Masculinity, Organizational Culture, Media Framing and Sexual Violence in the Military

Steven Kuhl, Anna E. Kosloski, Stephanie Bontrager Ryon and Astrid Monar
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Steven Kuhl: School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA
Anna E. Kosloski: School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA
Stephanie Bontrager Ryon: Department of Criminal Justice, Tarleton State University, 1333 W Washington St, Stephenville, TX 76402, USA
Astrid Monar: School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA

Social Sciences, 2018, vol. 7, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: Sexual violence in the military is woven into history, with stories and myths that date back to the times of ancient Rome. For example, military conquests thousands of years ago involved looting, pillaging, and raping—the “spoils of war” for the winning side. Over time, women, seen as sexual outlets, continued to be used to boost soldier morale in combat. Today, instances such as the Marine sexual misconduct scandal are still associated with notions of male empowerment through victimization of enlisted and civilian women, despite female officers making up 14% of service members across all military branches. To determine if the optics of violent and predatory behavior within the military has changed from the “spoils of war”, the current study utilized qualitative content analysis to analyze the media frames of military sexual assault and sexual harassment over the past 20 years. Through holistic reflection, the inquiry explores military framing by the media during high-profile incidents of misconduct from 1996 to 2013. The Aberdeen Proving Ground, Lackland Airforce Base, and Airforce Academy sexual assault cases demonstrate that responsibility and human-interest frames are the most prominent optics used by the media to describe these events. Further, since the first case in 1996, media coverage of sexual harassment and assault within the military has declined significantly. This suggest that, while media framing may accurately reflect these offenses, these offenses are considered less and less news worthy.

Keywords: sexual assault; military; media; framing; armed forces; sex crimes; harassment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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