencing
Sexual Assault
Women
Men

Did Not Indicate Experiencing
Sexual Assault
Women
Men

E1–E4

70%

67%

45%

43%

E5–E9

20%

24%

36%

40%

W1–W5

<1%

<1%

1%

2%

O1–O3

8%

7%

13%

9%

O4–O6

1%

1%

6%

6%

Table 72.
Deployment Status of Women and Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate Experiencing Sexual
Assault
Indicated Experiencing
Sexual Assault
Women
Men
Deployed within
last 12 months

21%

30%

Did Not Indicate Experiencing
Sexual Assault
Women
Men
15%

21%

Demographics Differences Between Men Who Did and Did Not
Indicate Experiencing Sexual Assault
Subsequently, we compared the demographic characteristics of men who did and did not indicate
experiencing sexual assault. Results revealed that, relative to men who did not indicate
experiencing sexual assault, those who did were younger, had fewer years of service, had less
education, were in lower pay grades, had higher AFQT scores, were more likely to have been
deployed in the last 12 months, were less likely to be Black, and were more likely to be multiracial. This information may help to identify men who are at higher risk of sexual assault so that
the Department may focus efforts on these individuals. Table 73 summarizes the demographic
characteristics on which men who did and did not indicate experiencing sexual assault differ;
statistically significant differences are bolded.

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Table 73.
Summary of Demographic Differences Between Men Who Did and Did Not Indicate
Experiencing Sexual Assault

Age

Years of
Service

AFQT
Score

Level of
Education

Race/
Ethnicity

Paygrade

Indicated Experiencing
Sexual Assault
12% are younger than 21
37% are age 21 to 25
22% are age 25 through 29
29% are age 30 and older
46% have 1 to 2 years
27% have 3 to 5 years
13% have 6 to 9 years
14% have 10 or more years
17% Category I
48% Category II
35% Category III
<1% Category IV and V
74% have no college
11% have some college
11% have a 4- year degree
3% have a graduate/professional degree
19% are Hispanic
56% are White
9% are Black
<1% are American Indian/Alaska Native
4% are Asian
1% are Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander
10% are two or more races
67% are E1-E4
24% are E5-E9
<1% are W1-W5
7% are O1-O3
1% are O4-O6

Did Not Indicate Experiencing
Sexual Assault
10% are younger than 21
22% are age 21 to 25
23% are age 25 through 29
46% are age 30 and older
31% have 1 to 2 years
20% have 3 to 5 years
14% have 6 to 9 years
34% have 10 or more years
10% Category I
45% Category II
44% Category III
1% Category IV and V
60% have no college
15% have some college
15% have a 4- year degree
9% have a graduate/professional degree
16% are Hispanic
59% are White
13% are Black
1% are American Indian/Alaska Native
5% are Asian
1% are Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander
6% are two or more races
43% are E1-E4
40% are E5-E9
2% are W1-W5
9% are O1-O3
6% are O4-O6

Deployment
30% deployed within last 12 months
21% deployed within last 12 months
Status
Note: Bolded categories indicate statistically significant differences between men who did and did not indicate
experiencing sexual assault. T-Tests were computed and the significance level of p <.024 was used.

These results indicate it may be helpful to target general sexual assault prevention efforts toward
men who are within their first five years of service, who are younger than 25 years of age, and
who are enlisted, as these appear to be the most defining characteristics of men who indicate
experiencing sexual assault.

Characteristics of Sexual Assault: Differences Between Men and
Women
This section provides top-level gender differences to highlight which results of the 2016 WGRA
have shown statistical differences between the circumstances of women and men who indicated

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experiencing a sexual assault. Also noted are any statistically different results from the 2016
WGRA survey to the 2014 RMWS.
Findings
Rates of Men Who Indicated Experiencing Sexual Assault
As reported in Chapter 3, in 2016, 0.6% of DoD men indicated experiencing sexual assault in the
past 12 months, which showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 compared to 2014 (0.3
percentage points). Breaking down this rate by the type of sexual assault experienced, 0.4%
indicated experiencing non-penetrative sexual assault (or unwanted sexual touching), 0.2%
indicated experiencing penetrative sexual assault, and <0.1% indicated experiencing an
attempted penetrative sexual assault. As shown in Table 74, for any experiences of sexual
assault in the past 12 months, 67% of men indicated they experienced more than one unwanted
event in the past 12 months, and specifically, men were more likely than women to indicate they
experienced five or more unwanted events in the past year (35%). Men were also more likely
than women to classify those unwanted events as involving hazing (26%) or bullying (42%).
Table 74.
Characteristics of Any Unwanted Event(s) in the Past 12 Months for DoD
Higher Response
Lower Response
Experienced more than one unwanted event in the past 12 months
Indicated five or more unwanted events in the past 12 months
Unwanted events in past 12 months done by same person
Unwanted events in past 12 months done by more than one person
Considered any unwanted experience in past 12 months as bullying
Considered any unwanted experience in past 12 months as hazing
Margins of error

Women

Men
62
25
41
58
27
10

±3–5

67
35
42
53
42
26
±6–8

Male Profile For Those Who Indicated Experiencing Sexual Assault
Summarized below is the profile of males who indicated experiencing sexual assault in the past
12 months. Top findings for males are described below regarding the alleged offender(s) and
where and when the one situation occurred. Table 74 and Table 75 display this data and the
comparisons of DoD men to DoD women in more detail.
Respondents were asked to identify the one experience they felt was the most serious. If
respondents indicated more than one behavior was the most serious, a hierarchy was applied to
identify the one behavior: penetrative, attempted penetrative, then non-penetrative. Therefore, if
a respondent indicated the one situation included both penetrative and non-penetrative, they
would be categorized as just penetrative. DoD men were more likely than women to indicate the
most serious situation was a non-penetrative sexual assault (59%), and less likely to indicate the
one situation to be the most serious was penetrative sexual assault (35%). Fewer (6%) men
indicated the one situation involved an attempted penetrative sexual assault. For the remainder

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of the survey, respondents were asked to think about this one situation they considered the most
serious when answering the remaining questions.
As shown in Table 75, when describing the alleged offender(s) in the one situation, men were
less likely to say there was only one person involved (58%). Although 57% of men indicated the
alleged offender(s) was (were) also men, compared to women, men were more likely to indicate
the alleged offender(s) was (were) women (25%) or a mix or men and women (12%). Although
most men indicated the offenders were all military members (66%), men were more likely than
women to indicate the alleged offenders were not in the military (16%). When a military
member was identified as the alleged offender(s), 53% indicated the alleged offender(s) was
(were) of a higher rank and 40% was (were) the same rank as them. When compared to women,
men were more likely to indicate the offender(s) was (were) of a lower rank than them in the
military (29%).
For the status of the alleged offender(s), although 38% of men indicated they were not sure of the
alleged offender(s) status, 25% indicated the alleged offender(s) was (were) someone else in
their chain of command (not their immediate supervisor) and 24% indicated the alleged
offender(s) was (were) a subordinate(s) or someone they managed. When compared to women,
men were less likely to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were) some other higher ranking
military member not previously listed (21%). Although 43% of men indicated the alleged
offender(s) was (were) a friend or acquaintance, they were less likely to indicate this than DoD
women. Men were more likely to indicate they were not sure (31%) of the relationship to the
alleged offender(s), and 19% of men indicated the person was a stranger.

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Table 75.
Characteristics of the Alleged Offender(s) in the One Situation of Sexual Assault for DoD
Higher Response
Lower Response
Number of alleged offender(s)
One person
More than one person
Not sure
Gender of the alleged offender(s)
Men
Women
A mix of men and women
Not sure
Alleged offender(s) military status
Yes, they all were
Yes, some were, but not all
No, none were military
Not sure
Alleged military member offender(s) in same service
Rank of alleged military member offender(s)
E1–E3
E4
E5–E6
E7–E9
W1–W5
O1–O3
O4–O6 and above
Not sure
Rank of alleged offender(s) in relation to member rank
Offender was of a lower rank
Offender was the same rank
Offender was of a higher rank
Status of alleged offender(s)
Immediate supervisor
Someone else in your chain of command
Some other higher ranking military member not listed
Subordinate(s) or someone you manage
DoD/Government civilian(s) working for the military
Contractor(s) working for the military
Not sure

Women

Men
67
31
2

58
33
9

94
2
4
<1

57
25
12
6

83
7
8
3
94

66
9
16
9
91

29
33
39
15
2
6
4
8

30
33
43
15
2
11
4
8

19
38
57

29
40
53

13
20
31
18
5
3
35

18
25
21
24
6
3
38

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Table 75. (continued)
Higher Response
Lower Response
Relationship to alleged offender(s)
Current or former spouse
Someone who you have a child with (your child’s mother or father)
Significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend) you live with
Current or former significant other (boyfriend or girlfriend)
A friend or acquaintance
A family member or relative
A stranger
Not sure
Margins of error

Women

Men
5
2
2
7
58
1
16
20

±14

3
1
2
4
43
2
19
31
±2–7

As shown in Table 76, the top three locations men indicated the one situation occurred were at a
military installation or ship (64%), while at a location off base (35%, where men were less likely
to indicate than women), and while on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field exercises or alerts
(24%, where men were more likely to indicate than women). Further comparisons to women
showed that men were more likely to indicate the situation occurred while at an official military
function (either on or off base) (18%), during an overseas port visit while deployed (11%), or
while in any other type of military combat training (9%). Compared to 2014, the percentage
(9%) who indicated the situation occurred while you were deployed to a combat zone/area where
you drew imminent danger pay/hostile fire pay showed a statistically significant decrease in
2016 for DoD men (11 percentage points).
When asked about when the one situation occurred, men were more likely to indicate it occurred
while at work during duty hours (45%). Men were less likely than women to indicate the one
situation occurred while out with friends or at a party that was not an official military function
(31%) or while in your or someone else’s home or quarters (25%).

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Table 76.
Where and When the One Situation of Sexual Assault Occurred for DoD
Higher Response
Lower Response
Location(s) where the one situation occurred
At a military installation/ship
While you were TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field exercises/alerts
While you were deployed to a combat zone/area where you drew
imminent danger pay/hostile fire pay
During an overseas port visit while deployed
While transitioning between operational theaters
While you were in a delayed entry program
While you were in recruit training/basic training
While you were in any other type of military combat training
While you were in Officer Candidate or Training School/Basic or
Advanced Officer Course
While you were completing military occupational specialty school/
technical training
While at an official military function (either on or off base)
While you were at a location off base
When did the one situation occur
You were out with friends/at party that was not an official military
function
You were on a date
You were at work during duty hours
You were on approved leave
You were being intimate with the other person
You were in your or someone else’s home or quarters
Do not recall
Margins of error

Women

±2–4

Men

64
15

64
24

6

9

6
5
3
3
4

11
7
4
4
9

2

4

10

13

12
45

18
35

40

31

5
27
6
8
45
4

3
45
6
6
25
7
±3–6

Characteristics of the One Situation of Sexual Assault
Members who indicated experiencing sexual assault were asked about behaviors that were part
of the unwanted situation, such as the situation being described as hazing and/or bullying,
whether alcohol or drugs were involved, if they experienced any sexual harassment or stalking
before or after this unwanted situation, or if they took steps to leave the military as a result of the
one situation. Table 77 displays these characteristics and the comparisons of DoD men to DoD
women in more detail.
With regard to considering the unwanted situation as bullying or hazing, men were more likely
than women to indicate they would consider the one situation to be bullying (39%) or hazing
(27%). Fifty-two percent of men experienced sexual harassment or stalking before or after the
one situation occurred. For alcohol use before the one situation occurred, men were less likely
than women to indicate they drank alcohol at the time of the unwanted event (30%), the offender
had been drinking alcohol (26%), and the combination of either them and/or the alleged

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offender(s) using alcohol before the one situation (39%). Twenty-three percent of men also
indicated this unwanted event made them take steps to leave or separate from the military.
Compared to women, men were less likely to receive a sexual assault forensic exam following
the unwanted event (3%).
Table 77.
Behaviors Part of the One Situation of Sexual Assault for DoD
Higher Response
Lower Response
Considered the one situation as bullying
Considered the one situation as hazing
Experienced sexual harassment or stalking before or after the situation
Before
After
Both before and after
Not at all
Member drank alcohol before the situation
Person(s) who did this to you bought or gave you alcohol to drink
You might have been given a drug without your knowledge or consent
Offender had been drinking alcohol
Member and/or offender used alcohol during unwanted event
Any alcohol and/or drug use during unwanted event
Unwanted event made member take steps to leave/separate from military
Received a sexual assault forensic exam or “rape exam”
Margins of error

Women

Men
24
9
56
12
11
33
44
48
64
6
49
59
60
29
8

±2–5

39
27
52
8
9
35
48
30
60
7
26
39
42
27
3
±4–11

Satisfaction With Services Received in Response to the One Situation of Sexual
Assault
Various individuals and providers are available for military members who experience a sexual
assault. Members were asked to rate their satisfaction with the responses and/or services they
received from such individuals or providers. All responses are out of those who reached out to
the individual specified or used the service noted. Table 78 displays the details on the responses
from DoD men compared to DoD women and are summarized here.
When asked about their satisfaction with responses and services received, men were generally
more likely to be dissatisfied with a majority of the responses and/or services received from
individuals and/or providers, including their leadership (unit commander/director [50%], senior
enlisted advisor [51%], and immediate supervisor [53%]), Sexual Assault Prevention and
Response providers (SARCs [30%], VAs [29%], SVCs/VLCs [33%]), and other providers such
as a chaplain (29%) and medical providers not for mental health needs (32%). This suggests
improvements could be made in providing responses and services to men who experience sexual
assault.

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Table 78.
Satisfaction With Responses/Services Received From Individuals/Providers for DoD
Higher Response Satisfied
Lower Response Satisfied
Higher Response Dissatisfied

Your unit commander/director
Your senior enlisted advisor
Your immediate supervisor
A Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC)
A Uniformed Victim Advocate (UVA) or Victim
Advocate (VA)
DoD Safe Helpline
A medical provider not for mental health needs
A mental health provider (e.g., counsel)
Special Victims’ Counsel (SVC) or Victims’ Legal
Counsel (VLC)
A chaplain
Military law enforcement personnel
Civilian law enforcement personnel

Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Margins of error

Women

Men
46
31
42
34
42
34
64
13
64
14
34
20
57
16
61
18
62
11
63
12
44
24
33
25

±6–12

25
50
30
51
33
53
43
30
49
29
35
32
42
32
50
24
38
33
43
29
31
33
26
37
±11–15

Reporting Behaviors
Of those who indicated experiencing a sexual assault, men (15%) were less likely than women to
indicate they reported the situation to the military (Table 79). Of those who did not report the
situation to the military, men (78%) were more likely than women to indicate they never
considered reporting and/or do not plan to report and were less likely than women to indicate
they considered reporting but decided not to (17%).
For the 15% of men who reported the one situation to the military, 55% indicated they initially
made an unrestricted report and 31% indicated they made a restricted report. Details on men
who initially made a restricted report, such as to whom they made the report to, what happened
with their restricted report, and what they would do if restricted reporting were not an option, are
not reportable. However, the final report disposition, taking into account the initial type of report
made and whether their restricted report was converted to an unrestricted report, indicated 61%

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of men ended up with an unrestricted report, and 23% with a restricted report. Further detailed
data on reporting is provided in Table 79.
Table 79.
Reporting the One Situation to the Military for DoD
Higher Response
Lower Response
Women
Men
Indicated reporting the one situation to the military
31
15
Type of report initially made (of those who reported)
Restricted report
35
31
Unrestricted report
54
55
Unsure what type of report I initially made
11
15
To whom did you make this initial restricted report (of those who made a restricted report only)
A Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC)
48
NR
A Uniformed Victim Advocate (UVA) or Victim Advocate (VA)
36
NR
Healthcare personnel
10
NR
Other
6
NR
Unable to recall
<1
<1
Considering reporting, or ever considered reporting (of those who did not report)
Currently considering whether or not to report
6
5
Considered reporting but decided not to
25
17
Never considered reporting/do not plan to report
70
78
What happened with your restricted report (of those who made a restricted report only)
It remained restricted and I am not aware of any investigation that
49
NR
occurred
I chose to convert it to unrestricted
38
NR
I did not choose to convert by report, but an independent investigation
11
NR
occurred anyway
Unable to recall
2
NR
Decision on reporting if no restricted option available (of those who made a restricted report only)
Would have made an unrestricted report
18
NR
Would have not reported
58
NR
Not sure
23
NR
Final report disposition
Restricted report
18
23
Unrestricted report
73
61
Unknown
9
16
Margins of error
±3–10
±4–18

After reporting the unwanted event, members were asked to provide the extent to which they
were provided information and resources, which is displayed in Table 80. Male responses
ranged from 27% to 32% for whether they were provided the listed resources or information to a
large extent, and responses ranged from 22% to 30% for not being provided the listed resources
or information at all. This suggests improvements could be made to ensure men are provided
more resources or information after reporting an unwanted event.
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Table 80.
Extent Provided Information/Resources After Reporting Unwanted Event for DoD
Higher Response Large Extent
Lower Response Large Extent
Higher Response Not At All

Large extent
Not at all
Large extent
Accurate up-to-date information on your case status
Not at all
Large extent
Information to address your confidentiality concerns
Not at all
Large extent
Regular contact regarding your well-being
Not at all
Large extent
Information on you right to consult a SVC/VLC
Not at all
Large extent
Information on your right to request an expedited
transfer
Not at all
Large extent
Information about Victim’s Rights (DD Form 2701)
Not at all
Large extent
Information about confidential counseling services
through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Vet Centers Not at all
Margins of error

Women

Men
54
16
37
17
48
15
54
16
60
15
51
20
50
16
42
33

Safety planning information regarding your immediate
situation

±6–7

27
26
28
NR
NR
22
32
25
NR
23
31
27
NR
22
30
30
±16–17

When asked to what extent their leadership took positive actions after reporting the unwanted
event (Table 81), men were more likely than women to indicate their leadership did not at all
take positive actions such as their leadership made them feel supported (51%), expressed concern
for their well-being (48%), and provide them the flexibility to attend appointments related to
their sexual assault as needed (43%). This suggests improvements in leadership response to
males who experience sexual assault.

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Table 81.
Positive Leadership Action After Reporting Unwanted Event
Higher Response Large Extent
Lower Response Large Extent
Higher Response Not At All

Large extent
Not at all
Large extent
They expressed concern for my well-being
Not at all
The provided me the flexibility to attend appointments Large extent
related to my sexual assault as needed
Not at all
Large extent
They discouraged gossip in my work environment
Not at all
Large extent
Some other positive action
Not at all
Margins of error

Women

Men
42
29
46
26
51
20
39
38
39
39

They made me feel supported

±7–8

32
51
26
48
38
43
29
NR
18
60
±16–17

For reasons why they reported the one situation, the top three responses from men are provided
(see Table 82 for data on all reasons). Forty-seven percent of men indicated they reported the
situation to stop the offender(s) from hurting them again, 45% to stop the offender(s) from
hurting others, and 41% because it was their civic or military duty to report it. When compared
to women, men were less likely to indicate they reported because someone they told encouraged
them to report (22%). When asked if they would recommend others report sexual assault based
on their experience with reporting, 59% of men said they would recommend others report sexual
assault, out of which 34% would recommend others make an unrestricted report and 25% a
restricted report (Table 83).
Table 82.
Reasons for Reporting Sexual Assault for DoD
Higher Response
Lower Response
Someone else made you report it or reported it themselves
To stop the offender(s) from hurting you again
To stop the offender(s) from hurting others
It was your civic/military duty to report it
To punish the offender(s)
To discourage other potential offenders
To get medical assistance
To get mental health assistance
To stop rumors
Someone you told encouraged you to report
You wanted to document the incident so you could get help or
benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the future
Margins of error

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Women

±5–6

Men
29
42
53
27
23
21
20
35
10
44

20
47
45
41
27
20
15
22
14
22

14

23
±11–15

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Table 83.
Recommend Others Report Sexual Assault Based on Experience With Reporting for DoD
Higher Response
Lower Response
Based on overall experience of the reporting process/services
available, recommend others report
Yes, recommend others make an unrestricted report
Yes, recommend others make a restricted report
No
Not sure
Margins of error

Women

±5–6

Men
67

59

44
23
17
16

34
25
32
9
±11–16

For men who indicated they did not report their sexual assault to the military, the top reasons
why are provided (see Table 84 for data on all reasons). Forty-seven percent of men indicated
they did not report because they wanted to forget about it and move on. Compared to 2014, this
showed a statistically significant decrease in 2016 for DoD men (17 percentage points). Thirtynine percent of men indicated the reason they did not report their sexual assault was because they
did not want more people to know, and 37% indicated they thought it was not serious enough to
report or felt shamed or embarrassed. Compared to 2014, the percentage (25%) of those who
indicated they took other actions to handle the situation showed a statistically significant
decrease in 2016 for DoD men (15 percentage points).

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Table 84.
Reasons for Not Reporting Sexual Assault for DoD
Higher Response
Lower Response
You thought it was not serious enough to report
You did not want more people to know
You did not want people to see you as weak
You wanted to forget about it and move on
You did not think your report would be kept confidential
You did not think anything would be done
You did not think you would be believed
You did not trust the process would be fair
You felt partially to blame
You thought other people would blame you
You thought you might get in trouble with something you did
You thought you might be labeled a troublemaker
You felt shamed or embarrassed
You were concerned for your physical safety
You or the person(s) who did it knew the person you would report the
event to
You thought it might hurt your performance evaluation/fitness report
You thought it might hurt your career
You did not want to hurt the person’s career or family
You were worried about potential negative consequences from the
person(s) who did it
You were worried about potential negative consequences from a
supervisor or someone in your chain of command
You were worried about potential negative consequences from your
coworkers or peers
You took other actions to handle the situation
Margins of error

Women

Men
39
58
35
68
31
35
32
31
40
41
20
30
52
13

37
39
32
47
25
29
27
30
20
19
14
20
37
7

7

7

20
36
37

20
24
27

31

21

27

26

36

30

28
±3–4

25
±5–7

When asked if they would make the same decision about reporting if they were to experience
another sexual assault in the future, men (57%) were more likely than women (49%) to indicate
they would make the same decision to not report again (Table 85). Men were also more likely
than women to indicate they did not make a report but would report if they experienced a sexual
assault again (28% for men and 21% for women).

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Table 85.
In Retrospect, Would You Make Same Decision Again About Reporting for DoD
Higher Response
Yes, and I made a report
Yes, and I did not make a report
No, and I made a report
No, and I did not make a report

Lower Response

Women

Men
19
49
11
21

Margins of error

±3–4

8
57
7
28
±4–6

Members were asked a battery of questions relating to experiencing negative outcomes
associated with reporting sexual assault. As shown in Table 86, for men, the combined rate of
perceived professional reprisal, ostracism, or maltreatment was 42%. Breaking these negative
outcomes into individual rates, the rate of perceived professional reprisal for men was 36%, the
rate of perceived ostracism was 17%, and the rate of perceived maltreatment was 19%. There
were no gender differences on rates of perceived professional reprisal, ostracism, and/or
maltreatment.
Table 86.
Outcomes Associated With Reporting Sexual Assault for DoD
Women
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal, Ostracism, or Maltreatment
Rate of Perceived Professional Reprisal
Rate of Perceived Ostracism
Rate of Perceived Maltreatment
Margins of error

Men
28
19
12
18

±5–6

42
36
17
19
±14–16

Exploration of Differences Between Men Who Did and Did Not
Characterize the Situation as Hazing or Bullying
One area of interest to the Department is the characterization of sexual assault as hazing or
bullying. Hazing refers to things done to humiliate or “toughen up” people before accepting
them into a group, whereas bullying refers to repeated verbally or physically abusive behaviors
that are threatening, humiliating, or intimidating.51 As noted, men are more likely to characterize
the one sexual assault situation with the greatest effect as hazing or bullying than are women
(27% versus 9% for hazing and 39% versus 24% for bullying). We sought to explore whether
characteristics of the individual and the one sexual assault situation might vary between
situations characterized as hazing or bullying from those that were not. First, examining factors
that underlie hazing and bullying is helpful to provide context for understanding why and how it
occurs.
51

These definitions were included on the survey instrument.

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To date, research on hazing and bullying has primarily focused on the educational setting with a
small amount being conducted in the military setting. However, there is reason to believe that
hazing, in particular, is prevalent within the military, as evidenced by a recent the Government
Accountability Office report that indicated that hazing remains an issue for the DoD Services
(GAO, 2016). One explanation for why hazing occurs in the military context is because it is
motivated by dominance and group solidarity (Cimino, 2011), both of which are defining
characteristics of military culture. From this perspective, hazing serves to (1) generate cohesion,
(2) allow for the expression of dominance, and (3) allow for the selection of committed members
to the group. These characteristics (i.e., cohesion, dominance, and commitment) are valued by
the military community. Men, in particular, are more likely to engage in hazing behavior to
become part of the group and be accepted than women (Goldman & Hogg, 2016).
Although group solidarity, cohesion and dominance are desirable and can result from certain
types of initiation (LaFerney, 2016), hazing is not by definition initiation. In its most benign
form it is pranking but, most often hazing can cross the line into bullying (Groah, 2005) and can
sometimes turn into sexual assault (Kirby & Wintrup, 2002; LaFerney, 2016). Van Raalte,
Cornelius, Linder, and Brewer (2007) reported that hazing is actually detrimental to group
cohesion, whereas team-building produces more team cohesion.
Bullying is similar to hazing in many ways. For example, both are types of abuse that allow for
the expression of dominance. Despite their commonalities, however, hazing and bullying are
unique constructs. For example, hazing is necessarily tied to gaining membership in a group,
whereas bullying is not (Bersani, Nesci, & Pozzi, 1980). In a similar vein, hazing is generally
perpetrated by multiple people, whereas bullies may act alone. Bullying also involves repeated
acts over time, whereas hazing may be a singular instance (Østvik & Rudmin, 2001). That said,
in practice, there is a large degree of overlap between situations that may be construed as hazing
or bullying. Indeed, of men who characterized the one sexual assault situation as hazing, 83%
also characterized it as bullying. Further, both hazing and bullying result in negative
consequences for victims and are the focus of prevention initiatives within the Department.
This research looks to further inform the Department on how they can bolster policy and training
to reduce the incidence of hazing-related and bullying-related sexual assault. Below, we first
examine the demographic differences between men who do and do not characterize the one
situation as hazing or bullying. Subsequently, we examine how situations characterized as
hazing or bullying versus not differ on a wide range of characteristics such as alleged offenders,
time, location, and separation actions.
Hazing
T-Tests were computed to compare men who did and did not characterize the one situation as
hazing, and a significance level of p < .024 was used. Only statistically significant differences
are discussed. Overall, men who characterized the one situation as hazing did not differ largely
from those who did not with respect to demographic factors. There were small differences with
respect to level of education, age, paygrade, and deployment status, but there were no differences
with respect to years of service, race/ethnicity, or AFQT category. More specifically, men who
characterized the one situation as hazing were more likely to have no college (81%) than men
who did not (70%). Men who characterized the one situation as hazing were less likely to be

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younger than 21 years old (4%) than those who did not (14%). In addition, men who
characterized the one situation as hazing were less likely to be O1–O3 (1%) or O4–O6 (<1%)
than men who did not (of whom 9% were O1–O3 and 2% were O4–O6). In addition, men who
characterized the one situation as hazing were less likely to have been deployed in the past 12
months (20%) than those who did not (34%).
With respect to Service differences, the Army (27%), Navy (28%), and Marine Corps (33%)
were similar with respect to the proportion of men who characterized the one situation as hazing,
whereas the Air Force was lower (13%).
Looking across Services, men who characterized the one situation as hazing described the one
situation in many different ways than those who did not characterize the one situation as hazing,
which may aid the Department in better understanding hazing-related sexual assault. It is
important to note that the results presented in this section provide an understanding of sexual
assault situations described as hazing relative to those not described as hazing. This is helpful in
identifying characteristics that uniquely define hazing-related sexual assault (in comparison to
non-hazing-related sexual assault). However, it does not provide a “snapshot” of what hazingrelated sexual assault looks like in an absolute sense.
High level findings indicate that, relative to men who did not characterize the one situation as
hazing, men who characterized the one situation as hazing were more likely to indicate:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

multiple people were involved in the one situation
both men and women were involved in the one situation
the alleged offender(s) was (were) all military members
the alleged offender(s) was (were) people of a higher rank
a higher number of sexual assault incidents took place during the last 12 months
they were sexually harassed or stalked both before and after the situation
the one situation occurred on a military installation or ship, on TDY/TAD, while in
some type of training program, or at an official military function
– they took steps to separate from the military
– they perceive high levels of workplace hostility
Men who characterized the one situation as hazing were less likely to indicate:
– alcohol was involved
– only women were involved
– they were satisfied with the support they received from their unit commander/director
and immediate supervisor
– they perceive healthy levels of climate with respect to sexual assault among both
enlisted and officer members

More specifically, men who characterized the one situation as hazing were more likely to
indicate more than one person was involved (53%) than those who did not (25%). They were
also more likely to indicate a mix of men and women were involved (22%) than those who did

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not (5%) and less likely to indicate only women were involved (6%) than those who did not
(34%). Men who characterized the one situation as hazing were also more likely to indicate they
had experienced five or more sexual assaults within the past 12 months (53%) than those who
did not (30%). They were more likely to indicate the alleged offenders were all military
members (82%) than those who did not (60%). In terms of consequences of the sexual assault,
they were more likely to indicate the situation made them take steps to separate from the military
(43%) than those who did not (15%).
Table 87 shows that men who characterized the one situation as hazing were more likely to
indicate that the alleged offender(s) was (were) their immediate supervisor, someone else in their
chain of command, or some other higher ranking military member. Further, men who
characterized the sexual assault as hazing were more likely to indicate that they were sexually
harassed and stalked both before and after the one situation, as displayed in Table 88.
Table 87.
Characteristics of Alleged Offender(s) for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the One
Situation as Hazing

Your immediate supervisor
Someone else in your chain of command
(excluding your immediate supervisor)
Some other higher ranking military member

Characterized
Situation as Hazing

Did Not Characterize
Situation as Hazing

38%

10%

40%

16%

35%

14%

Table 88.
Sexual Harassment and Stalking for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the One
Situation as Hazing

Sexually harass you before the situation
Stalk you before the situation
Sexually harass you after the situation
Stalk you after the situation

Characterized
Situation as Hazing
60%

Did Not Characterize
Situation as Hazing
31%

23%

11%

58%

31%

33%

16%

When indicating where the one situation occurred, men who characterized the situation as hazing
were more likely to indicate nearly every response option, as demonstrated in Table 89. The
largest differences observed were for while in any other type of military combat training, while
at an official military function, and while on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field exercises/alerts.
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This suggests that hazing is more likely to occur in training-related contexts or at official military
functions.
Table 89.
Location of the One Situation for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the One Situation
as Hazing

At a military installation/ship (for example, on base, on
shore duty, etc.)
While you were on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field
exercises/alerts*
While transitioning between operational theaters
(for example, going to or returning from forward
deployment)
While you were in a delayed entry program
While you were in recruit training/basic training
While you were in any other type of military combat
training*
While you were completing military occupational specialty
school/technical training/advanced individual training/
professional military education
While at an official military function (either on or off
base)*
* Categories with the three largest t-test values.

Characterized
Situation as Hazing

Did Not Characterize
Situation as Hazing

79%

59%

39%

19%

14%

4%

12%

2%

13%

2%

24%

3%

21%

9%

35%

12%

In addition, alcohol use is less common in situations described as hazing. More specifically, only
12% of men who described the one situation as hazing indicated that they had used alcohol
before or during the one situation compared to 37% of men who did not characterize the situation
as hazing. Further, 11% of men who described the situation as hazing indicated that the alleged
offender used alcohol before or during the one situation, compared to 33% of those who did not
characterize the situation as hazing. As such, alcohol does not appear to be a key factor in
hazing-related sexual assault.
Men who characterized the one situation as hazing indicated lower levels of satisfaction with the
support provided by their unit commander/director and immediate supervisor as displayed in
Table 90. It is worth noting that roughly 40% of men who characterized the one situation as
hazing indicated that the alleged offender was their immediate supervisor, someone else in their
chain of command, or some other higher ranking military member (see Table 87). As such, it
follows that they might perceive lower levels of support from these individuals.

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Table 90.
Satisfaction With Services for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the One Situation as
Hazing

Your unit commander/director
Your immediate supervisor

Characterized
Situation as Hazing
14%

Did Not Characterize
Situation as Hazing
38%

19%

46%

Men who characterized the one situation as hazing were more likely to indicate high levels of
workplace hostility (50%) than those who did not (12%). It is worth noting that this is a metric
on which a significant gender difference between men and women who indicated experiencing
sexual assault emerged. Men who indicated experiencing sexual assault were far more likely to
perceive high levels of workplace hostility (22%) than women who indicated experiencing
sexual assault (8%).
We also explored perceptions of workplace climate with respect to sexual assault; for example,
do fellow service members recognize and immediately correct incidents of sexual harassment;
encourage bystander intervention to assist others in situations at risk for sexual assault or other
harmful behaviors, or publicize sexual assault report resources? Climate was assessed for
Service members in different pay grades and results showed men who characterized their
experience as hazing had lower perceptions of a healthy workplace climate with respect to sexual
assault when assessing fellow Service members at nearly all paygrades (Table 91).
Table 91.
Perceptions of a Healthy Climate With Respect to Sexual Assault for Men Who Did and Did
Not Characterize the One Situation as Hazing

E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6

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Characterized
Situation as Hazing
16%

Did Not Characterize
Situation as Hazing
30%

18%

35%

23%

44%

25%

48%

33%

56%

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Bullying
Findings regarding bullying are similar to those for hazing. As noted, 83% of men who
characterized the one situation as hazing also characterized it as bullying. However, there are
some characteristics of the one situation that are unique to bullying.
T-Tests were computed to compare men who did and did not characterize the one situation as
bullying and a significance level of p < .024 was used. Only statistically significant differences
are discussed. Overall, men who characterized the one situation as bullying differ little from
those who did not with respect to demographic factors. There was a small effect of age, as those
who characterized the one situation as bullying were less likely to be under 21 years of age (4%)
than those who did not (17%). There was also a small effect for paygrade, with those who
described the one situation as bullying being slightly less likely to be an O4–O6 (<1%) than
those who did not (2%). No differences were observed for years of service, education, race/
ethnicity, AFQT category, or deployment status.
With respect to Service differences, the Army (46%), Navy (33%), and Marine Corps (45%)
were similar with respect to the proportion of men who characterized the one situation as
bullying, whereas the Air Force was lower (24%). As shown in Figure 202, this mirrors the
same trend as hazing.
Figure 202.
Proportion of Men Who Characterized the One Situation as Hazing or Bullying, by Service

Looking across Services, men who characterized the one situation as bullying described the one
situation in many different ways than those who did not characterize the one situation as
bullying.

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High level findings indicate that, relative to men who did not characterize the one situation as
bullying, men who characterized the one situation as bullying were more likely to indicate:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

multiple people were involved in the one situation
both men and women were involved in the one situation
the alleged offender(s) was (were) military members
the alleged offender(s) was (were) people of a higher rank
a higher number of sexual assault incidents took place
they were sexually harassed both before and after the situation
they were stalked before the situation
the one situation occurred during normal duty hours
the one situation occurred on a military installation or ship, on TDY/TAD, while
deployed to a combat zone, while transitioning between operational theaters, while in
some type of training program, or at an official military function
– take steps to separate from the military
– they perceive high levels of workplace hostility
Men who characterized the one situation as bullying were less likely to indicate:
–
–
–
–
–
–

alcohol was involved
only women were involved
the one situation occurred when they were out with friends or at a party
the alleged offender(s) was (were) a friend or acquaintance
they would choose to remain on active duty
they perceive healthy levels of climate with respect to sexual assault among both enlisted
and officer members

More specifically, men who characterized the one situation as bullying were more likely to
indicate more than one person was involved (50%) than those who did not (22%). They were
also more likely to indicate a mix of men and women were involved (20%) than those who did
not (5%) and less likely to indicate only women were involved (15%) than those who did not
(33%). Men who characterized the one situation as bullying were also more likely to indicate
they had experienced five or more sexual assaults within the past 12 months (50%) than those
who did not (28%). They were more likely to indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were) all
military members (79%) than those who did not (58%). In terms of consequences of the sexual
assault, they were more likely to indicate the situation made them take steps to separate from the
military (40%) than those who did not (12%), and they were less likely to indicate they would
choose to remain on active duty (30%) than those who did not (47%).
Men who characterized the one situation as bullying were more likely to indicate the one
situation happened when they were at work during normal duty hours (73%) than those who did
not (28%), and they were less likely to indicate it happened when they were out with friends or at
a party that was not an official military function (20%) than those who did not (39%).
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Table 92 shows that men who characterized the one situation as bullying were more likely to
indicate the alleged offender(s) was (were) their immediate supervisor, someone else in their
chain of command, or some other higher ranking military member and less likely to indicate they
were not sure.
Table 92.
Alleged Offender(s) of the One Situation for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the One
Situation as Bullying
Characterized
Situation as Bullying
34%

Did Not Characterize
Situation as Bullying
7%

Someone else in your chain of command
(excluding your immediate supervisor)

36%

15%

Some other higher ranking military
member not listed above

28%

15%

Not sure

23%

49%

Your immediate supervisor

In addition, men who characterized the one situation as bullying were less likely to indicate the
alleged offender(s) was (were) a friend or acquaintance or none of the above (see Table 93).
Men who characterized the one situation as bullying were more likely to indicate the offender
was none of the individuals listed in Table 87. Men who characterized the one situation as
bullying were slightly more likely to indicate the alleged offender was a current or former
spouse, someone with whom they have a child, a significant other they live with, or a family
member or relative, but it should be noted these options were indicated by a very small
proportion of men.
Table 93.
Relationship with Alleged Offender(s) for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the One
Situation as Bullying
Characterized
Situation as Bullying
6%

Did Not Characterize
Situation as Bullying
1%

4%

<1%

5%

<1%

35%

50%

A family member or relative

4%

<1%

None of the above
Not sure

45%
11%

21%
10%

Your current or former spouse
Someone who you have a child with (your
child’s mother or father)
Your significant other (boyfriend or
girlfriend) you live with
A friend or acquaintance

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When indicating where the one situation occurred, men who characterized the situation as
bullying were more likely to indicate nearly every response option, as demonstrated in Table 94.
The largest differences observed were at a military installation/ship, while on TDY/TAD, at sea,
or during field exercises/alerts, and while at an official military function.
Table 94.
Location of the One Situation for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the One Situation
as Bullying
Characterized
Situation as Bullying

Did Not Characterize
Situation as Bullying

81%

53%

38%

15%

16%

4%

11%

4%

8%

2%

9%

1%

17%

4%

30%

11%

At a military installation/ship (for example, on base, on
shore duty, etc.) *
While you were on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field
exercises/alerts*
While you were deployed to a combat zone or to an area
where you drew imminent danger pay or hostile fire pay
While transitioning between operational theaters (for
example, going to or returning from forward deployment)
While you were in a delayed entry program
While you were in recruit training/basic training
While you were in any other type of military combat
training
While at an official military function (either on or off
base)*
* Categories with the three largest T-test values.

Further, men who characterized the sexual assault as bullying were more likely to indicate they
were sexually harassed both before and after the one situation, and stalked before the situation,
as displayed in Table 95.
Table 95.
Sexual Harassment and Stalking for Men Who Did and Did Not Characterize the One
Situation as Bullying

Sexually harass you before the situation
Stalk you before the situation
Sexually harass you after the situation

Characterized
Situation as Bullying
60%

Did Not Characterize
Situation as Bullying
26%

21%

10%

59%

26%

Like hazing, alcohol use was less common in situations described as bullying. More specifically,
only 15% of men who described the one situation as bullying indicated they had used alcohol
before or during the one situation compared to 40% of men who did not characterize the situation
as bullying. Further, 14% of men who described the situation as bullying indicated that the
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alleged offender(s) used alcohol before or during the one situation, compared to 35% of those
who did not characterize the situation as bullying.
Men who did and did not characterize the one situation as bullying indicated similar levels of
satisfaction with support provided by individuals and service providers.
Men who characterized the one situation as bullying were more likely to indicate high levels of
workplace hostility (36%) than those who did not (12%). Analyses examining workplace
climate for sexual assault showed men who characterized their experience as bullying had lower
perceptions of a healthy workplace climate with respect to sexual assault when assessing fellow
Service members at nearly every paygrade (see Table 96).
Table 96.
Perceptions of a Healthy Climate With Respect to Sexual Assault for Men Who Did and Did
Not Characterize the One Situation as Bullying

E4

Characterized
Situation as Bullying
16%

Did Not Characterize
Situation as Bullying
35%

15%

37%

19%

37%

28%

46%

31%

50%

39%

57%

E5
E6
E7–E9
O1–O3
O4–O6

Discussion
The 2016 prevalence rate of sexual assault was 0.6% for DoD men. Given the large male
population in the DoD Services, this equates to a substantial number of survivors. Most of the
research examining sexual assault has focused on women given that they are at higher risk for
sexual assault than men. However, it is crucial to consider the unique experiences of men who
experience sexual assault with an eye toward prevention and response. This chapter examined
the demographic profile of men who indicated experiencing sexual assault and topline gender
differences in sexual assault experiences before turning to an in-depth examination of hazing and
bullying, both of which affect men to a larger degree than women.
Most men who indicated experiencing sexual assault are younger than 25 years of age, enlisted,
and within their first five years of service. Targeting efforts toward this population is especially
important as these individuals are more likely to experience sexual assault.

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One key area in which gender differences emerged is the characterization of the one sexual
assault situation with the largest effect as hazing or bullying, as men were far more likely than
women to characterize the one situation as hazing or bullying. The demographic profile of men
who characterize the one situation as hazing or bullying is largely similar to those who do not,
although small differences were observed for level of education, paygrade, and age. As such,
hazing and bullying victims do not have a unique demographic profile in comparison men who
do not characterize the one situation as hazing or bullying.
However, hazing- and bullying-related sexual assault situations differ from non-hazing and nonbullying situations in several ways. For example, compared to men who did not characterize the
one situation as hazing, men who characterized the one situation as hazing were more likely to
indicate multiple alleged offenders were involved, both men and women were involved, and
alleged offenders were all military members. This fits with the definition of hazing, which
generally involves group members engaging in actions intended to humiliate or otherwise abuse
a potential new group member. Men who characterized the one situation as hazing or bullying
indicated multiple people were often involved and they experienced stalking and/or sexual
harassment before the assault, which may indicate such assaults are planned as opposed to
spontaneous events. This may be an area of prevention because if others (either leadership or
peers) hear about an assault being planned, they may intervene or alert the appropriate party.
The finding that alcohol is less likely to be involved in situations characterized as hazing or
bullying also lends some support to this notion, as it implies that hazing and bullying are not
fueled by impulse-inhibiting substances.
Men who characterized their experience as hazing or bullying were especially likely to indicate
the alleged offender(s) was (were) of a higher rank, which may indicate offenders are targeting
lower-ranking Service members. A power differential between the offender and victim is
common in hazing and bullying dynamics and it appears that this finding extends to male Service
members. Men who characterized their experience as hazing indicated lower levels of
satisfaction with support provided by their unit commander/director and immediate supervisor
after the assault. It may be that some higher ranking individuals are permissive of hazing and, at
worst, engage in hazing. Accordingly, it is sensible that hazing victims would perceive lower
levels of support from these individuals. Additional training on prohibitions against hazing and
bullying and how to respond in hazing and bullying situations may be helpful for leadership.
Men who characterized the situation as hazing or bullying were also likely to experience multiple
sexual assault incidents over the past 12 months, which indicates that they are repeatedly
victimized. This is consistent with the definition of bullying, which entails repeated abuse. This
pattern is especially concerning given that repeated sexual abuse is associated with particularly
negative outcomes (Creech & Orchowski, 2016).
Men indicated hazing- and bullying-related sexual assault takes place at multiple locations.
Compared to those who did not characterize their experience as hazing or bullying, those who
did were particularly likely to indicate the situation occurred at a military installation/ship; while
on TDY/TAD, at sea, or during field exercises/alerts; while at an official military function; or
while in any other type of military combat training. Bullying (but not hazing) was less likely to
occur when out with friends or at a party and more likely to occur during normal duty hours.

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Overall, hazing- and bullying-related sexual assault is happening in Service members’ regular
place of work and training rather than in solely social situations or during trips off base.
Workplace climate perceptions also appear to have a relationship with hazing- and bullyingrelated sexual assault. Men who characterized their sexual assault experience as hazing or
bullying were more likely to perceive high levels of workplace hostility than men who did not.
Given that alleged perpetrators of hazing- and bullying-related sexual assault are
overwhelmingly coworkers of survivors (i.e., fellow Service members); it follows that survivors
of sexual assault might perceive their workplace as especially hostile. In a similar vein, men
who characterized sexual assault as hazing or bullying were less likely to indicate that their
fellow Service members at various paygrades exhibited behaviors consistent with a healthy
climate with respect to sexual assault. Again, if a survivor’s coworker(s) is (are) perpetrating
sexual assault, perceptions of healthy workplace climate with respect to sexual assault are likely
to be low. It is not possible to determine the direction of the relationship between workplace
climate and the actual occurrence of sexual assault given the data available. However, these
results suggest that environments that are high on workplace hostility and/or have an unhealthy
climate with respect to sexual assault are associated with hazing- and bullying-related sexual
assault.
Finally, men who characterized their sexual assault experiences as either hazing or bullying were
more likely to indicate they had taken steps to separate from the military than those who did not
characterize the situation as such. Men who characterized the one situation as bullying were less
likely to indicate that they would choose to remain on active duty if given the choice.
Accordingly, hazing- and bullying-related sexual assault may represent a threat to readiness
given its effect on retention.
This chapter provides an understanding of hazing- and bullying-related sexual assault toward
men. This information may be used to inform prevention efforts with the goal of eliminating
these damaging behaviors.

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Chapter 12:
The Continuum of Harm: Workplace Factors and Unwanted GenderRelated Behaviors in Association With Sexual Assault
Dr. Ashlea Klahr, Dr. Jason Debus, and Dr. Laura Severance
In the realm of sexual assault, the continuum of harm describes “inappropriate actions, such as
sexist jokes, hazing, cyber bullying, that are used before or after the assault and/or supports an
environment which tolerates these actions” (Department of Defense, 2014a). Analysis of the
data from the 2016 WGRA demonstrated that DoD active duty Service members who indicated
experiencing unwanted gender-related behaviors, such as sexual harassment or gender
discrimination, were more likely to experience sexual assault. In addition, workplace factors,
including workplace hostility, enlisted climate with respect to sexual assault, officer climate with
respect to sexual assault, quality of sexual assault training, and the presence of female
coworkers, were related to the likelihood of sexual assault. Among these workplace factors,
workplace hostility and enlisted climate with respect to sexual assault were the strongest
predictors of sexual assault. These results highlight the continuum of harm understanding of
sexual assault, whereby lower level offenses, such as workplace hostility or sexual harassment
are associated with the occurrence of sexual assault. Efforts to reduce workplace hostility and
bolster a healthy workplace climate with respect to sexual assault are recommended as areas of
emphasis in efforts to prevent sexual assault.

Background
The risk of sexual assault among military Service members can be understood along a continuum
of harm of behaviors that generally decrease in prevalence and increase in severity moving along
the continuum, ranging from workplace factors (e.g., workplace hostility, presence of female
coworkers) to sexual harassment and related behaviors to sexual assault (Department of Defense,
2014a, Department of Defense, 2014b; see Figure 203). Numerous studies have demonstrated
the interconnected nature of sexual assault and other types of aggression (e.g., Defense
Manpower Data Center, 2014; Espelage, Low, Polanin, & Brown, 2013; Tjaden & Thoennes,
1998; Wilkins, Tsao, Hertz, Davis, & Klevens, 2014; Stockdale & Nadler, 2012). Furthermore,
research has shown that falling victim to one type of violence increases the likelihood that
survivors will either (a) commit a violent act (Wilkins et. al, 2014) or (b) experience later
victimization (Gidycz, Coble, Latham, & Layman, 1993).
Sexual harassment and its detrimental nature in the workplace are well-documented, and sexual
harassment is often accompanied by bullying and other forms of mistreatment (Lim & Cortina,
2005). Organizational factors in civilian workplaces that increase the likelihood for these types
of behaviors include a climate of tolerance for sexual harassment, permissive leadership attitudes
toward sexual harassment, imbalanced gender ratios, high power differentials between men and
women, and the presence of other types of discrimination (based on gender or based on other
characteristics such as race/ethnicity; Bell, Quick, & Cycyota, 2002; Fitzgerald, Swan, &
Fischer, 1995; Harned, Ormerod, Palmieri, Collinsworth, & Reed, 2002). Consistent with
research on civilian populations, sexual harassment is associated with multiple workplace factors
among military Service members, such as workplace hostility and an unhealthy climate with
respect to sexual assault (Defense Manpower Data Center, 2016; Fitzgerald, Drasgow, &

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Magley, 1999). In addition, unwanted gender-related experiences, such as sexual harassment,
are associated with significantly increased likelihood of sexual assault in the military (Defense
Manpower Data Center, 2016; Sadler et al., 2003). It is important to note that the cross-sectional
nature of most existing studies, as well as the current study, precludes the determination of
whether unwanted gender-related experiences generally precede sexual assault or whether these
experiences happen afterward, the research only suggests that these types of experiences often
co-occur. It is not suggested that being a victim of sexual harassment causes an individual to
become a victim of sexual assault. Instead, it is suggested that both types of experiences are
related and may be indicative of environmental/cultural problems that increase risk for multiple
types of adverse experiences.
Figure 203.
The Continuum of Harm in Relation to Sexual Assault

Approach
To further understand the continuum of harm as it relates to active duty Service members, OPA
analyzed statistical relationships among rates of unhealthy workplace environments, unwanted
gender-related behaviors, and past-year prevalence rates of sexual assault presented in the 2016
WGRA. It is important to reiterate that these analyses do not imply causation (i.e., they do not
imply that the experience of an unwanted behavior, such as sexual harassment, causes sexual
assault), but simply explore the association between unwanted gender-related behaviors and
sexual assault (i.e., they examine whether sexual harassment and sexual assault are related).

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Methodology
In the studies that follow, the associations between various continuum of harm behaviors and
sexual assault rates are explored. First, associations between unwanted gender-related behaviors
were examined using logistic regression. Subsequently, workplace factors—including
workplace hostility, unit climate with respect to sexual assault at both the enlisted and the officer
level, quality of sexual assault training, and presence of female coworkers in the workplace—
were examined in relation to sexual assault using logistic regression. Dominance analysis was
then used to rank these workplace factors in order of importance in terms of their association
with sexual assault. Finally, the third study examined interactions between workplace factors
and sexual harassment in predicting sexual assault in order to assess whether certain workplace
factors might exacerbate or protect against the risk for sexual assault in the presence of sexual
harassment. All analyses in this section were conducted using Stata 14.1 and included only DoD
active duty Service members. Coast Guard members were excluded. Analyses were conducted
using survey weighted data with adjustments for strata and finite population correction (fpc).
Study 1: Unwanted Gender-Related Behaviors and Sexual Assault
Across the Services, the rate of sexual assault was 4.3% for women and 0.6% for men (see
Chapter 3 for a thorough overview of this topic). In order to test whether unwanted genderrelated behaviors are part of a continuum of harm that increases risk for sexual assault, we
examined whether sexual assault rates were higher for those who experienced other unwanted
gender-related behaviors compared to those who did not. Table 97 displays the sexual assault
rates for women and men who experienced and did not experience other unwanted genderrelated behaviors, including sexual harassment (which is further broken into sexually hostile
work environment and sexual quid pro quo), gender discrimination, and sex-based MEO
violations (which includes both sexual harassment and gender discrimination that meet legal
criteria for a violation).52
As shown in Table 97, rates of sexual assault were higher among women and men who
experienced other unwanted gender-related behaviors. For example, among women who
experienced sexual harassment, 15.9% reported experiencing sexual assault. Among women
who did not experience sexual harassment, 1.2% reported experiencing sexual assault. These
associations were further examined using logistic regression, first without any statistical control
variables and then controlling for the following demographic factors: paygrade group, Service,
and deployment status (whether the individual was deployed within the last 12 months). Odds
ratios from both sets of regressions are displayed in Table 97. An odds ratio represents the odds
that an outcome (i.e., sexual assault) will occur given a particular exposure (i.e., sexual
harassment). For example, the odds ratio for women for sexual harassment (15.77) indicates that
the odds of being sexually assaulted are approximately 16 times higher for women who have
experienced sexual harassment than for women who have not. Across all comparisons, the odds
ratios were statistically significant (p < 0.001), indicating that men and women who experienced

52

Chapter 1 details the construction of both the sexual assault measure and the sex-based MEO measures including
specific criteria required to be included in the rate.

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other unwanted gender-related behaviors in the past year were statistically more likely to
experience a sexual assault compared to those who did not experience such behaviors.
Table 97.
Sexual Assault Rate and Odds Ratio Estimates for Women and Men Who Did and Did Not
Experience Other Unwanted Gender-related Behaviors Along the Continuum of Harm
Unwanted
Behaviors

Sexual Assault Rate for Women
Sexual Assault Rate for Men
Did Not
Odds Ratio
Did Not
Odds Ratio
Experienced
Odds
Experienced
Experience
with
Experience Odds Ratio
with
Behavior
Ratio
Behavior
Behavior
controls
Behavior
controls

Sexual
15.9%
1.2%
15.77
14.58
7.7%
0.2%
49.64
42.78
Harassment
Hostile Work
15.9%
1.2%
15.82
14.63
7.7%
0.2%
49.30
42.50
Environment
Sexual Quid
34.2%
3.6%
13.76
11.03
30.4%
0.5%
84.79
65.97
Pro Quo
Military Equal
Opportunity
13.1%
1.2%
12.82
12.34
6.6%
0.2%
47.00
40.88
Violation
Gender
11.7%
3.1%
4.15
4.16
7.3%
0.5%
17.46
14.96
Discrimination
Note: All odds ratios are significant at p<.001. Paygrade group, Service, and deployment status were included as
controls.

Study 2: Workplace Factors and Sexual Assault
Workplace factors may contribute to a culture that is tolerant of or increases risk for sexual
assault. The following workplace factors were examined in relation to sexual assault rates:
workplace hostility, climate with respect to sexual assault among enlisted Service members and
officers (i.e., the extent to which unit members display intolerance toward sexual harassment and
promote a respectful climate), quality of sexual assault training, and presence of female
coworkers in the workplace. Table 98 displays sample items for each workplace scale. The
internal reliability of each scale was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha. All scales demonstrated
excellent internal consistency. In order to report proportions, continuous scale scores (values of
1–5) were dichotomized into healthy versus unhealthy categories. For the purpose of these
analyses, low presence of female coworkers was considered an unhealthy or “risk” environment
(versus a high presence of female coworkers). The measures of climate by paygrade were
collapsed into summary scales of enlisted climate (E1–E9) and officer climate (O1–O6 and
above, and W1–W5).
The proportion of the overall sample reporting unhealthy levels of workplace factors ranged
from 7% (workplace hostility) to 54% (low presence of female coworkers). One-quarter of
respondents reported an unhealthy quality of sexual assault training. Unhealthy climate
proportions differed by rank, with 45% reporting an unhealthy climate among E1–E3 members
to 23% reporting an unhealthy climate among O4–O6 members. Overall, a higher proportion of
respondents reported an unhealthy climate among enlisted members (32%) than among officers
(24%).

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Table 98.
Question Wording and Sample Items, Proportions, and Standard Errors of Workplace Factors
Workplace Variable
(Cronbach’s Alpha
Reliability Statistic)

Workplace hostility
(α = 0.91)

Enlisted climate
(α = 0.96)
E1–E3 climate
(α = 0.95)
E4 climate
(α = 0.95)
E5 climate
(α = 0.94)
E6 climate
(α = 0.94)
E7–E9 climate
(α = 0.94)
Officer climate
(α = 0.97)
O1–O3 climate
(α = 0.94)
O4–O6 climate
(α = 0.94)
O7 and above climate
(α = 0.95)
W1–W5 climate
(α = 0.95)

Question Wording and Sample
Items

Q193: How often have you
experienced any of the following
behaviors, where military
coworkers or supervisors...
– Used insults, sarcasm, or
gestures to humiliate you?
– Gossiped/talked about
you?
– Did not provide
information or assistance
when you needed it?
Q181–Q188: In the past 12
months, how well have military
members of the following
paygrades…
–

–

Promoted a unit climate
based on mutual respect
and trust?
Led by example by
refraining from sexist
comments and behaviors?

Coding

Proportion
of the Full
Sample
Reporting an
Unhealthy
Environment

St.
Error

Moderate-to-high
scores (3–5) coded
as unhealthy

6.75%

0.0010

32.32%

0.0017

44.79%

0.0019

40.74%

0.0018

33.70%

0.0017

28.11%

0.0016

24.10%

0.0016

23.51%

0.0015

26.51%

0.0016

22.62%

0.0015

23.27%

0.0017

28.03%

0.0023

Low-to-moderate
scores (1–3.99)
coded as unhealthy

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Table 97. (continued)
Workplace Variable
(Cronbach’s Alpha
Reliability Statistic)
Quality of sexual assault
training
(α = 0.97)

Presence of female
coworkers

Question Wording and Sample
Items

Coding

Proportion
of the Full
Sample
Reporting an
Unhealthy
Environment

Q200: My Service's sexual assault
training...
– Provides a good
understanding of what
actions are considered
sexual assault.
–
Explains the reporting
options available if a
sexual assault occurs.

Low-to-moderate
scores (1–3.99)
coded as unhealthy

24.88%

0.0015

Q190: Are you currently in a
military work environment where
female coworkers are uncommon
(less than 25% of your military
coworkers)?

Yes (females
coworkers are
uncommon coded
as unhealthy)

54.44%

0.0017

St.
Error

Note: α = Cronbach's alpha.

Table 99 displays the sexual assault rates and odds ratio estimates for women and men who
reported unhealthy versus healthy levels of workplace factors. Paygrade group, Service, and
deployment status were included as control variables in the logistic regressions and workplace
factor variables were treated as continuous when possible. Across nearly all comparisons, the
odds ratios were statistically significant (p < 0.001), indicating that Service members in
unhealthy military workplace environments were statistically more likely to indicate
experiencing a sexual assault. As an example, the odds ratio for men for workplace hostility
(2.85) indicates that the odds of being sexually assaulted are roughly 3 times higher for men who
indicated experiencing an unhealthy level of workplace hostility compared to men who did not
experience workplace hostility. Although these results point to an association between
workplace factors and sexual assault, it is important to note that, because this is a cross-sectional
study, it is possible that individuals who experience sexual assault are more likely to describe
their workplace as unhealthy following the assault (and not necessarily before the assault).

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Table 99.
Rates of Sexual Assault by Unhealthy Versus Healthy Levels of Workplace Factors,
Separately by Gender
Workplace
Factor
Workplace
Hostility
Enlisted
Climate
Officer
Climate
Quality of
Training
Presence of
Female
Coworkers

Sexual Assault Rate for Women
Odds Ratio
Unhealthy
Healthy Level Estimate With
Level
Controls

Sexual Assault Rate for Men
Odds Ratio
Unhealthy
Healthy Level Estimate With
Level
Controls

10.49%

3.18%

1.92**

3.40%

0.29%

2.85**

6.37%

1.62%

2.42**

1.17%

0.17%

3.33**

6.03%

2.46%

1.98**

1.22%

0.27%

2.58**

6.22%

2.71%

2.20**

0.90%

0.29%

2.44**

4.64%

2.96%

1.47**

0.50%

0.52%

0.96

Note: **p<.01

Dominance Analysis of Workplace Factors
The results of the logistic regressions demonstrated that almost all workplace variables were
related to sexual assault for both women and men (only presence of female coworkers was nonsignificant, and this was only for men). Thus, a dominance analysis was conducted, separately
by gender, to identify which workplace variables are the strongest predictors of sexual assault
among female and male Service members (see Table 100).53 Results demonstrated that enlisted
climate with regard to sexual assault was the strongest predictor of sexual assault for women,
with workplace hostility as the second strongest predictor. For men, workplace hostility was the
strongest predictor of sexual assault, followed by enlisted climate. Presence of female coworkers
was the weakest predictors for both men and women, whereas officer climate and quality of
sexual assault training fell in the middle for both men and women.

53

Dominance analysis is a statistical technique that allows for the determination of relative importance among a set
of independent variables in a statistical model. The approach is based on a mathematical comparison of all possible
subset models. The model calculates a standardized dominance statistic for each independent variable, which is
used to rank predictors in order to importance (Azen & Traxel, 2009; Budescu, 1993; Luchman, 2013, 2014).

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Table 100.
Results of Dominance Analyses Examining the Relative Importance of Workplace Factors in
Predicting Sexual Assault, by Gender
Women
Variable

Standardized
Dominance
Statistic

Men
Rank

Standardized
Dominance
Statistic

Rank

Enlisted Climate

0.3179

1

0.3050

2

Workplace Hostility

0.1555

2

0.3397

1

Officer Climate

0.1266

3

0.1079

3

Quality of Training

0.1108

4

0.0682

4

Presence of Female Coworkers

0.0108

5

0.0014

5

Study 3: Interactions Between Sexual Harassment and Workplace Factors in
Predicting Sexual Assault
Following examination of the association between unwanted gender-related behaviors and
workplace factors on sexual assault as described above, we examined whether sexual harassment
and workplace factors interact to predict sexual assault (i.e., whether workplace factors moderate
the association between sexual harassment and sexual assault) using logistic regression.54 Sexual
harassment was chosen for examination from the list of previously examined unwanted genderrelated behaviors because of its strong association with sexual assault. This moderation model
allowed us to examine, for example, whether workplace hostility might exacerbate the link
between sexual harassment and sexual assault or whether the quality of sexual assault training
provided might attenuate the link between sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Consistent with prior models, paygrade group, Service, and deployment status were included as
control variables. In order to maximize power for detecting significant effects among many
potential interactions, analyses were run for women and men combined and gender was added as
a control variable. All interaction terms were modeled simultaneously in order to mitigate the
effects of multiple testing. Only one interaction reached statistical significance: Sexual
harassment by Workplace hostility (Odds ratio = 0.67, p < .001).
As shown in Figure 204, workplace hostility acts to exacerbate the link between sexual
harassment and sexual assault. Although sexual harassment is a robust predictor of assault
(regardless of workplace hostility), workplace hostility strengthens the link between sexual
harassment and sexual assault. Individuals who experience both sexual harassment and
workplace hostility are at particularly high risk of sexual assault. Conversely, in the absence of
workplace hostility and sexual harassment, the rate of sexual assault is extremely low.
54

The logistic regression model included the main effects of sexual harassment and all workplace variables,
interactions between sexual harassment and all workplace variables, and control variables (gender, paygrade,
Service, and deployment status).

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Figure 204.
Association Between Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Across Levels of Workplace
Hostility

Note: Bars indicate predictive margins with 95% confidence intervals.

Discussion
Results from the 2016 WGRA suggest that there is a continuum of harm that is associated with
sexual assault, with “lower–level” behaviors, including unwanted gender-related behaviors (e.g.,
sexual harassment) and workplace factors (e.g., workplace hostility, low quality sexual assault
prevention training), increasing the likelihood of sexual assault for both men and women. These
lower level problems, which occur at higher rates than sexual assault itself, are more readily
visible in the workplace and are appropriate targets for prevention and intervention policies
seeking to decrease the occurrence of sexual assault.
Among workplace factors, workplace hostility emerged as a salient predictor of sexual assault,
particularly among men but also among women. Sexual assault is an extreme type of hostile
workplace behavior, so it is perhaps unsurprising that the presence of other hostile behaviors
(e.g., insulting or humiliating coworkers) is associated with sexual assault. Tolerance of these
types of hostile behaviors may communicate that such behaviors are acceptable—and for some,
hostile behaviors may escalate to the point of sexual assault or allow for a culture that accepts
these behaviors from others.

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The climate among enlisted Service members was also an important predictor of sexual assault
and was the strongest predictor for women. Young adults often look to their peers to set the
standard for acceptable behavior (Arnett, 2007), and young adults in the military are no
exception. Although leadership behaviors are crucial, the typical Service member spends more
time interacting with individuals of a similar rank. For the vulnerable junior enlisted population,
the climate among fellow junior enlisted personnel is highly important. When enlisted Service
members create a climate that demonstrates intolerance for behaviors such as sexist comments
and instead promotes an atmosphere of mutual respect, the likelihood of sexual assault is
decreased. This finding emphasizes that building a respectful environment and preventing
sexual assault is not only the responsibility of leadership. Every Service member has a role to
play in fostering a military workplace environment that is free from sexual assault.

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Chapter 13:
Additional Descriptive Analyses and Future Directions
Ms. Lisa Davis, Dr. Ronald P. Vega, and Mr. Jeffrey McLeod
The 2016 WGRA is scientifically conducted to allow for generalization to the full active duty
force. As such, it provides the Department with important information to inform policies and
resources. Additional analyses are often required to fully understand the patterns and trends
contained in the survey data. This chapter provides additional analyses on topics of interest to
the Department. Specifically, this chapter covers two areas of interest: an analysis of prevalence
rates for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) and an analysis of
an expanded metric of sexual assault.
Statistical comparisons provided in the following sections are used to assess observed differences
between groups but cannot provide predictive interpretations or be used to measure causation.
Many analyses, although informative, may raise additional questions. Where applicable, each
section identifies these gaps in understanding and provides considerations for future analyses.

Analysis of LGBT Service Members
Before 2016, the Department had not established sexual assault and sexual harassment
prevalence rates for those Service members who identify as LGBT. The 2016 WGRA included
questions addressing sexual orientation and transgender identity to gain a better understanding of
the risk of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination for military members
identifying as LGBT and will assist in improved prevention and targeted response efforts for
these members.
Self-Report Identification as LGBT
As shown in Figure 205, in 2016, the majority of DoD women (79%) and DoD men (90%)
indicated they were heterosexual or straight. Six percent of women and 1% of men indicated
they were gay or lesbian, 5% of women and 1% of men indicated they were bisexual, and 2% of
women and 1% of men indicated some other sexual orientation. Eight percent of women and 6%
of men indicated they preferred not to answer the question.

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Figure 205.
Self-Reported Sexual Orientation for DoD (Q211)

As shown in Figure 206, only 1% of DoD women and DoD men indicated they identified as
transgender. The vast majority of women (95%) and men (93%) indicated they are not
transgender. Only 1% of women and men were unsure, and 3% of women and 5% of men
preferred not to answer.
Figure 206.
Self-Reported Identification as Transgender for DoD (Q212)

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To analyze experiences of unwanted gender-related behaviors among members who identify as
LGBT, responses to the sexual orientation and transgender questions were combined to form two
groups: those identifying as LGBT and those who do not. As a result, in 2016, 5% (±1) of DoD
active duty members indicated they identify as LGBT. As shown in Figure 207, 12% of DoD
women and 3% of DoD men indicated they identify as LGBT.
Figure 207.
Self-Reported Identification as LGBT for DoD (Q211–Q212)

Prevalence Rates for LGBT Members
The sexual assault prevalence rate for DoD members identifying as LGBT is 4.5% (±0.8)
compared to 0.8% (±0.1) for those who do not identify as LGBT. Members identifying as LGBT
are more likely to indicate experiencing sexual assault than members who do not identify as
LGBT. When looking at the rates by self-reported gender, the same is true: women and men
who identify as LGBT (6.3% for women and 3.5% for men) are more likely to indicate
experiencing sexual assault than those who do not identify as LGBT (3.5% for women and 0.3%
for men; Figure 208).

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Figure 208.
Sexual Assault Past Year Prevalence Rate for DoD by LGBT Identification

The sexual harassment rate for DoD members identifying as LGBT is 22.8% (±1.5) compared to
6.2% (±0.2) for those who do not identify as LGBT. Members identifying as LGBT are more
likely to indicate experiencing sexual harassment than members who do not identify as LGBT.
When looking at the rates by self-reported gender, the same is true: women and men who
identify as LGBT (27.5% for women and 19.9% for men) are more likely to indicate
experiencing sexual harassment than those who do not identify as LGBT (18.3% for women and
4.3% for men; Figure 209).
Figure 209.
Sexual Harassment Past Year Prevalence Rate for DoD by LGBT Identification

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The gender discrimination rate for DoD members identifying as LGBT is 8.8% (±1.0) compared
to 3.2% (±0.2) for those who do not identify as LGBT. Members identifying as LGBT are more
likely to indicate experiencing gender discrimination than members who do not identify as LGBT.
When looking at the rates by self-reported gender, the same is true: women and men who
identify as LGBT (15.3% for women and 4.8% for men) are more likely to indicate experiencing
gender discrimination than those who do not identify as LGBT (13.0% for women and 1.6% for
men; Figure 210).
Figure 210.
Gender Discrimination Past Year Prevalence Rate for DoD by LGBT Identification

The sex-based MEO violation rate for DoD members identifying as LGBT is 25.3% (±1.5)
compared to 7.8% (±0.2) for those who do not identify as LGBT. Members identifying as LGBT
are more likely to indicate experiencing a sex-based MEO violation than members who do not
identify as LGBT. When looking at the rates by self-reported gender, the same is true: women
and men who identify as LGBT (31.4% for women and 21.5% for men) are more likely to
indicate experiencing a sex-based MEO violation than those who do not identify as LGBT
(23.6% for women and 5.3% for men; Figure 211).

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Figure 211.
Sex-Based MEO Violation Past Year Prevalence Rate for DoD by LGBT Identification

Continuum of Harm and Odds Ratios for LGBT Members
In order to test whether unwanted gender-related behaviors are part of a continuum of harm that
increases risk for sexual assault, we examined whether sexual assault rates were higher for those
who experienced other unwanted gender-related behaviors compared to those who did not.
Table 95 displays the sexual assault rates for women and men who experienced and did not
experience sexual harassment.
As seen in Table 101, rates of sexual assault were higher among DoD members who experienced
sexual harassment, including among DoD members identifying as LGBT. For example, among
LGBT women who experienced sexual harassment, 19.6% reported experiencing sexual assault.
Among LGBT women who did not experience sexual harassment, 1.2% reported experiencing
sexual assault. These associations were further examined using logistic regression, first without
any statistical control variables and then controlling for the following demographic factors:
paygrade group, Service, and deployment status (whether the individual was deployed within the
last 12 months). Odds ratios from both sets of regressions are displayed in Table 102. An odds
ratio represents the odds that an outcome (i.e., sexual assault) will occur given a particular
exposure (i.e., sexual harassment). For example, the odds ratio for LGBT women for sexual
harassment (20.4) indicates that the odds of being sexually assaulted are approximately 20 times
higher for LGBT women who have experienced sexual harassment than for LGBT women who
have not. The odds ratio (likelihood of sexual assault given sexual harassment) is higher among
LGBT women (20.4) than non-LGBT women (13.0); however, among men, the odds ratio is
higher among non-LGBT men (48.4) than LGBT men (11.1).

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Table 101.
Sexual Assault Rate and Odds Ratio Estimates for LGBT and Non-LGBT DoD Members Who
Did and Did Not Experience Sexual Harassment
Sexual Assault Rates among LGBT
Members

Sexual Assault Rates Among Non-LGBT
Members

Experienced
Sexual
Harassment

Did Not
Experience
Sexual
Harassment

Odds Ratio
with Controls

Experienced
Sexual
Harassment

Did Not
Experience
Sexual
Harassment

Odds Ratio
with Controls

Total DoD

15.8%

1.2%

14.7

8.8%

0.2%

38.9

DoD Women

19.6%

1.2%

20.4

13.8%

1.1%

13.0

DoD Men
12.6%
1.2%
11.1
5.5%
0.1%
48.4
Note. All odds ratios significant at p < .01 while controlling for Service, paygrade, and deployment status

As shown in Table 102, LGBT DoD members report higher rates of sexual harassment and
sexual assault than non-LGBT members, both overall and looking at DoD women and DoD men
separately.
Table 102.
Odds Ratios for LGBT Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Rates Versus Non-LGBT
Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Rates for DoD
Rate Among
LGBT
Members

Rate Among
Non-LGBT
Members

Odds Ratio
with Controls

Sexual Harassment

22.8%

6.2%

3.9

Sexual Assault

4.5%

0.8%

5.0

Sexual Harassment

27.5%

18.3%

1.5

Sexual Assault

6.3%

3.5%

1.5

19.9%

4.3%

4.8

Total DoD

DoD Women

DoD Men
Sexual Harassment

Sexual Assault
3.5%
0.3%
8.6
Note. All odds ratios significant at p < .01, while controlling for Service, paygrade, and deployment status

Discussion
Given the increased odds that members identifying as LGBT have for experiencing unwanted
gender-related behaviors, further research should be conducted to explore what makes this
population more vulnerable to such crimes. Similar to the research provided on the experience
of male victims, analysis of LGBT members who indicate experiencing sexual assault would

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provide a more in-depth look of their experiences and provide the Department with valuable
information on how to better support and increase prevention for this vulnerable population.

Expanded Sexual Assault Metric
Background
In 2012, the definition of the term “sexual act” was revised per Article 120, UCMJ, to include
“any touching, or causing another person to touch, either directly or through the clothing, any
body part of any person, if done with an intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any
person. Touching may be accomplished by any part of the body.” The sexual assault metric
used in the 2014 RMWS did not account for this revision to expand touching to any part of the
body. When developing the sexual assault metric for the 2014 RMWS, RAND explained where
the metric does and does not align with the law and provided the following rationale for not
including the revised touching of any part of the body when asking about non-penetrative crimes:
“…the screening questions do not attempt to comprehensively assess a new type of
Sexual Contact that was introduced in the 2012 version of the code. Specifically, contact
for a sexual purpose that does not involve the designated private body areas (see Article
120[g][2][B]). This instrument only counts such instances if they occurred as part of an
attempted penetrative Sexual Act. Thus the instrument may miss some unusual types of
sexual assaults (e.g., sexual practices involving only those body parts that are not usually
seen as private areas). RAND has omitted this class because such behaviors cannot be
measured without a highly detailed and lengthy series of questions,” (RAND, 2014).
For the 2016 WGRA, OPA worked with SAPRO and the Office of General Counsel (OGC) to
expand the sexual assault metric to account for this change in the definition of non-penetrative
crimes. While maintaining the ability to trend back to the measure in the 2014 RMWS, OPA
identified two additional sexual assault behaviors for unwanted touching to include in the 2016
WGRA that reference “any” body part. Respondents were only presented these new questions
about touching of “any” body part if they indicated they did not experience touching of private
areas, which allows OPA to trend back to the 2014 RMWS sexual assault prevalence rates. See
Figure 212 for the comparison of behaviors from the 2014 RMWS and 2016 WGRA.

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Figure 212.
Metric Changes for Sexual Assault Behaviors

Sexual Assault Behaviors

2014 RMWS
 Someone put his penis into your vagina, anus, or
mouth
 Someone put any object or any body part other
than a penis into your vagina, anus, or mouth

 Someone made you put any part of your body or
any object into someone’s mouth, vagina, or
anus when you did not want to

2016 WGRA
 Someone put his penis into your anus or mouth
(or vagina, if you are a woman)
 Someone put any object or any body part other
than a penis into your anus or mouth (or vagina,
if you are a woman)
 Someone made you put any part of your body or
any object into someone’s mouth, vagina, or
anus when you did not want to

 Someone intentionally touched private areas of
your body (either directly or through clothing)

 Someone intentionally touched private areas of
your body (either directly or through clothing)
 OR someone intentionally touched ANY
area of your body (either directly or
through clothing)

 Someone made you touch private areas of
their body or someone else’s body (either
directly or through clothing)

 Someone made you touch private areas of their
body or someone else’s body (either directly or
through clothing)
 OR someone made you touch ANY area
of their body or someone else’s body
(either directly or through clothing)

 Someone attempted to put a penis, an object,
or any body part into your vagina, anus, or
mouth, but no penetration actually occurred

 Someone attempted to put a penis, an object, or
any body part into your vagina, anus, or mouth,
but no penetration actually occurred

This chapter evaluates the expanded measure to determine if we can conclude with reasonable
certainty that the choice between the two measures (the original metric and the expanded metric)
would not alter the conclusions of this report. Results from this analysis can be used to
determine which metric should be used in future gender relations surveys.
To achieve this goal, a literature review was conducted to determine the relationships between
sexual assault and other physical, psychological, and social attributes, resulting in a network of
related antecedents and outcomes of sexual assault. Below is a discussion of the results of this
literature review and the results of the analyses comparing the two metrics. For additional
information regarding the calculation of the sexual assault metric, please refer to Chapters 1 and
2.
Previous research has suggested that sexual assault is related to attributes of the social climate
surrounding the sexual assault. For example, Willness et. al., (2007) show meta-analytically that
gendered job context and organizational climate predict reports of sexual harassment in the
workplace. An organizational climate for sexual harassment and sexual assault has three
characteristics: First, individuals feel there is risk connected with complaining or reporting
sexual assault or harassment, such as receiving poorer performance evaluations or becoming a
social outcast. Second, individuals have a perceived lack of punishment for perpetrators. Third,
and finally, individuals feel as if their complaints or reports of sexual harassment or assault are
not taken seriously. In another study examining risk and preventative factors outside of the
organizational context, several additional climate factors were identified such as aggressiveness,
training about sexual assault prevention, and a socially hostile climate (Harrell & Castaneda,

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2009; Tharp et. al., 2013). For these reasons, the current analysis examined the relationship
between the sexual assault rate and a supportive sexual assault reporting climate, supportive
leadership attitudes toward sexual assault prevention, Workplace Aggression, perceived ease of
reporting, sexual assault training, and threatening social media use.
Previous research has also identified the impact of experiencing sexual assault on social and
psychological outcomes. Experiencing sexual assault has been shown to be related to depression
and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD; Harrell & Castaneda, 2009; Willness et al., 2007).
Additionally, experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace has predicted turnover (Willness
et al., 2007). For the investigation of the relationships between the two sexual assault metrics
and outcomes, the analysis will focus on depression, PTSD, and retention intention.
Methodology
In order to examine the relationships between the above mentioned attributes and characteristics
(e.g., PTSD, Workplace Aggression) and the two approaches to operationalizing sexual assault
(current metric and expanded metric), a survey weighted Pearson correlation was calculated for
each relationship. The goal of this analysis was to investigate whether the current metric and
expanded metric had similar relationships with other attributes of sexual assault (e.g., PTSD,
Workplace Aggression), thus suggesting that policy implications and conclusions of this report
would be the same if the expanded definition of sexual assault was used instead of the current
definition. In null-hypothesis significance testing language, we are hypothesizing the null (i.e.,
there are no differences between the two groups of analyses) and therefore statistical
comparisons of the groups would be inappropriate. Alternatively, a qualitative comparison of
the two groups of relationships will be conducted by comparing the direction and statistical
significance of each relationship to determine whether the two metrics are comparable. The
operational definitions of the attributes are discussed below. For variables that are reported as a
mean score, this analysis used all available data by including any participant that responded to at
least one question in the item set. This decision was made to ensure maximal amount of data
was used due to the low prevalence of sexual assault.
Supportive Sexual Assault Reporting Environment
Supportive sexual assault reporting environment was generated by averaging items Q177a–
Q177e. These items ask respondents how likely they would be to encourage others to report
sexual harassment and sexual assault. This scale score had a sufficient Cronbach Alpha,
suggesting that the items do indeed represent a similar construct (α = .86).
Supportive Leadership/Peer Attitudes Toward Sexual Assault Prevention
Supportive leadership and peer attitudes toward sexual assault prevention were generated by
averaging items Q181a–Q181i. These items ask respondents how well military members across
different paygrades made it clear that sexual assault has no place in the military. This scale score
had a sufficient Cronbach Alpha, suggesting that the items do indeed represent a similar
construct (α = .93).

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Workplace Aggression
Workplace aggression was generated by averaging items Q193a–Q193i. These items ask
respondents whether coworkers or supervisors engage in behaviors such as provide excessively
harsh criticism, yell when they were angry, and damage or steal property. This scale score had a
sufficient Cronbach Alpha suggesting that the items do indeed represent a similar construct (α =
.91).
Perceived Ease of Reporting
Perceived ease of reporting was generated by averaging items Q203a–Q203f. These items focus
on respondents’ perceptions that they trusted that if they were sexually assaulted or harassed that
they would be treated properly (e.g., with dignity and respect). This scale score had a sufficient
Cronbach Alpha, suggesting that the items do indeed represent a similar construct (α = .71).
Sexual Assault Prevention Training
The indicator used to identify whether a participant has had sexual assault prevention training in
the previous 12 months was Q199.
Threatening Social Media Use
Threatening social media use was measured by a series of items (Q205a–Q205d) that ask if the
participant was aware of a Service member misusing social media sites to ridicule, abuse, stalk,
or harm another military member, a member of the participant’s chain of command, another
leader outside of the participant’s chain of command, or the DoD as a whole.
Depression
Depression was generated by averaging items Q198a–Q198h. These items focus on the
frequency symptoms of depression, including feeling down, depressed, or hopeless. This scale
score had a sufficient Cronbach Alpha, suggesting that the items do indeed represent a similar
construct (α = .92).
PTSD
The PTSD metric was constructed using items Q197a–Q197e. This series of items asks
respondents who have experienced an especially traumatic event if in the past month they have
experienced negative outcomes such as nightmares about the event and feelings of guilt about the
event.
Retention Intention
Retention intention was measured by asking participants how likely they would be to stay on
active duty.

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Results
The unweighted frequency counts for the current sexual assault are 1,682 respondents who
indicated experiencing sexual assault and 130,740 respondents who indicated not experiencing
sexual assault. The unweighted frequency counts for the expanded sexual assault are 2,043
respondents who indicated experiencing sexual assault and 130,375 respondents who indicated
not experiencing sexual assault. Given that the expanded metric only identifies 361 additional
respondents as having indicated experiencing sexual assault, the below analyses have a limited
ability to compare the new and expanded metrics. In light of this, the similarities between the
two metrics should be interpreted cautiously.
Overall, the results of this analysis suggest that the current and expanded metrics of sexual
assault are very comparable and displayed similar patterns and magnitudes of relationships with
known correlates of sexual assault (see Table 103). Each of the expected relationships were
significant and in the anticipated direction based on previous research (Harrell & Castaneda,
2009; Tharp et al., 2013; Willness, et al., 2007). On both metrics, workplace aggression,
threatening social media use, depression, and PTSD had a positive relationship with experiencing
sexual assault. Again, on both metrics, a supportive sexual assault reporting climate, supportive
leadership attitudes toward sexual assault prevention, perceived ease of reporting, sexual assault
prevention training, and retention intention had a negative relationship with sexual assault.
Table 103.
Relationships Between Current and Expanded Metrics of Sexual Assault and Other Attributes
Current SA Metric
Expanded SA Metric
Supportive sexual assault reporting environment
-.13*
-.13*
Supportive leadership/peer attitudes toward
-.11*
-.12*
sexual assault prevention
Workplace aggression
.12*
.13*
Perceived ease of reporting
-.10*
-.10*
Sexual assault prevention training
-.03*
-.02*
Threatening social media use
.05*
.05*
Depression
.12*
.12*
PTSD
.09*
.09*
Retention intention
-.05*
-.06*
Note. Sexual assault coded 0, 1 with 1 representing participant reporting experiencing sexual assault
Note. *p < .02388 (family-wise error rate adjusted p-value)

Discussion
The conclusions and policy recommendations drawn from this report are dependent on the
survey methodological and analytic decisions made to generate the report content. One such
decision was determining to report the current or expanded version of the sexual assault metric.
Although the rationale for this decision has been discussed at length in previous chapters of this
report (see Chapter 2), statistical analyses were used in this section to determine whether the
results or recommendations might have been different had the other metric been used for

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reporting. The results of these analyses suggest that the expanded and current metrics of sexual
assault are comparable. By investigating the nomological network of sexual assault based on
previous research, we can conclude with reasonable certainty that the choice between the two
metrics would not alter the conclusion from this report.

Continuing Assessment
The 2016 WGRA is part of a biennial cycle of the active duty military designed to provide results
comparable across survey years for evaluation of progress. On non-survey years, focus groups
of active duty members at varying installations are conducted to delve deeper into current issues
and to seek further understanding of findings which were not fully captured during the survey
administration. Results from the focus groups aid in developing new survey questions more
relevant to the current state of the active duty force, including any new areas of interest to the
Department. Examples are provided below.
The 2016 WGRA showed concerning levels of dissatisfaction with leadership response to men
who experience sexual assault in the military. Therefore, 2017 WGRA focus groups could
explore why men are dissatisfied with the leadership response when they come forward to report
a sexual assault. The results would help the Department understand where military leadership is
falling short in response to sexual assault and identify areas for future improvement.
Recent news has highlighted the misuse of social media sites across the military. While the 2016
WGRA provides some data regarding such misuse, results are limited due to the nature of the
survey questions. Asking such questions at the focus groups could shed more light onto the
misuse of social media from active duty members’ perspectives from the focus groups.
Information could be used by the Department to further identify areas of risk of social media and
help formulate policy and guidelines for proper use of social media sites for military members.
In addition, results could help develop future survey items for inclusion on the next WGRA.

Additional Research
The 2016 WGRA report provides extensive information taken directly from analyses of the
survey. While this information is valuable to the Department and Service leaders, further
analyses can provide more targeted results. For example, while individual questions provide
estimates of rates, behaviors, and perceptions of the active duty military, taking these questions
and combining the results can provide a more complete look at situations or constructs of
interest. OPA conducts ongoing analyses of survey data using complex modeling techniques to
explore and quantify potential covariates in the data. Survey notes are published based on such
efforts and posted on https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/dwp/dwp_surveys.jsp. Future analyses
will include further analysis of leadership climate and hazing and bullying.

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Survey Instrument

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Survey Instrument

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Appendix B.
Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions
2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members
Office of People Analytics
The Defense Research, Surveys, and Statistics Center (RSSC), Office of People Analytics
(OPA), has been conducting surveys of gender issues for the active duty military since 1988.
RSSC uses scientific state of the art statistical techniques to draw conclusions from random,
representative samples of the active duty populations. To construct estimates for the 2016
Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members (2016 WGRA), OPA used
complex sampling and weighting procedures to ensure accuracy of estimates to the full active
duty population. This approach, though widely accepted as the standard method to construct
generalizable estimates, is often misunderstood. The following details some common questions
about our methodology as a whole and the 2016 WGRA specifically.
1. What was the population of interest for the 2016 WGRA?
The target population consisted of members from the active duty from the Army,
Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard who were below flag rank and have
at least four months of service.
OPA sampled 50% of men and 75% of women, consisting of 735,329 members. Data
were collected between 22 July and 14 October 2016.
The weighted total DoD response rate for the 2016 WGRA was 23%, which is
typical for large DoD-wide surveys. This rate was similar to the 29% response rate
for the 2014 Rand Military Workplace Survey and the 24% response rate in the 2012
Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members.
2. The 2016 WGRA uses “sampling” and “weighting.” Why are these methods
used and what do they do?
Simply stated, sampling and weighting allows for data, based on a sample, to be
accurately generalized up to the total population. In the case of the 2016 WGRA, this
allows OPA to generalize to the full population of active duty members that meet the
criteria listed above.
In stratified random sampling, all members of a population are categorized into
homogeneous groups. For example, members might be grouped by gender and
component (e.g., all male Army personnel in one group, all female Army personnel in
another). Members are chosen at random within each group so that all eligible
military members have an equal chance of selection to participate in the survey.
Small groups are oversampled in comparison to their proportion of the population so
there will be enough responses (approximately 500) from small groups to provide
reliable estimates for population subgroups.

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OPA scientifically weights the data so findings can be generalized to the full
population of active duty members. Within this process, statistical adjustments are
made to ensure the sample more accurately reflects the characteristics of the
population from which it was drawn. This ensures that the oversampling within any
one subgroup does not result in overrepresentation in the total force estimates, and
also properly adjusts to account for survey nonresponse.
This methodology meets industry standards used by government statistical agencies
including the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Agricultural
Statistical Service, National Center for Health Statistics, and National Center for
Education Statistics. In addition, private survey firms including RAND, WESTAT,
and RTI use this methodology, as do well-known polling firms such as Gallup, Pew,
and Roper.
3. Are survey estimates valid with only a 23% weighted response rate?
Response rates to the 2016 WGRA are consistent with response rate levels and trends
for both the 2014 Rand Military Workplace Survey (29% response rate) and the 2012
Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members (24% response
rate). Experts in the field have found that surveys with similar response rates, or
lower, are able to produce reliable estimates. While non-response bias due to low
response rates is always a concern, OPA has knowledge, based on administrative
records, of the characteristics of both survey respondents and survey nonrespondents,
and uses this information to make statistical adjustments that compensate for survey
non-response. This important advantage improves the quality of estimates from OPA
surveys that other survey organizations rarely have.
OPA uses accurate administrative records (e.g., demographic data) for the active duty
population both at the sample design stage as well as during the statistical weighting
process to account for survey non-response and post-stratification to known key
variables or characteristics. Prior OPA surveys provide empirical results showing
how response rates vary by many characteristics (e.g., paygrade and Service). OPA
uses this information to accurately estimate the optimum sample sizes needed to
obtain sufficient numbers of respondents within key reporting groups (e.g., Army,
female). After the survey is complete, OPA makes statistical weighting adjustments
so that each subgroup (e.g., Army, E1-E3, and female) contributes toward the survey
estimates proportional to the known size of the subgroup.
In addition, OPA routinely conducts “Non-Response Bias Analyses” on the Gender
Relations surveys. This type of analyses measures whether respondents to the survey
are fundamentally different from non-responders on a variety of dimensions. If
differences are found, this may be an indication that there is bias in the estimates
produced. Using a variety of methods to gauge potential non-response bias, OPA has
found no evidence of non-response bias on the Gender Relations Surveys (OPA,
2016a).
4. Is 23% a common response rate for other military or civilian surveys?

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Response rates of less than 30% are not uncommon for surveys that use similar
sampling and weighting procedures. Many civilian surveys often do not have the
same knowledge about the composition of the total population in order to generalize
results to the full population via sampling and weighting. Therefore, these surveys
often require much higher response rates in order to construct accurate estimates. For
this reason, it is difficult to compare civilian survey response rates to OPA survey
response rates. However, many of the large-scale surveys conducted by DoD or
civilian survey agencies rely on similar sampling and weighting procedures as OPA
to obtain accurate and generalizable findings with response rates lower than 30% (see
Q5). Of note, OPA has a further advantage over these surveys by maintaining the
administrative record data (e.g., demographic data) on the full population. This rich
data, rarely available to survey organizations, is used to reduce bias associated with
the weighted estimates and increase the precision and accuracy of estimates.
5. Can you give some examples of other studies with similar response rates that
were used by DoD to understand military populations and inform policy?
The 2011 Health and Related Behaviors Survey, conducted by ICF International on
behalf of the Tricare Activity Management, had a 22% response rate weighted up to
the full active duty military population. This 22% represented approximately 34,000
respondents from a sample of about 154,000 active duty military members. In 2010,
Gallup conducted a survey for the Air Force on sexual assault within the Service.
Gallup weighted the results to generalize to the full population of Air Force members
based on about 19,000 respondents representing a 19% response rate. Finally, in
2011, the U.S. Department of Defense Comprehensive Review Working Group, with
the assistance of Westat and OPA, conducted a large-scale survey to measure the
impact of overturning the Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy. The DADT survey,
which was used to inform DoD policy, was sent to 400,000 active duty and Reserve
members. It had a 28% response rate and was generalized up to the full population of
military members, both active duty and Reserve. The survey methodology used for
this survey, which used the OPA sampling design, won the 2011 Policy Impact
Award from The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR),
which “recognizes outstanding research that has had a clear impact on improving
policy decisions practice or discourse, either in the public or private sectors.”
6. What about surveys that study the total U.S. population? How do they
compare?
Surveys of sensitive topics and rare events rely on similar methodology and response
rates to project estimates to the total U.S. adult population. For example, the 2010
National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, conducted by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, calculated population estimates on a variety of
sensitive measures based on about 18,000 interviews, reflecting a weighted response
rate of between 28% to 34%.

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Appendix C.
Communications

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