Perceptions of Leadership and the Willingness to Report Sexual Assault at the U.S. Military Academies Heidi L. Scherer Department of Sociology &Criminal Justice Kennesaw State University Coauthors:Jamie A. Snyder, University of West Florida Bonnie S. Fisher, University of Cincinnati

Literature Review A notable proportion of cadets/midshipman report experiencing sexual victimization at the military academies (Snyder, Fisher, Scherer, and Daigle, 2012) Unwanted sexual attention: 23% Sexual harassment: 56% Unwanted sexual contact: 16% Sexual coercion: 8% Rape: 4%

Literature Review Estimated that less than 20% of cadets and midshipmen report sexual assaults to military authorities (DOD, 2012) Military culture, perceptions of leadership, and organizational structure shape victimization and reporting Victimization: male-dominated culture, informal code of silence, and power differentials (Pershing, 2003, DOD, 2012) Reporting: fear of reprisal/retaliation, lack of support from chain of command, and concern about peer response (GAO, 1995; Bastian et al., 1996)

Current Study Past studies on the reporting of sexual assault in the military academies have been limited methodologically Small n’s, qualitative interviews, female-only samples, analyses restricted to descriptive statistics/bivariate relationships Examines the willingness to report sexual assault to the military chain of command and how willingness is affected by: 1) prior sexual assault, 2) perceptions of leadership, and 3) academy climate Multivariate analyses

Data The Service Academy 2005 Sexual Harassment and Assault Survey (SASA2005) Congressionally mandated survey to track sexual harassment and assault Administered at the Army, Naval, and Air Force Academies Includes questions on academy climate, perceptions of leadership, and sexual victimization N = 5,200 male (62%) and female (38%) cadets and midshipmen

Dependent Variable Willingness to Report Sexual Assault Respondents were asked: “Would you be willing to report a personal experience of sexual assault to officer/non-commission officer chain of command?”

Independent Variables Prior Sexual Victimization: Rape Academy Climate: 1) Violation of Honor Code, 2) Get Away with SH, 3) Personal Loyalty Above Victims, 4) Confront Perpetrators, 5) Report Perpetrators of SA, 6) Sexual Assault Increasing Problem, and 7) Gender Equality Perceptions of Leadership: 1) Commissioned Officers’ Morality and 2) Commissioned Officers’ Intolerance for Sexual Assault Controls: 1) Sex, 2) Academy, and 3) Class

Willingness to Report Type of Organization/Authority % Yes (Full Sample) (Rape Victims) Officer/NCO Chain of Command 68 41 Cadet/Midshipman Chain of Command 53 45 Academy Counseling 62 38 Military Police/Security Forces 52 32 Academy Hotline/Helpline 58 36 Academy Faculty 73 54 Academy Chaplain/Clergy 81 63 Parent/Family Member/Friend 87 75

Results: Multivariate Binary Logistic Regression Variable AOR Controls Academy Climate Female 0.54* Honor Code 1.49* Naval 0.61* Get Away with SH 0.72* Air Force 0.73* Personal Loyalty 0.78* Class of 2006 0.88 Confront Perpetrators 1.42* Class of 2007 1.10 Report Rape Perpetrators 1.54* Class of 2008 1.46* Sexual Assault a Problem CO Leadership Gender Equality 1.30* Morality 1.39* Prior Sexual Victimization Intolerance for SA 1.85* Rape 0.43* p < .01**

Discussion Willingness to report was significantly impacted by: The cadets’ and midshipmen’s perceptions of commanding officers’ morality and intolerance for sexual assault The climate at the academy Perception of support = More likely to report Perception of non-support = Less likely to report Prior rape victimization

Policy Implications Military leadership can increase reporting by setting the tone that sexual assault is not tolerated CO have discretion to charge; Only 13% of eligible court martial cases resulted in a conviction (DOD, 2013) Increase bystander intervention awareness and acts among cadets and midshipmen (see Coker et al., 2011)

Questions?