Syftet med denna studie är att analysera och diskutera genus inom Försvarsmakten.   FN-resolution 1325 (2000) vilken är antagen av Sverige, handlar bland annat om kvinnors och flickors särskilda utsatthet vid väpnade konflikter. Resolutionen lyfter med anledning av denna utsatthet, som ett sätt att råda bot på kvinnors utsatthet vikten av att öka jämställdheten mellan män och kvinnor.  Ett sätt är att föra in jämställdhets­perspektiv i statliga myndigheter och resolutionen uppmanar medlemsländerna däribland Sverige att agera främjande inom en rad områden. Arbetet med jämställdhet är ett prioriterat område av den svenska regeringen och omfattar uppdrag och regleringar för hur myndigheterna ska uppnå de uppsatta jämställdhetsmålen.   Vi kan argumentera för att Försvarsmakten är en drivande aktör när det handlar om att arbeta för lika rättigheter för män och kvinnor, samt i arbetet med att utveckla genusperspektiv på institutionell nivå. Denna uppsats problematiserar hur jämställdhet och genus fungerar i den vardagliga praktiken. Studien grundar sig på teorier som bygger på social konstruktionism och refererar bland andra till Burr (2004). Burr menar att genus är något som förändras över tid och konstrueras i samspel mellan människor där diskurser har en central roll. Enligt Burr är diskurser meningsskapande och ett sätt att representera oss själva och i en social praktik, det är något som konstrueras genom vad vi säger, känner, önskar och vad vi faktiskt gör.   Vad gäller jämställdhet på organisationsnivå (Kanter, 1993), exempelvis mellan olika grupper och på interaktionsnivå (West och Zimmerman, 1987) d.v.s. i det mellanmänskliga samspelet, så kan vi med vår studie samtidigt hävda att genusperspektiv i den svenska Försvarsmakten släpar efter. Vi har funnit att de anställda, särskilt kvinnor i Försvarsmakten, utvecklar olika strategier för att överleva eller för att accepteras i den faktiska genusregimen (Acker, 2006, Connell, 2009). Denna praktik kan vara problematisk för både män och kvinnor. Att anmäla missförhållanden relaterat till genus kan vara problematiskt eller t.o.m. försummas.   Datainsamlingen är baserad på både skriftliga policytexter som uttrycks av Försvarsmakten, men även på intervjuer utförda med både kvinnor och män, militärer och civila. Intervjuerna och texterna har dekonstruerats och analyserats diskursivt. Mot bakgrund av vår studie argumenterar vi att olika diskurser kan påverka hur genus uttrycks i samspelet mellan människor och för hur genus konstrueras i de dagliga praktikerna. Denna studie är kritisk, men även positiv till Försvarsmakten relaterat till myndighetens arbete för att uppnå jämställdhet mellan män och kvinnor.

Western countries are regarded as open democracies where free speech is viewed assomething that people have fought and died for throughout history; several westernmilitary forces label themselves as defenders of (liberal) democratic values, wherethe citizens’ right to speak is held as utmost importance. Swedish military officershave a unique, compared with other countries, right to participate in public debatesand voice their opinions in news media and on the internet. However, throughouthistory, there have been events that indicate that soldiers do not enjoy the samerights as other citizens. This thesis explores how the Swedish Armed Forces handlefreedom of expression within its ranks and define the perceived existence of a“sphere of unsuitability”. All reviewed cases refer to a situation where the individualpublicly contradicts the organisations’ own expressed views and interests. Thisthesis has identified the existence of a “sphere of unsuitability” that, together withambiguous messages from the Swedish Armed Forces, has led to military personnelwithdrawing from public debates, even under anonymity. The conflict between theindividual’s freedom of expression and military interests occurs on several levelswhen criticism lies outside what the Armed Forces perceive as acceptable.In summary, the tentative conclusion is that although loyalty and reliabilitymay be called into question by the military, it is when the Armed Forces’ labels anexpression or opinion as unsuitable that the individual may lose any furtheropportunities of a career. The study makes two main research contributions. First,addressing how the Swedish Armed Forces deal with freedom of expression withinits organisation provides an empirical investigation of a critical democratic issue.Second, by identifying a perceived “sphere of unsuitability”, including how such asphere is constructed, the thesis adds theoretical substance to a developing researchfield.

Huvudsyftet med föreliggande studie är att belysa soldaters upplevelser av stress under utlandstjänst, samt stress i övergången utlandstjänst till hemkomst med fokus på fysisk aktivitet och träningsvanor. Vidare var det av intresse att studera soldaters upplevelse av hjälp/stöd. Studien genomfördes via ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt utifrån två semistrukturerade intervjuguider och två olika intervjutillfällen. Samtliga åtta deltagare var män mellan 2553 år gamla med erfarenheter från olika typer av förband samt från olika missioner. Utlandstjänstgöringarna utfördes i länder som Afghanistan, Bosnien och Kosovo. Upplevd stress under mission beskrevs som rastlöshet vid ledig tid på campen eller en oro inför uppdrag. Under uppdrag kunde deltagarna uppleva kumulativ stress i ovissheten att något kan hända dem eller kollegorna. Deltagarna gav uttryck för liknande symptom vid hemkomst kopplat till stress då rastlöshet under ledigheten hemma beskrev som utmanade. Fysisk aktivitet visade sig ha en stressreducerande effekt vid rastlöshet och oro under utlandstjänst samt i övergången utlandstjänst till hemkomst. Dessa fynd kopplas till en diskussionsdel utifrån föreskrivna referensramar, samt även förslag till framtida forskning och implikationer. / The main purpose of the present study is to illustrate soldiers experinces of stress during deployment and in the transition from deployment to homecoming with focus on physical activity, stress and exercise habits. Further on, it was of interest to study the soldiers experience of help/support. The study was conducted using a qualitative approach from two semistructured interviewguides and two interview occasions. The soldiers age were between 2553 years. The soldiers in this study came from various types of units as well as various deployments that took place in countries such as Afghanistan, Kosovo and BosniaHercegovina. Stress during deployment was described as perceived restlessness during freetime on the camp. During operations could the participants exeperience cumulative stress wich could be shown as anxiety becausee of the uncertainty that something could happend to them or their colleagues in the unit. The participants expressed similar symptoms at the homecoming related to stress as restlessness during the holiday and anxiety. Physical activity was found to have a stressreducing effect during deployment and in transition deployment to homecoming. Results of the study were associated with prescribed theoretical frames of reference in the discussion. Finally suggestions for future research and implications are provided.

The following Bachelor thesis is analysing how the Swedish armed forces promotes women in order to attract them to their organisation. Specifically it investigates (1) "How does the Swedish armed forces break the social norms of what it means to be a soldier?" (2) "How do they present a gender equal division of labour?" (3) "How do they try to affect women´s attitude towards the organisation?" This study investigates the Swedish armed forces, an organisation with a great underrepresentation of women. The underrepresentation of women is something that the Swedish armed forces openly tries to change through their marketing. This thesis is a single case study with both qualitative and quantitative approach, using Harding´s gender process theory in a descriptive design. By gathering television commercials from the Swedish armed forces user page on YouTube, I explore how the Swedish armed forces tries to minimize the underrepresentation of women. Their strategies are analysed by using Harding´s three gender processes. The results show that the organisation is active in all three processes, but focuses on breaking the social norms of what it means to be a soldier.

Abstract The aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the conflicts of interests that may arise between the differing land use needs of a municipal planning agency and The Swedish Armed Forces. The study is based on three distinct cases located in the municipalities of Umeå, Luleå and the region of Gotland; each respective case presents unique contextual factors at the local level and these also serves to exemplify the issue at a national level. The work has been carried out as a case study and the methods employed were research interviews, document-based research and literature studies. The results indicate that there are significant differences in the planning practice used by the respective municipal planning agencies and that employed by The Swedish Armed Forces in terms of differing aims, methods and outcomes. The study also highlighted how the outcome of each case was dependent upon a combination of contextual factors and the impact of external factors such as national politics, changing security policy, urban development and progression of the environmental legislation. In short, The Swedish Armed Forces is a land use agency that has had significant impact on the municipal planning in each of the locations that has been studied. In a Swedish context, their land use needs are classified as being of national interest and thusly have precedence over competing land use claims. These factors have combined to create conditions in which municipal planning is, to some extent, often restricted by the land use needs of The Swedish Armed Forces.

In 2018, the compulsory military service will be reinstated in Sweden and will, for the first time, be comprised of both men and women. The Swedish Armed Forces are looking to raise their diversity and wants to reflect the population of the Swedish society and are therefore working actively with their marketing to reach groups that have previously been excluded. The purpose of this thesis is to examine what type of image of Sweden the Swedish Armed Forces are (re)producing through their marketing and how it is used to try and interpellate new, poten-tial recruits. This will be done by examining four advertisement campaigns as well as comments retrieved from the Swedish Armed Forces social media accounts. The analysis will be conducted through a semiotic image analysis and a discourse analysis inspired by Laclau and Mouffe. The essay takes its theoretic starting point in a feminist critique against militarism and highlights the issues of using women and/or LGBTQ-people in the armed forces as symbolic figures of modernity and democracy. The study’s result shows that inclusion becomes a way for the armed forces to improve their own image and elude scrutiny regarding their own problematic structures by positioning themselves as an agency of good. This means that, by the inclusion of marginalized groups, there is as risk of legitimizing the Swedish Armed Forces existence, while still maintaining the problems that these groups are subjected to.

This thesis is concerned with the lived life-world of Swedish soldiers that have worked in Afghanistan as part the ISAF mission. It studies the soldiers' experiences by drawing on five qualitative, open interviews and analyses these from a phenomenological perspective. In the thesis some existing research on soldiers is reviewed critically and it is argued that there is a need for an exploratory study of those that execute international peace operations. The analysis of the soldiers' experiences results in a thematic understanding around, first; reasons for going to Afghanistan and how they handle the different life-style and level of control they have on their work and situation. Second, how they perceive their stay in Afghanistan which mostly consists of working, with small possibilities and desire to relax, apart from working out and play games. The third theme concerns perceptions of their bodies, thoughts about being and having been there as well as gender differences. Lastly it is noted that the soldiers hold rather limited experiences of the Afghan people, both the security forces and civilians.It is also argued that their experiences can be understood in a wider context as, first, a self- realizing job or adventure rather than a vocation, and second as being divided along modern and post-modern logics consisting of different values and regimes of control of the individual.

Delaktighet är grundläggande för främjandet av folkhälsa. Inom arbetslivet kan delaktighet främjas genom ledarskap, till exempel använder Försvarsmakten utvecklande ledarskap för att främja hälsa genom chefer. Arnsteins delaktighetsstege visar på nivåer av delaktighet i ett hierarkiskt system och kan användas för att mäta delaktighet. Attityder kan påverka hur människor handlar och kan påverkas av mängden krav och resurser inom arbetslivet. Syftet med studien är att undersöka attityder till delaktighet inom det egna ledarskapet, i vilken grad det finns förutsättningar att bedriva ett ledarskap som främjar delaktighet samt om det finns ett samband däremellan, hos chefer med personalansvar i en militär organisation. Enkäten har skickats ut till samtliga 135 chefer med personalansvar på ett regemente i Sverige. Enkäten innehåller egenkonstruerade påståenden om attityder till delaktighet i det egna ledarskapet samt grad av förutsättningar för att bedriva ett ledarskap som främjar delaktighet. 65 procent (n=88) av de tillfrågade har besvarat enkäten. Resultatet visar på en positiv attityd till delaktighet i det egna ledarskapet samt goda förutsättningar för att bedriva ett ledarskap som främjar delaktighet. Däremot påpekas tidsbrist. Inga signifikanta samband kan påvisas. Resultatet i denna studie kan användas för att förbättra förutsättningarna för och utveckla arbetet med att främja delaktighet inom Försvarsmakten. / Participation is a basic component for ensuring public health. It is common for participation to be promoted in the workplace via leadership. For example, within the Swedish armed forces transformational leadership is used to promote healthier workplaces. Our attitudes can affect the way we chose to act and can be affected by the demands and resources found in our working environments. Arnstein’s latter of participation determine three levels of participation that can occur within a hierarchical system and can be used to measure participation. The purpose of this paper is to narrate for attitudes towards participation within the leadership among the heads of personnel at a garrison in Sweden, their possibilities to conduct a leadership which promote participation and if these two factors correlate. For this survey, self-composed claims about attitudes towards participation within leadership and degree of possibilities to conduct a leadership that promotes participation is used. The survey was sent to 135 chiefs responsible for personnel at a Swedish garrison and 65 percent (n=88) responded. The results indicate that chiefs have a positive attitude towards participation in leadership and that they have high degree of possibilities to conduct this kind of leadership. The results also indicate a lack of time to promote participation. However, the results did not indicate a significant correlation between attitudes and degree of possibilities. The results discussed in this paper can be used to improve and develop the possibilities to promote participation within the Swedish armed forces.

Försvarsmakten har nyligen ersatt värnplikten med ett personalförsörjningssystem där gruppbefäl och soldater anställs på samma villkor som på den civila arbetsmarknaden. En oväntad konsekvens av detta är en oönskat hög personalomsättning inom denna anställningskategori. Syftet med denna studie var att kartlägga faktorer som bidrar till intentionen att stanna kvar i eller lämna sin anställning hos kategorin gruppbefäl och soldater i Försvarsmakten. Ett konceptuellt ramverk utvecklades med grunden i den klassiska tvåfaktormodellen för arbetstillfredsställelse av Frederick Herzberg kombinerat med ett perspektiv på personalomsättning baserat på intentioner hos de anställda. Undersökningen har gjorts i form av en casestudie med kvalitativ, intervjubaserad ansats vid en enhet på Livgardet i Stockholm. Resultatet är ett antal olika faktorer som bidrar till de anställdas intentioner att stanna, motivationsfaktorer, och ett antal olika faktorer som bidrar till de anställdas intentioner att lämna sin anställning, hygienfaktorer. Motivationsfaktorerna som identifierades var: personlig utveckling, engagemang från chefer, erkännande & feedback, arbetsuppgifter samt gemenskap. Hygienfaktorerna var: ledarskap (inkluderat värnpliktstänk och kommunikation), arbetsgivarrollen, planering & ovisshet, arbetsmiljö samt övriga faktorer. Dessa faktorer stämde överlag överens med det konceptuella ramverket och tidigare studier, samt gav en fördjupad bild av fenomenet. / The Swedish Armed Forces have recently introduced an organisational change which entailed that squad leaders and soldiers are employed under the same contractual conditions that exist in the civilian job market. An unexpected consequence of this change has been an undesirable level of employee turnover within this occupational category, largely due to employees choosing to terminate their employment before the fulfilment of their contracted time. Therefore, the aim of this exploratory study was to uncover and map out factors that contribute to employees intentions to leave or to continue in their employment as squad leaders and soldiers within the Swedish Armed Forces. A conceptual framework was developed based on the classic two-factor model for job satisfaction presented by Frederick Herzberg combined with an intention-based perspective on the phenomenon employee turnover. The study utilised a qualitative, interview-based approach for a case study of a unit within the Lifeguard Regiment based in Stockholm, Sweden. The study yielded a set of factors that are indicated as contributing to the employees’ intentions to stay, herein termed motivational factors, and a different set of factors that are suggested to contribute to the employees’ intentions to leave, herein termed hygiene factors. The set of motivational factors were identified as personal development, manager engagement, acknowledgement & feedback, work tasks, and community & camaraderie. The set of hygiene factors were identified as leadership (including subcategories conscription attitude and communication), the employer role, planning & uncertainty, work environment, and other factors. Overall the results were consistent with previous findings, and also offered a more in-depth view of the phenomenon.

The objective of this thesis is to discuss the influence of national culture in leadership within military organizations and also to explore the effectiveness of a specific leadership model in a multinational context. Developmental leadership (DL) is a model used by the Swedish Armed Forces (SAF) since 2003. However, the aim is not to answer the question of if a certain leadership model has an effect or not and therefore legitimize or discard the use of it. It rather raises the question of why this leadership model has been chosen to become such an integral part of an organization. This thesis analyzes DL by classifying its components using Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions as a basis and compares the results with Sweden’s cultural dimensions to find a correlation. The results show a high correlation between DL and Sweden, but DL does not correlate with Belgium’s cultural dimensions. Sweden’s characteristics are also complemented by empirical data collected for the purpose of this thesis. According to this interview study with Swedish officers, even though DL is not consciously applied to their leadership styles, it coincides with the characteristics of their vision of an ideal leader. Moreover, DL consists of components that are suitable foundations for an effective multinational leadership.