THE PROMOTION RECORD OF THE UNITED-STATES-ARMY - GLASS CEILINGS IN THE OFFICER CORPS

Are women and minorities adequately represented in the promotion proce sses of the U.S. Army? Are their promotion rates competitive with male and Caucasian Army officers? What happens to female and minority prom otion rates as rank increases? To answer these questions, J. Norman Ba ldwin present data on more than 123,000 Caucasian, female, male, and m inority Army officers considered for promotion to captain, major, lieu tenant colonel, and colonel. The data indicate women and minorities ar e underrepresented in the Army's middle officer ranks, female officers are promoted at lower rates than male officers, and minority officers are promoted at lower rates than majority officers. Except for Native American officers, cumulative promotion rates for minorities also ind icate adverse effects beginning at the rank of major and lieutenant co lonel. However, noncumulative promotion rates for women and minorities generally do not indicate adverse effects, and male and Caucasian pro motion rates decrease over time more than female and minority promotio n rates.