Military Women: Changes in Representation and Experiences

Abstract

Research on women in the military is becoming an increasingly important area of inquiry in the social sciences. Women are essential to the operation of contemporary armed services, and this has led to recent changes in organizational policies leaning toward equalizing the status of men and women in uniform. As the decades of the seventies and eighties witnessed an expansion in the role women would play in national defense, the twenty-first century is experiencing a movement toward parity between men and women in the military. This is the case not only in the United States, but in other nations as well. This movement toward gender equality is slow as it goes against the traditional social norms of most societies and is met with a number of obstacles. Although this chapter focuses primarily on historical and contemporary changes in the representation and

Military Conscription, Sexist Attitudes and Intimate Partner Violence

“…Moore (2020) provides a discussion on the changes in military culture in recent decades, and on how these changes differ between countries. In general, most countries are experiencing a cultural change towards a climate of equal opportunities, therefore there is a convergence towards a more inclusive military culture.…”

“…Even though military organization may have changed in recent years regarding the role of women in the military, still today the issue of whether or not women should serve in the military is more about cultural norms and gender roles than about a woman's ability to do so (Moore 2020). Moore (2020) provides a discussion on the changes in military culture in recent decades, and on how these changes differ between countries. In general, most countries are experiencing a cultural change towards a climate of equal opportunities, therefore there is a convergence towards a more inclusive military culture.…”

“…Even though military organization may have changed in recent years regarding the role of women in the military, still today the issue of whether or not women should serve in the military is more about cultural norms and gender roles than about a woman's ability to do so (Moore 2020).…”

“…Mechanisms of social control operate to reinforce the appropriate masculine self‐image by negating menaces (like showing emotions) or threats (like homosexuality) to that image 2 . As explained in Moore (2020), the persistent culture of masculinity is the main issue obstructing full integration of women in the armed services, and the factor that explains the high incidence of sexual harassment/assault and gender segregation in the military.…”

Determinants of Attitudes toward Women in the Military

“…Throughout history, the military has been a male-dominated institution and is an example of a work environment in which women, compared to men, got the opportunity to serve in the full range of military jobs relatively late. However, in recent decades there is an increasing trend in the admission of women in most of the militaries in Western democracies (Carreiras, 2015;Moore, 2020). Despite evident progress in the admission of women in active-duty service in the national militaries of NATO members (Croatia included), women continue to be in a minority, with limited roles and fewer promotional opportunities (Egnell and Alam, 2019; Moore, 2020; Reis and Menezes, 2020).…”