Ethnicity and Gender in Militaries: An Intersectional Analysis

Abstract

Sasson-Levy argues for an intersectional analysis of the social architecture of the military, as militaries are always designed by the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender, and simultaneously create ethno-gendered groups and identities. For men, the intersection with ethnicity marks their location within the military hierarchy; it determines the jobs they will be assigned and their proximity to the military core of combat. Conversely, for women the intersection with ethnicity determines whether they will be inside or outside the boundaries of the military. The chapter examines the US and Israeli militaries to demonstrate the analytic productiveness of an intersectional analysis. The chapter concludes with the call to add class, nationality and religiosity as crucial factors that intersect with gender and ethnicity in shaping militaries’ social structure.