WPS in Military Training and Socialization

Abstract

This chapter explores the idea that a lack of congruence between national policies on gender integration in the military and the requirements of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 account for many of the implementation problems identified at the level of international military missions. To do so, this chapter reviews scholarly and policy developments regarding gender integration in the armed forces of different UN member states, with a special focus on military training and socialization. Drawing on a diverse literature, including case studies and comparative analyses developed during the last two decades, it describes the structural and cultural dimensions of national policies on gender integration in the military. It then examines the extent to which these policies have been congruent with the WPS agenda. This chapter argues that the steady growth of women in national militaries has not translated into an identical increase in their engagement at the international level. Relative success in recruiting and retaining women in national forces does not automatically reduce the gender gap in international missions.