Approved for public release; distribution unlimited / Botswana remains one of the few countries in the world (and the only country in the South African Development Community (SADC)) where females are legally prohibited from joining the military. The political and social pressure in the 21st century has softened the opposition of many influential politicians and bureaucrats to calls for inclusionary statutes. This thesis examines the possibility of opening doors to women in the Botswana Defence Force (BDF). It examines the policies, programs and scope of the role of women in the US armed services, Canadian Forces (CF) and the South African National Defence Forces (SANDF). It identifies from these highlights the most effective approaches to recruiting, training, and retaining women in the BDF once the opportunity is availed. In particular, this thesis examines the Six critical policies of the US armed services and the CF, namely, sexual harassment, fraternization, employment of women, equal opportunity, pregnancy, and family care. This thesis considers the lessons from these for the BDF. Two critical cases of sexual harassment, (the 1991 Tailhook Navy and Marine Corps Convention and the 1996 US Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground incident), are highlighted in the study. The leading recommendations emphasize the need for the BDF to take the steps required to evoke a cultural change to affect the attitudes and perceptions of personnel and to examine how the SANDF administers its policies as they pertain to women. / Major, Botswana Defence Force

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2002. / Field problem. Includes bibliographical references.

The intent of this thesis is to analyse both the characteristics of the participation of women in war and the social and ideological context in which the imagery of the armed woman proved useful in two distinct cultures which produced an inordinate number of historical and fictional women warriors. Specifically, it is intended to test the following three hypotheses which arise from an analysis of the secondary literature in this field in the context of the societies of seventeenth and eighteenth century France and Imperial China: 1. That women were generally excluded from military combat and leadership roles. This exclusion was the result of gender and not biological constraints. 2. That some women in history were able to modify the masculine/ military equation. This was based on one or more of three factors: rank, religion, rebellion/revolution. 3. That the images of women warriors in imaginative literature and art did not reflect the actual scope or nature of women's participation in war. Rather, they reflected and reinforced attitudes towards ideal social and sexual hierarchies and behaviours. The present study examines the subject of women and war within a more limited cultural and historical framework than that which is usually employed in this field. While significant variations are discovered in the analysis of Chinese and French history and culture, the finding is that these three hypotheses prove to be correct. This is not to suggest that the two cultures were the same. Rather, it suggests that within two very different social hierarchies, there were comparable sexual hierarchies which were underlined and reinforced by similar ideals in respect to the division of labour and to the appropriate behaviour which accompanies this division. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (M.A.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 55-58).

Thesis (M.A. in International Security and Civil Military Relations)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): Karen Guttieri, Donald Abenheim, J. Holmes Armstead. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / This research report examines the experiences of a group of women-soldiers serving in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in relation to two major sociological concerns. The first concern is the South African transition and the establishment of the SANDF, and the second is gender issues within the military. There is little literature concerning women-soldiers in relation to the establishment of the SANDF. In addition, the iiterature on women and militarism suggests that there is no consensus amongst women around key questions regarding the military. Therefore, researching the experiences of'a group of women-soldiers required the use of research methods which would enable a free flow of information by the respondents. This particular group of research subjects was identified through the quota sampling technique. The group represented a large variety of social identities and backgrounds. The informants were interviewed primarily through structured in-depth interviews. The central finding of this research is that the informants had various experiences according to different sociological characteristics, such as race, previous military service, or marital status. In relation to the transition and the establishment of the SANDF, military experience and race were found to be the most important factors in shaping the respondents' experiences. In this regard, I have argued that the SANDF reflects the former SADF Concerning gender issues within the military, marital status appeared as the most relevant factor. Considering this, it is suggested that the social responsibilities attached to wifehood and motherhood influence women toward traditional female domains in the workplace. / Andrew Chakane 2019

Not available / text

There is an ongoing debate as to the role of women in Israel's army and to the degree of integration of women into male-dominated military positions. Using qualitative methods (in-depth interviews and participant observation), this dissertation examines the participation of women in the Israeli Defence Forces with a focus on organizational belonging and military status. / Women soldiers find distinct ways of experiencing organizational belonging and gaining status in the army. Much of women's variation in organizational belonging is linked, not to positions held, but, rather, to the kind of base at which a woman served during her service. Those serving in closed bases (at which soldiers stay to sleep), report developing a greater sense of organizational belonging than those serving in open bases (at which soldiers return home to sleep). This distinction is linked to notions of combat. Those serving at closed bases are more likely to serve in close proximity to combat. As well, closed bases are associated with combat more than are open bases regardless of the nature of individual closed bases. Thus, women serving on closed bases benefit from the prestige associated with combat positions as well as from the organizationally bonding experience of staying to sleep on the base. This stands in contrast with women serving on open bases who are more likely to have their sense of organizational belonging affected by their actual army position and rank and tend to seek status through association with higher ranking soldiers such as their officers and commanders. / There has been a great deal of literary discourse concerning women's participation in the IDF concentrating on women's military positions and ranks. While my research relates to this discourse, it differs through its emphasis on base placement over army position/rank. My study concludes with a discussion of my contribution to organizational belonging literature and with reflections on the implications of my findings for both the IDF and Jewish women in Israel.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-84). Also available on the World Wide Web.