Föreställningen om macho-soldaten utmanas. En kvalitativ studie om hur den könsneutrala allmänna värnplikten förhåller sig till jämställdhet inom den svenska försvarsmakten

Sammanfattning

The aim of this essay is to examine how and if the gender-neutral conscription has influencedequality within the Swedish armed forces, by examining and conducting semistructuredinterviews with both women and men who have completed or are still enlisted within themilitary service. Through a thematic analysis, several contradictions have been found. Despitethe fact that conscription is generally perceived as a positive experience regarding equality,women still experience sexism, lack of respect and fall victim to exterior heteronormativebeliefs. Even though the SAF encourages women in military positions, the study argues thatwomen do not have the same opportunities as men in terms of physical requirements andmaterial needs. The study also found hidden agendas that can be harmful to gender equality inthe organization. However the progress is unnecessarily slow, due in large parts to masculinehegemony and the inability to accommodate both individual and collective needs. From acritical feminist theoretical framework the conscription has had a positive impact on genderequality. Although, another finding is that gender equality for men is rarely discussed. Thisessay therefore contributes to a new perspective by demonstrating that men also fall victim tothe gender order and that gender equality in general is hard to achieve without gender equity.