G.I. Jane and Barriers for Acceptance of Diversity

Sociology

Jane and Diversity

When Demo Moore stared as Lt. Jordan O'Neil in the film GI Jane, as well as presenting a striking film of a woman fighting against the odds, there was also a social message regarding the difficulties and barriers associated with introducing and embracing diversity within established institutions and how the individuals who may seek equality and equity may face additional challenges.

The film starts with the premise that the nave is biased, as Texas Senator Lillian De Haven accuses the navy of lacking gender neutrality. A deal is made, that a number of test cases will be used in order to determine whether or not women should be integrated into all of the Navy departments, and the commitment if women are able to perform critical standards integration will go ahead. O'Neil is the first of these, and the way in which this test takes place demonstrates problems of institutional bias and the barriers which exist.

The first test cases for one for the more extreme and difficult Naval division; the fictitious Combined Reconnaissance Team (CRT), the presentation of this may be interpreted as representing the real-life Navy SEALS. O'Neil was chosen as a candidate not because she was the best candidate, but because she was the most feminine of the candidates. This itself demonstrates a potential bias; the underlying concept of diversity is acceptance and embracing of differences, so that discrimination does not hinder the progress of an individual, organization, meeting their goals. However, in order to make a point several candidates which may have been better qualified in terms of physical ability were overlooked, so that a woman who was more typically feminine was chosen; going for an extreme, rather than the most suitable candidate, in order to create a political message.

With this greater feminine appearance, there is the potential to demonstrate a higher level of resistance from the institutional infrastructure, including the commander who runs a training program, and the peers with who she has to train. The initial reactions of all those involved reflect their existing preconceived biases, that women would not be able to cope with the stress and pressure associated with such a difficult task.

It maybe argued that the choice of candidate, and the choice of division in which the test case would take place all set up to maximize the potential for failure, a failure which would be utilized to support the existing institutional biases. The CRT training is presented as being very harsh, with a 60% dropout rate for the men, with the majority dropping out within the first week. Much to the surprise of everyone, O'Neil survives, despite treatment that is harsher than that handed out to some of her peers, especially when eight weeks into the course, he does not look like she's pulling out, the commander running a course brutalizes O'Neil in front of her comrades, but she fights back and courses in some injury.

In a subplot there are further demonstrations of the way in which diversity will be resisted. Despite fellow female Senator Lillian De Haven instigating the plan, she is subsequently subjected to blackmail in order to try and ensure that O'Neil fails and the Navy can keep the status quo.

When the story of a female training for CRT is leaked to the press, she becomes referred to as GI Jane, and then faces additional barriers associated with stereotypes presumptions and biases which are not based in fact. These turn into formal trumped up charges, including the accusation that she is a lesbian and that she has fraternized with other women. As the institution could not discredit O'Neil based on her performance, there is a movement towards utilizing other strategies to discredit the potential of women in Navy departments. This creates an additional barrier, she is told if she is cleared of the charges should have to start training right from the beginning; effectively creating a new barrier that is likely to prevent her from graduating from the course.