are underrepresented only in tactical operations and as general officers—and by a very wide margin.

The reasons for such disparities between the participation of men and women in Army occupational areas can be attributed to legal and policy restrictions on women in combat, tradition, and personal choice. On the matter of personal choice, previous research suggests that women who join the military tend to prefer jobs that are traditionally associated with women (Binkin and Eitelberg, 1986). One factor to keep in mind here is that women, although underrepresented in many areas (based on overall levels of participation) are not unrepresented. As Table 6.4 indicates,