Women and Gender Perspectives in the Military compares the integration of women, gender perspectives, and the women, peace, and security agenda into the armed forces of eight countries plus NATO and United Nations peacekeeping operations. This book brings a much-needed crossnational analysis of how militaries have or have not improved gender balance, what has worked and what has not, and who have been the agents for change.

The country cases examined are Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, and South Africa. Despite increased opportunities for women in the militaries of many countries and wider recognition of the value of including gender perspectives to enhance operational effectiveness, progress has encountered roadblocks even nearly twenty years after United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 kicked off the women, peace, and security agenda. Robert Egnell, Mayesha Alam, and the contributors to this volume conclude that there is no single model for change that can be applied to every country, but the comparative findings reveal many policy-relevant lessons while advancing scholarship about women and gendered perspectives in the military.

Robert Egnell is a professor of military sociology and head of the Department of Security, Strategy and Leadership at the Swedish Defence University. He is the author or coauthor of several books including Complex Peace Operations and Civil-Military Relations, and Counterinsurgency in Crisis.

Mayesha Alam was formerly associate director of Georgetown University's Institute for Women, Peace and Security and is now a doctoral candidate in political science at Yale University. She is the author of Women and Transitional Justice: Progress and Persistent Challenges in Retributive and Restorative Processes.

An unprecedented cross-national analysis of successes and failures of attempting to integrate women and gender perspectives into the armed forces

Contents

Foreword by Ambassador Melanne VerveerAcknowledgments

1. Introduction: Gender and Women in the Military—Setting the StageRobert Egnell and Mayesha Alam

2. Women in UN Peacekeeping OperationsSabrina Karim

3. Sweden’s Implementation of a Gender Perspective: Cutting Edge but Momentum LostRobert Egnell

4. The Gender Perspective and Canada’s Armed Forces: Internal and External Dimensions of Military CultureStéfanie von Hlatky

5. The Role and Impact of Change Catalysts on the Netherlands Defense Organization: Integration of Women and Gender in OperationsYvette Langenhuizen

6. Women and Gender in the US Military: A Slow Process of IntegrationBrenda Oppermann

7. Women, Gender, and Close Combat Roles in the UK: “Sluts,” “Bitches,” and “Honorary Blokes”Anthony King

8. Are Women Really Equal in the People’s Army? A Gender Perspective on the Israel Defence ForcesHanna Herzog

9. The Case of Australia: From “Culture” Reforms to a Culture of RightsSusan Harris Rimmer

10. Three Waves of Gender Integration: The Causes, Consequences, and Implications for the South African Armed ForcesLindy Heinecken

11. Integrating Gender Perspectives at NATO: Two Steps Forward, One Step BackCharlotte Isaksson

12. Conclusion: Lessons of Comparison and Limits of GeneralizationRobert Egnell and Mayesha Alam

List of ContributorsIndex