Improving the representation of women and racial/ethnic minorities among U.S. Coast Guard active-duty members / Nelson Lim [and 11 others].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lim, Nelson, author.

Contributor:

Rand Corporation. Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center.

United States. Coast Guard.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Armed Forces--Minorities.

Armed Forces--Women.

Minorities.

Personnel management--Evaluation.

Women.

United States--Armed Forces--Minorities.

United States.

United States--Armed Forces--Women.

United States. Coast Guard--Minorities.

United States. Coast Guard--Personnel management--Evaluation.

United States. Coast Guard--Recruiting, enlistment, etc--Evaluation.

United States. Coast Guard--Women.

United States. Coast Guard.

Place of Publication:

Santa Monica, Calif. RAND Corporation 2021

Summary:

The U.S. Coast Guard seeks to attract, recruit, and retain a workforce that represents all segments of U.S. society. However, in the current active-duty Coast Guard, representation of women and of members of racial and ethnic minority groups declines as rank increases, ultimately resulting in a less diverse senior leadership. These demographics are largely the cumulative effect of the service's personnel system in which the pool of potential senior leaders narrows at each stage of the career life cycle, along with the number of candidates from underrepresented groups. To identify the root causes of the underrepresentation of women and of members of racial and ethnic minority groups in the Coast Guard, researchers used a mixed-method approach involving literature reviews, analysis of personnel data, interviews with subject-matter experts, focus groups, and a survey of active-duty personnel. The team examined the factors that shape representation at each phase of the military career life cycle — recruiting, career development, promotion and advancement, and retention — and identified facilitators of and barriers to improving diversity in the Coast Guard. The report includes recommendations to help the Coast Guard achieve its ultimate goal of a workforce that looks like the nation it serves.

Contents:

Introduction

Improving the Demographic Diversity of Accessions Through Outreach and Recruiting

Improving Career Development of Underrepresented-Minority Personnel

Improving the Advancement and Promotion of Underrepresented-Minority Personnel

Improving Retention of Underrepresented-Minority Personnel

Active-Duty Personnel's Perspectives on Coast Guard Climate

Implementation Considerations

Appendix A: Demographics of Coast Guard Personnel Versus Department of Defense Military Personnel

Appendix B: Potential Lessons Learned from Civilian Organizations

Appendix C: Quantitative Methods for Advancement, Promotion, and Retention Analyses

Appendix D: Coast Guard Administrative Data Sources and Data Gaps

Appendix E: Focus Group Methodology

Appendix F: Focus Group Protocol

Appendix G: Survey Methodology

Appendix H: Survey Instrument.