Regendering the military: Theorizing women’s military participation

Abstract

Regendering the Military; theorising women's military participation. Abstract Abstract: This paper considers how, in the light of contemporary military transformations, feminist theorizing about women's military participation might be developed to take account of an emergent reality: the inclusion of increasing numbers of women in a range of roles within armed forces. A brief overview of established debates within feminist scholarship on women's military participation is provided, and we explore the trajectory of feminist strategies for change both within militaries and other institutions. The promise and limitations of UNSCR 1325 are discussed. The paper argues that existing feminist critiques often remain deterministic, and have too readily dismissed the possibilities for change created by women's participation, given the context of military transformations. Drawing on the idea of the regendered military, the paper presents a conceptual strategy for considering how feminist theorizing about the gender-military nexus can take seriously women's military participation whilst remaining alert to feminist political goals of gender equality, peace and justice.

Transforming CSDP? Feminist Triangles and Gender Regimes

“…Language also becomes complicit in militarization and is in and of itself deeply gendered (Cohn, ), this contributes to the reproduction of gendered power dynamics (Wright and Hurley, ). Military institutions therefore represent an ‘extreme case of the gendered organisation’ (Carreiras, , p. 40), with military activity tied both to male bodies and masculinity (Duncanson and Woodward, , p. 4; Kronsell, , p. 6). CSDP is no exception here, the reliance on Member States to fill positions has resulted in the reproduction of ‘dominant norms and forms’ in the shape of masculine bodies (Kronsell, , p. 7).…”

Gendered divisions of military labour in the British armed forces

“…The other research agenda concerns feminist debates on women, peace and security, the changing operational environment of western militaries, and potential military transformations. As we note elsewhere (Duncanson and Woodward 2016) in the context of analysing the extent to which women's military participation represents progress for feminism, it is insufficient to argue that the participation of military women may lead to transformations in military culture and structures. The questions are whether, where, when and how that happens.…”

“…In parallel, much analytic academic commentary on gender in UK military forces moves swiftly on from an acknowledgement of the 10% statistic, using more qualitative data to examine the experiential, political and cultural manifestations of a division of labour which is frequently taken as monolithic across the armed forces (and we would include our own work here: see e.g. Woodward and Winter 2004, Duncanson 2009, Cornish and Duncanson 2012, Duncanson and Woodward 2016). Yet, as we argue in this paper, if we go back to that figure of 10% and start asking how that average is comprised and what disaggregation of that average reveals, a more complex and nuanced picture emerges which mirrors broader social trends in terms of women's labour market participation.…”

“…132, 134). At the same time, women's inclusion opens up the possibility for the valorisation of skills which may previously have been disparaged as "feminine, " and thus disrupts and shakes up gendered dichotomies in ways which may be very beneficial both for gender equality and for peace-building (see Duncanson and Woodward 2016). This is a reminder that just as the debates on women's military participation matter in very practical ways to those responsible for the deployment of armed forces, they matter also to those interested in whether women's military participation represents progress towards feminist goals or the co-option of feminism, and to those interested in the wider social meanings and effects of military forces with regard to gender relations.…”

The Value of the University Armed Service Units

“…We would also argue, however, that issues around women's military participation are an essential component of broader debates about what, exactly, civil society wants its armed forces to be, and do. 68 The participation of women in USUs is part of that debate. These arguments could also be made about social class.…”