Solving ‘the Uniform Issue’: Gender and Professional Identity in the Swedish Military

Strand, Sanna; Persson, Alma; Sundevall, Fia

doi:10.18291/njwls.131970

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Military uniforms are typically designed for a standardized male body and act as a marker of masculinity against which women are differentiated. Consequently, this practice limits women's ability to be recognized as “real soldiers” (Strand et al., 2022). These stark categorical constructions of gender are formalized at the institutional level of the gender structure through ADF dress manuals and policy, which have implications for identity formation and gender performance at the individual level.…”

Section: Women In the Adfmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creating a new pathway for change in the military using gender as process

Williams,

Yates,

Connor

2023

Gender Work & Organization

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Militaries have consistently struggled to integrate women into the profession of arms despite concerted, decades‐long attempts at reform. We argue that this patchy progress is due in part to a conceptualization of gender as “category”, which has limited power to explain gendered inequalities. We propose that gender as process approaches must also be used to understand the current state of gender relations within militaries. A gender as process approach recognizes the dynamic, enduring, and complex set of gendered practices and systems that affect everyday interactions and social relations. Using this frame, militaries can develop an understanding of how these processes operate—particularly, as a form of resistance to gender equality in these “extremely gendered organizations”—and can develop improved strategies for change. We use the Australian Defence Force as our case study to illustrate how gender as category approaches dominate reform attempts and how the gender as process approach offers new insights on how to promote gender equality in the military.

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Section: Women In the Adfmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creating a new pathway for change in the military using gender as process

Williams,

Yates,

Connor

2023

Gender Work & Organization

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“…Ukr. socìum, 2023, № 4 (87) того,.. уніформа не тільки дає змогу визнати людину професіоналом, але й покликана полегшити й дати можливість професіоналам виконувати певні завдання, а в деяких випадках і захистити їх від потенційної шкоди" [11]. Дж.…”

Section: Uniform As a Symbolic Stage For Organizational And Gender Id...unclassified

“…Завдяки підходу, що ґрунтується на теорії соціальної ідентичності, розглянуто широкий спектр проблем щодо дискримінації на робочому місці, гендерної рівності та конструювання гендерних професійних ідентичностей на військовій службі [9; 12; 14-16]. Результати та висновки цих досліджень отримали підтвердження та подальший розвиток у роботі С. Странд, А. Персон, Ф. Сандевал [11], які зробили свій внесок у наукові дебати про гендерну інтеграцію в армії, проливаючи світло на способи розв"язання "проблеми уніформи" у Збройних силах Швеції. Дослідниці стверджують, що, хоча уніформа маркує і формує організаційну ідентичність, її вплив може мати неоднозначний і суперечливий характер.…”

Section: Uniform As a Symbolic Stage For Organizational And Gender Id...unclassified

“…Уніформа, яка розроблена для стандартизованого чоловічого тіла, але не адаптована і нефункціональна щодо жіночого тіла, сприяє маркуванню військовослужбовиць як таких, що відрізняються від чоловічої норми, що ускладнює їхнє визнання як "справжніх солдат". Таким чином, всупереч тому, що військова форма покликана вводити людей до професійного, уніфікованого колективу, вона також може, хоча й ненавмисно, виключати військовослужбовиць з військового колективу [11]. Дослідниці зауважують, що зрушення в розумінні гендерної рівності у Збройних силах Швеції змінили ставлення до "проблеми уніформи".…”

Section: Uniform As a Symbolic Stage For Organizational And Gender Id...unclassified

“…Третій етап характеризується новими шляхами розв"язання "проблеми уніформи", які передбачають не тільки придбання нових предметів або модифікацію наявних, але й оновлення даних, на основі яких розробляють уніформу та спорядження. Завдяки зусиллям щодо розв"язання "проблеми уніформи" Збройні сили Швеції починають сприйматися суспільством як гендерно рівна, гендерно свідома і прогресивна організація, привабливий роботодавець і цінний суспільний інститут [11].…”

Section: Uniform As a Symbolic Stage For Organizational And Gender Id...unclassified

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Uniform as a symbolic stage for organizational and gender identity formation of women serving in the armed forces of Ukraine

Khraban,

Khraban

2023

Ukr. socìum

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This paper aims to describe how female military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine perceive the military uniform in terms of its significance for their gender and organizational identities. The research was part of a pilot project in the form of an interview study. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the results. The data was structured into codes, then categorized and grouped to form general themes. The analysis of the servicewomen’s reflections on the military uniform has shown how important it is for them, especially in developing their identity. Servicewomen’s attitudes toward military uniforms and their psychological well-being levels may be correlated with their organizational and gender identities. Organizational identity becomes a catalyst for positive attitudes toward uniforms when: 1) servicewomen see the uniform as a framework of organizational identity, a guiding principle and a directive that programs the wearer for ethical behaviour and teamwork; 2) the main factors that influence organizational identity are the conceptual constructs of `idealism` and `military professionalism`. The collectivism, patriotism, and philanthropic values on which idealism is based on the perception of the self as a defender of one’s people and country. Military professionalism correlates with the effect of expecting to go to war and satisfaction with fighting; 3) among the identification criteria, which manifest the patterns, regularities and features of the military organizational identity, the parameter `gender equality` is included. When organizational identity dominates, the main risk factors that lead to negative attitudes toward uniform are 1) excessive identification with the organization, in which servicewomen may internalize the goals and objectives of the armed forces to the point that their personal identification may suffer; 2) the formation of an organizational identity that does not include the identifying marker of `gender equality`. This threatens psychological well-being through an unhealthy dependence on the approval of others. In cases where gender identity is central to the personality, attitudes toward the military uniform depend on succeeding in forming a balanced military identity. Based on Culver’s Gender Identity Development of Women in the Military (GIDWM) 4-phase matrix, it can be argued that servicewomen’s position in identity development stages, such as `donning the mask` and `wearing the mask`, likely predicts their negative attitudes toward military uniforms. Wearing a uniform begins to evoke positive emotions only in the fourth stage of `taking off the mask` when servicewomen overcome the masculine ethics of military culture and stereotypical identity expectations. The main reason for the “uniform conflict” can be found in forming gender and organizational identities of servicewomen. Efforts to solve the “uniform problem” in the armed forces should be aimed at introducing standards for servicewomen’s military uniforms and providing psychological assistance to servicewomen in forming a balanced military identity, which is seen as a harmonious combination of organizational and gender identities. In developing mechanisms to ensure gender equality, it is crucial to remember that the identities of military women are not homogeneous. Therefore, no single strategy exists for integrating a gender perspective into the armed forces. The formation and evolution of gender culture in the military can be slowed by ignoring the nuances and intersections of military women’s organizational and gender identities.

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The Symbolic Politics of Police and Military: Threat and Reassurance in Uniform

Kedrowski

2024

The Palgrave Handbook of Fashion and Politics

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Solving ‘the Uniform Issue’: Gender and Professional Identity in the Swedish Military

Cited by 5 publications

References 10 publications

Creating a new pathway for change in the military using gender as process

Creating a new pathway for change in the military using gender as process

Uniform as a symbolic stage for organizational and gender identity formation of women serving in the armed forces of Ukraine

The Symbolic Politics of Police and Military: Threat and Reassurance in Uniform

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