One in three women who serve in the U.S. Air Force and Space Force report that they experience sexual harassment during their service, according to a new finding released on Thursday.

According to the Air Force inspector general report, women serving in both branches, as well as the civilian employees of the services, report experiences of sexual harassment. These experiences were further corroborated by anonymous firsthand accounts of sexism and sexual harassment in the workplace directed toward females.

Women who are raising children also run into unique barriers to promotion as well a negative stigma associated with pregnancy and maternity leave. Half of all female Airmen and Guardian respondents said maintaining a work-life balance and taking care of family commitments adversely impacts them compared to only 18% of their male counterparts who said the same. This number was even higher among female officers with 70% reporting that these issues affected them compared to only 29% of male respondents.

The experience of women captured in this study is part of an ongoing reckoning across the U.S. military with sexual assault. Women make up less than 17% of U.S. service members, but the percentage is higher in the USAF at 21% of all members. This number thins considerably within the higher ranks and in the pilot corps.

Experiences of harassment or encounters with obstacles in being promoted among racial minorities in the USAF and Space Force were also a topic in the new report. Following up on an earlier finding from last December, it found that Black members of the Air Force are far more likely to be investigated, arrested or face disciplinary actions.

Despite commitments from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and service leaders to improve the military’s inclusion efforts, there was a sense within the ranks that senior leadership could not be completely trusted to confront bias. About 19% of minority Airmen and Guardians reported they do not trust their chain to address racism, bias, and unequal opportunities, but 69% said they have faith in their commanders.

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said in a statement accompanying the report that ensuring all members under his authority get an opportunity to "achieve their full potential" in an inclusive environment was a top priority. Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond added that "diversity and inclusion are fundamental to readiness and mission success" for the service.

“These disparities and gaps in trust affect our operational readiness — we don’t have time or talent to lose,” said Gina Ortiz Jones, the Under Secretary of the Air Force. “We will actively work to rebuild that trust and ensure Department of the Air Force members, the ‘One Team’ our nation needs to protect our interests in air and space, can serve to their full potential.”

RELATED STORIES