Fighting to Become One of the Boys: Inattentive (Re)gendering of Military Professionalism Among Danish Soldiers

Abstract

Denmark is a country that generally prides itself as being gender equal. This is expressed within the Danish Armed Forces through identical physical requirements for both male and female soldiers, gender-mixed accommodation, and all positions being open to all genders. However, when partaking in international missions, female Danish soldiers often experience being secluded from their unit through gender-segregated accommodation. This has severe social and operational consequences for their performance as soldiers on a supposedly equal footing with their male colleagues. Based on interviews with 25 female soldiers with recent deployment experiences, the article discusses how gender is remade as a professionally differentiating factor among Danish military personnel during deployment. For most of the interviewed women, their professional aspiration is to become “one of the boys” and be recognized as contributing equally to mission goals. However, their military professionalism is hampered through the gender segregation they experience during deployment.