Assessing the significance of women in combat roles

Abstract

What should we know about the roles of women in armed conflicts? I review the existing literature on women’s roles in regular and irregular conflicts to identify gaps in our understanding of the significance of female combatants. I draw on contemporary and historical cases of women’s combat participation across world regions and, in so doing, I challenge existing assumptions about the limits of women’s participation in armed conflict. Examining women as a group and expecting conflict to affect this group in predictable and easily identifiable ways only reinforces existing assumptions about women and war. To understand the range of motivations underlying women’s decisions to fight or to not fight, we should give greater attention to opportunity structures and other social conditions rather than simply assuming that women have different incentives than men.

“Proud, brave, and tough”: women in the Canadian combat arms

“…This article aimed to illustrate the perceptions that current servicewomen have of women serving in the combat arms. The responses brought to light numerous perceptions and attitudes, including many challenges that are consistent with the international literature on servicewomen serving in the military, such as the embodiment of "masculine" characteristics (Badaró, 2015;Crowley and Sandhoff, 2017;Goldstein, 2018), being treated differently due to one's gender (Petite, 2008;King, 2016;Crowley and Sandhoff, 2017;Waruszynski et al, 2018Waruszynski et al, , 2022, and additional pressures due to societal expectations of family roles (Trisko Darden, 2015;Soules, 2020;MacKenzie and Gunaydin, 2022). Positive perceptions about women in the combat arms included the importance of the diverse knowledge and expertise that they bring to combat operations, including their capabilities as combat soldiers.…”

“…Even in militaries where physical fitness standards for entry into military service differ based on gender, such as in the United States, there has been a concession that there is no link between these tests and military occupations ( Do and Samuels, 2021 ). So, despite the misperception that the combat arms trades require more physical fitness and are therefore unattainable, women have proven themselves to be very successful in these occupations ( Trisko Darden, 2015 ).…”

“…The history of women's participation in military activities is blurred by societal norms, exclusionary laws and practices, and sensationalism (Soules, 2020). Nevertheless, their contributions to global military efforts have been present throughout history (see Carreiras, 2006 for a full review; see also Trisko Darden, 2015). Still, the formal integration of women into military occupations as full status began only a little over three decades ago (1989), including the participation of women in combat occupations (Canadian Human Rights Commission, 1989).…”

“…Often, where men are lauded for their service, women may be chastised for choosing an occupation that takes them away from their families ( Waruszynski et al, 2018 ; Van Gilder, 2019 ). Even when they manage to find a balance between the two worlds, women are expected to care for their family’s post-deployment ( Trisko Darden, 2015 ). These attitudes affect the recruitment and retention rates of women in many gender-integrated militaries around the world ( Badaró, 2015 ; MacKenzie and Gunaydin, 2022 ).…”