For much of the 100-year history of U.S. submarines, the idea of having women serve alongside men has not been an issue. But after women in the Navy secured spots on U.S. surface vessels and combat ships in 1994, a conflict surfaced on whether the military should have female submariners. Women are working in nearly every military field, however there is a limit for female sailors. A male generated technology; the submarine, created solely for use by male sailors, restricts women from serving in the U.S. submarine force.

In a statement by the U.S. Navy in 1995, the opposition to women serving on submarines is hinted in that "The extreme conditions on submarines - submerged 24 hours a day for months at a time, in a crowded environment that affords almost no privacy - are a major factor that should drive submarine-personnel policy." There are many issues surrounding the inclusion of female sailors in submarines. Many countries around the world allow women to serve in their armed forces, but few allow women to serve on submarines (only Australia, Norway, Sweden and Canada). The U.S. has pre-approved a proposal to allow women to serve on the Virginia class attack submarines which begin deployment in 2004, but a final decision is far in the future. Strong opposition has arisen on this subject matter and flat rejections have resulted from some members of the Navy. The Navy's top admiral Jay L. Johnson discarded the idea, "For us, for me as chief of naval operations, I do not intend to change." Navy officials quickly point out that crews of submarines from other countries such as Canada are not subject to the rigorous cruises of American submarines. U.S. submarines can remain submerged for days or even weeks at a time to maintain secrecy. Because of these long submerging periods, submarine crews are forced to deal with issues ranging from claustrophobia to lack of sleep. The introduction of women into this environment could potentially cause problems amongst crew members according to Navy officials. The following is a list and explanation of the issues surrounding the inclusion of women on U.S. submarines:

Fresh water on submarines is a valued commodity and the use of showers and bathrooms is almost always restricted. Most submarines have only three bathrooms, one for officers and the others for the rest of the crew. Each bathroom usually has one shower area with two showerheads. Privacy amongst a predominately male dominated crew could be difficult for females and may require the male portion of the crew to share only one bathroom. Most crews have between 60 and 80 members, so the allotment of shower times could create conflict amongst the crew.

The sleeping quarters on submarines are usually twenty inches high and about three bed spaces deep. This requires three crewmembers to effectively share each bunk. The instance of a female and a male crewmember having to share a bunk may create a lack of privacy and comfort. Concerns with promiscuity aboard mixed gender submarines are also evident mostly in the wives of male submariners.

Most male submarine crews view themselves as a kind of fraternity. They eat, sleep, and work together and have little to no private time. In order to maintain a level of some kind of enjoyment crewmen have discussions and rituals that could not be carried out in the presence of a woman who is part of the crew. Certain concerns with language and body language could result in cases of sexual harassment and/or uncomfortable crewmembers. Form the viewpoint of a male submariner; if the fraternal rituals and free use of language became restricted, a tedious work environment may result, complicating the already complex job at hand.

All in all, there are about 33,000 positions prohibited to women in the U.S. Navy, and 25,000 of them are on submarines. Integration is not totally out of the question with regards to the U.S. Navy, but costs are an important setback in the future. It is estimated it will cost about $300,000 per bunk to integrate and accommodate for female personnel aboard submarines. This is outstanding compared to the $4000 per bunk cost to integrate carrier ships. However, integrating submarines would expand the pool of talent offered to the Navy. Currently, a shortage of qualified recruits has persevered in the Navy and the availability of all positions regardless of gender may alleviate this problem. As suggested by a Pentagon panel assembled to solely deal with the above issues at hand, "(the Navy should allow) the assignment of the most highly qualified personnel, regardless of gender."

Suggested Readings:
"Women in Submarines." www.navy.gov.au/fegs/submarines/womensubs.htm