Social and communication construction of gender identity bywomen serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Abstract

The purpose of the studyis to characterize the trends in the construction and manifestationof gender identity by women serving in the armed forces of Ukraine. Research methods and techniques. The socio-psychological approach made it possible to apply the method of associative experiment, the results of which were cognitively interpreted. The associations obtained for the stimulus word «female military serviceman» were compared with the associations for the stimulus words «soldier (warrior)» and «woman», which made it possible to understand the respondents' ideas about masculinity and femininity.Results and discussion. The gender identification of a woman in the army is a dynamic process that aims to harmonize interactions with the military professional environment and military activities, and has three main trends: 1) the desire to meet the instructions of male ethics as a normative standard, to adhere to the gender patterns of the masculine society of the armed forces can cause dressing as a woman masks and construction of an insincere, faked gender identity, as a result of which internal genderconflict and psychological states of alienation, discomfort, dissonance and disharmony are possible; 2) distancing from traditional notions of femininity and assimilation of masculine models of gender behavior, which can contribute to the psychological support of women's professional military activities, if masculinity becomes a true full-fledged identity of a female military serviceman; 3) construction of a balanced military identity, which combines the features of the traditional identity of a soldier (warrior) and femininity. Conclusions. Eliminating gender discrimination and successfully ensuring gender equality in the Armed Forces of Ukraine depends not only on the expansion of women's rights and opportunities, but also on the integration of the gendercomponent into the educational programs of training specialists of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and permanent gender education aimed at increasing the level of gender literacy of female military personnel.Keywords: gender, army, identity, masculinity, femininity, gender equality, gender discrimination.