Women in uniform: the opening of combat roles in state militaries

Soules, Michael J.

doi:10.1080/03050629.2020.1814766

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Increasing contact with women can increase openness and prosocial attitudes in patriarchal cultures with strong gender segregation ( Jones, 2023 ). Mazurana (2003) noted that, In all of these operations, “women police peacekeepers were seen by locals as less threatening, more willing to listen, and better able to diffuse potentially violent situations.” (p. 67) Furthermore, “compared to their male colleagues, women police officers have significantly lower rates of complaints of misconduct, improper use of force, or inappropriate use of weapons.” (p. 65) Having women in the military is crucial as having more women in male-dominated disciplines can help signal to other women that they are welcome ( Olsson and Martiny, 2018 ; Porter and Serra, 2020 ; Soules, 2020 ). It can also influence women’s performance ( Thompson and Sekaquaptewa, 2002 ), and may help change the culture of these organizations as they provide alternate opinions, perspectives, and lived experiences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although women successfully occupy many different positions, such as combat arms in numerous countries (e.g., Hardt and von Hlatky, 2020 ; Loukou, 2020 ; Moore, 2020 ; Tharion et al, 2023 ), their low numbers are problematic. Increasing the number of women in the military is important to foster necessary culture change, change attitudes regarding women’s suitability in military roles, provide role models to other women, and to adapt to society’s call for greater equity, diversity, and inclusivity in the workplace ( Soules, 2020 ; Deng et al, 2023b ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Attitudes towards women in the military and their relation to both quantity and quality contact with female leaders

Nicol,

Mayrand Nicol

2024

Front. Psychol.

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Contact experiences with women in senior leadership roles are important for creating acceptance of women in organizations dominated by men, such as the military, as leadership roles are considered demanding, requiring numerous agentic qualities that are often ascribed to men. The military lacks women in leadership levels within its organization. We wished to determine whether quality and quantity contact with women in leadership positions reduces intergroup anxiety, increases empathy and perspective-taking, and subsequently creates more favorable attitudes toward women in the military. This was examined in three studies, one with a military sample consisting of men (n = 95), another with a civilian sample of men (n = 367), and a third study with a civilian sample of women (n = 374). Our findings revealed that quality contact was related to attitudes toward women in the military for all three samples. Results from the indirect effects tests conducted for the civilian male and female samples revealed that for civilian men, intergroup anxiety demonstrated a significant indirect effect between quantity contact and attitudes toward women in the military, while both intergroup anxiety and perspective-taking demonstrated significant indirect effects between quality contact and attitudes toward women in the military. Furthermore, both quantity and quality contact demonstrated significant direct effects. On the other hand, results revealed that for civilian women the only significant relation was the direct effect between quality contact and attitudes toward women in the military. Intergroup anxiety, perspective-taking, and empathy did not demonstrate any indirect effects for the civilian women sample. Thus, given that interactions with women in leadership positions are related to views of women in the military, research should further explore the role of contact for women in non-traditional work roles.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes towards women in the military and their relation to both quantity and quality contact with female leaders

Nicol,

Mayrand Nicol

2024

Front. Psychol.

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“…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).…”

Section: Factors Driving the Integration Of Women In Combat Occupationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These attitudes affect the recruitment and retention rates of women in many gender-integrated militaries around the world ( Badaró, 2015 ; MacKenzie and Gunaydin, 2022 ). In non-integrated military organizations, combat roles are seen as posing a risk to traditional family structures, thereby excluding women from these positions ( Soules, 2020 ). Altogether, instead of pushing toward a cultural shift, these issues work to uphold the masculinized culture of the military and continue to be used to justify the exclusion of women in certain roles, including combat arms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Hendel,

MacEachern,

Haxhiu

et al. 2024

Front. Sociol.

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Canada’s defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, emphasizes the importance of leveraging Canada’s diversity to strengthen the Canadian Armed Forces. Currently, women in the Canadian military are underrepresented across most elements and occupations, especially in the combat arms occupations, including among officers and non-commissioned personnel in combat units such as infantry, armored corps, artillery, and combat engineering. Research suggests that the benefits associated with the inclusion of women in combat arms occupations include an increase in collective intelligence, operational effectiveness, task cohesion, and diversity. This article explores the gender gap in the Canadian combat arms by examining the findings from two recent qualitative research studies on the perceptions of women in the Regular Force and Primary Reserve. The authors analyze female military personnel’s perceptions of women serving in the combat arms, and the ways to increase their inclusion in the military. The key findings reveal the following themes on women’s perceptions of servicewomen in the combat arms: great job for those who want it; challenging environment (e.g., working within a masculinized culture, necessary toughness, tokenism and the “pink list,” being treated differently, and family loyalty); unique challenges faced by women in combat roles; combat takes a toll on women’s mental and physical health; and benefits of women’s participation in multinational operations. The discussion highlights the need to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion, promote a culture change that fosters greater inclusion of women in the combat arms, and increase operational effectiveness through training and policies.

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“…Feminists have driven forward significant changes in men's favor (Courtenay, 2000) including the repeal of sexist drinking laws (Plank, 2019) and laws that define rape in terms that exclude assaults in which men are victims (Cohen, 2014; Javaid, 2016). Feminists have also advocated for reforms that mean the burden of front-line combat duties and dangerous occupations are now open to women and therefore no longer borne alone by men (Soules, 2020). These phenomena weigh against the conclusion that in general, feminists are motivated by negative attitudes toward men.…”

Section: Feminists’ Attitudes Toward Men: Theory and Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Misandry Myth: An Inaccurate Stereotype About Feminists’ Attitudes Toward Men

Hopkins-Doyle,

Petterson,

Leach

et al. 2023

Psychology of Women Quarterly

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In six studies, we examined the accuracy and underpinnings of the damaging stereotype that feminists harbor negative attitudes toward men. In Study 1 ( n = 1,664), feminist and nonfeminist women displayed similarly positive attitudes toward men. Study 2 ( n = 3,892) replicated these results in non-WEIRD countries and among male participants. Study 3 ( n = 198) extended them to implicit attitudes. Investigating the mechanisms underlying feminists’ actual and perceived attitudes, Studies 4 ( n = 2,092) and 5 (nationally representative UK sample, n = 1,953) showed that feminists (vs. nonfeminists) perceived men as more threatening, but also more similar, to women. Participants also underestimated feminists’ warmth toward men, an error associated with hostile sexism and a misperception that feminists see men and women as dissimilar. Random-effects meta-analyses of all data (Study 6, n = 9,799) showed that feminists’ attitudes toward men were positive in absolute terms and did not differ significantly from nonfeminists'. An important comparative benchmark was established in Study 6, which showed that feminist women's attitudes toward men were no more negative than men's attitudes toward men. We term the focal stereotype the misandry myth in light of the evidence that it is false and widespread, and discuss its implications for the movement.

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Women in uniform: the opening of combat roles in state militaries

Cited by 5 publications

References 52 publications

Attitudes towards women in the military and their relation to both quantity and quality contact with female leaders

Attitudes towards women in the military and their relation to both quantity and quality contact with female leaders

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

The Misandry Myth: An Inaccurate Stereotype About Feminists’ Attitudes Toward Men

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