Inclusion of women into ground close combat roles: an organisational change perspective

Abstract

IntroductionWomen have formally been excluded from ground close combat (GCC) roles in the UK military until 2018. The opening of the final roles to all genders has been the result of a steady process and progression, gathering pace since the early 1990s. This paper considers the integration of women into GCC roles against a number of influential organisational change management theories.MethodA series of 12 focus groups were conducted in April 2018 with personnel from 4 infantry units, including attached women, to understand the key issues and attitudes surrounding women joining the infantry. A total of 123 personnel took part in the focus groups.ResultsThemes from the focus groups were broken down by dominant groupings as per the discussions. Male personnel were largely concerned with physical and medical issues, infrastructure, potential dual standards and social cohesion. Attached females main concerns were regarding physical and medical issues, team dynamics, potential bias and the need to prove themselves as combat soldiers. Positives were identified by all male and female focus groups, including the benefits of increased diversity, more opportunities and equality for women, improvement of Army fitness levels and an increase in numbers.ConclusionsThese findings helped to inform the Army approach to the integration of women into combat roles. The opportunity to discuss the change in policy was seen as positive by attendees, providing a 'safe space' to air any concerns and was important for the organisation to understand and mitigate any potential barriers.

Accepted as Soldiers? Exploring Female Identity Performance and Whistleblowing Dynamics in the Norwegian Army

“…The persistence of the masculine normative ideal makes it difficult for individuals who are perceived or identify as feminine 2 to fully identify and become soldiers (Muhr & Sløk-Andersen, 2017;Reis & Menezes, 2020;Wilen & Heinecken, 2018). Research has shown that women often have to conform to masculine norms (Brownson, 2014;Desan, 2019;Dunn, 2015;Harvey, 2023;Sløk-Andersen, 2018), compensate for perceived differences (King, 2015;Nilsson, 2018), present themselves as "like men" to be accepted as authentic soldiers (Füssel, 2018;Mota et al, 2018;Sasson-Levy, 2003). As such, women are expected to align themselves in ways resembling a masculine soldier image to be accepted.…”

Closing the gender gap in military health and performance: a special issue ofBMJ Military Health

“…Defence quipment and support have worked with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratories and the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine to define the optimal sizes of body armour plates for the female soldier using CT scans and the most recent anthropometric survey 11. Finally, we offer a perspective on organisational change,12 lessons learnt from other nations13 and considerations for integration 14. It is our intention that these papers are used by the academic and military community to understand where these knowledge gaps exist, and to help develop best practice to mitigate health risks and optimise the health and performance of servicewomen, to aid their success in combat and promote whole-force combat effectiveness.…”