The purpose of the study was to document the history and development of the programs of physical education, intercollegiate athletics, intramural and recreational sports for women at the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy, and the United States Air Force Academy and to determine the impact these programs have had on the ability of women to perform the same physical tasks as men. Background information traced the history of women's participation in the United States military, history of the academies and documented the legislative and court battles that were fought to open these academies to women. Materials and information relative to the study were obtained from personal interviews of key individuals involved in these programs at each academy, academy files, government documents, books, newspaper and periodical articles.
In 1973, the Department of Defense began to feel the pressure to admit women to the academies, and officials from the Department of Defense and the academies voiced strong opposition. One of the arguments was that women would not be able to perform the many physically demanding tasks required of cadets and midshipmen. And, if they could not, the all-important common experience of attending an academy would be forever changed, for the worse. The law that opened the academies to women called for the same standards for women and men except for those changes necessitated due to physiological differences between men and women. With the Military Academy and the Air Force Academy leading the way, research was conducted to determine what the physiological differences between men and women meant in terms of performance. The research findings resulted in lower grading standards for women on certain physical tasks that require strength, cardiovascular endurance or a combination of both. Although the standards on some tasks are different for men and women, female cadets and midshipmen are required to perform at the same level of effort as are male cadets and midshipmen. The young women who attended the academies the first few years surprised and impressed everyone with their performance on many of the physical tasks required of them.