You Shoot Like a Girl: Stereotype Threat and Marksmanship Performance

Abstract

The 2013 Pentagon announcement to lift the combat exclusion rule for American servicewomen ushered in much debate about women's performance in the domain of war. Gender role stereotypes were launched by critics of the announcement, implying that women's military performance is limited by virtue of their being fema le. Women's underperformance is likely not based on their inferior skill set, but by societal expectations regarding gender roles. The impact of stereotype threat (ST), or the concern that an individual may be at risk of confirming a negative stereotype about one's own group, is examined in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) domain. Female Marines may be at risk of underperforming in demanding examinations. An on-site experiment reveals the extent to which ST affects the performance of female Marines in marksmanship qualifications on the M16 service rifle. Results indicate that the most competent female marksmen (expert shooters) are vulnerable to ST.