In this research, the authors use data from the 2004 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Reserve Component Members to test whether the presence of environmental harassment is equally predictive for the U.S. military reserve component as it has been for the active duty military. They also investigate the impact of deployment on reporting harassment. Women and those deployed outside the United States are more likely to report harassment experiences. Results support earlier findings showing that when there are very few reports of environmental harassment, there are proportionately few reports of individualized forms of harassment. When there are sizeable percentages of environmental harassment reported, there are notable percentages reporting individualized harassment experiences.

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Firestone and Harris, "Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military".

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Also see Paul Bliese and Melba Stets, 9/11’s Impact on Soldiers: The Homeland Defense Study (Washington, DC: U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command, 2002).

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While some might object to blending responses from National Guard and Military Reservists, that was the process utilized by DMDC when collecting the data. DMDC, 2004 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey, 6.

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The survey booklet consisted of sixteen pages covering the following domains: • Background: Includes information on gender, race/ethnicity, education, duty status, service, pay grade, and length of time in service. • Satisfaction and retention intention: Includes questions on length of service and overall satisfaction with the National Guard/Reserve and Reserve duty. • Military and civilian personnel categories and civilian education status: Includes questions on activation, deployment, civilian job status, and civilian school status. • Military workplace: Includes questions on gender of immediate workgroup, pay grade of immediate supervisor, and length of time in present military unit. • Readiness, health, and well-being: Includes questions on individual preparedness and physical and emotional health. • Gender-related experiences in military: Includes questions on the extent to which gender experiences were reported and, if reported, members’ satisfaction with the complaint process and outcome. • Personnel policy and practices: Includes questions on the amount of training on sexual harassment, members’ assessment of the effectiveness of training received, and service member’s views on current policies designed to prevent or reduce sexual harassment. No estimated length of time for completing the survey was provided, and respondents were told on the document to "take their time" in responding and were provided instructions for mailing the completed survey. DMDC, 2004 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey, 6.

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Richard A. Riemer , ed., 2004 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Reserve Component members: Statistical Methodology Report, Report 2004-019 ( Arlington, VA : DMDC , May 2005 ).

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Using principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation as an exploratory tool, a two-factor solution was consistently generated for the total sample and for males and females separately. The two items classified as environmental always loaded together on the same factor. Since the primary purpose of this article is to test the replicability of previous findings with this new data set, we have constructed indicators to match previous work as closely as possible.

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Note that the disproportionate numbers of items reflect the survey as implemented by DMDC. We are engaged in secondary data analysis and cannot change the questions that were asked.

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Riemer, 2004 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey.

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Note that the survey was mailed to reserve component members only; there are no comparative data for the active duty military for 2004.

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Firestone and Harris, "Organizational Climate, Leadership and Individual Responses to Sexual Harassment in the Active Duty Military"; Firestone and Harris, "Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military".

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