Gender integration of male dominated environments : the experience of SA Navy sailors

Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-278).During the 1990s, the South African Navy integrated women into their ships. The present study investigated the psycho-social experiences of both women and men, in response to the integration of this traditionally male-dominated environment. This was done in two phases: First, the pre-integration atmosphere in the fleet was investigated by focussing on two specific objectives: examining the general attitudes of the fleet towards women's place in the world, and examining the manifestation of resistance by using sexual harassment as a marker. In the second phase, the personal experiences and the actual responses of women and men, emanating from their own involvement in gender integration, were investigated