Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore the social dynamics concerning gender in the Danish Armed Forces coscript training programme. The study investigates how male and female conscripts perceive the non-compulsory conscript service for women, and how these perceptions influence the inclusion and opportunities of female conscripts. The findings are applied to derive concrete leadership initiatives to mitigate gender based discriminatory practices and counteract gender stereotypical narratives. The empirical data is based on four group interviews with a total of six male and six female conscripts from five conscript platoons in The Royal Lifeguards and The Engineer Regiment as well as five individual interviews with superiors from the same units.
The study finds that conscripts of both sexes perceive the non-compulsory service for women as a formal inequality between males and females and positions women as a distinctive group to which expectations are unequal to those of the male conscripts. This includes observation of unequal treatment of the sexes by superiors and other conscripts. The implicit narratives view women as the outlier gender in the military institution, less capable of completing the training on the same terms as the male conscripts. As a result, female conscripts perceive themselves to be excluded from the community in the sense of the military institution, however, not in the closer community within the platoon. This leads the female conscripts to adjust their behaviour to gain acceptance of their legitimate inclusion in the military; Behaviour such as overcompensating, taking on more responsibility or burdens, supressing emotions, and rejecting offers of help. In some instances, this negatively impacts the unit task performance. The strong motivation to prove oneself may contribute to explaining the female conscript’s strong motivation to never yield or quit the programme.
The study suggests that leadership initiatives implemented by the conscript unit’s platoon leaders and sergeants can mediate the consequences of existing narratives, positioning of women as a distinct group, perceptions of exclusion, and overcompensating behaviour. Concrete initiatives include addressing the use of comments such as “you can just quit” and gender-based humour; use of nongendered language; facilitating alignment of expectations in the sections; and individual meetings and personal goal setting with female conscripts that portray overcompensating behaviours.
The study contributes to the diversity and gender equality agenda of the Danish Armed Forces, and it provides examples of concrete leadership initiatives based on the examined units. These serve as inspiration to other conscript unit leaders in The Danish Army