Women in the Military: Sociological Arguments for Integration

Abstract

The role of women in the military has a long history. Leaving aside the long and never-ending discussion about the question in the past, we can conveniently approach the topic by means of scientific tools, offered by empirical sociological research. Research on the subject is so far rather abundant, and it is feasible here to organize the discussion about the long road toward integration of women within armed forces in a certain number of themes, articulated under the form of answers to specific questions: 1. What are the reasons pushing armed forces to open their doors to women? 2. In which ways do women enter and remain in the military professional career? 3. Which gender specific problems do women find in the military organisation? 4. Which problems does women’s presence pose to the functioning of military organ-isation? 5. Which orientations do women show toward military profession and military organ-isation as well? 6. And, to conclude, which limits must be overcome yet by women within armed forces, and which opportunities are coming for them from the very nature of Peace Support and Humanitarian Missions?