CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES IN WOMEN’S INTEGRATION INTO THE ARMED FORCES
CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES IN WOMEN’S INTEGRATION INTO THE ARMED FORCES

Summary/Abstract: Military operations in the modern world require versatility and variety ofqualifications and resources that would secure peace and stability, as well as ensuring thatpeoples’ needs are met in terms of security. Male and female needs and priorities oftenhave different perspectives and can only be met through equal participation in the decisionmaking, policy-creating and enacting processes. Therefore, institutions need to generateconditions and opportunities for full integration of women, and thus enable the creation andenforcement of jointly created security policies. Such security structures will undoubtedlybe better equipped to respond to the variety of security challenges, while contributing to atransformation of the military’s image as an institution of war and violence, to an image of apeace-building institution. With these objectives in mind, security sector reforms need to bemindful of gender equality, as a crucial component of any democratic society.This paper outlines the current state of women’s integration into the European countries’armed forces, the challenges women face in the recruitment and integration processes, aswell as the opportunities and the necessity of their participation on a more effective, moresubstantive level.

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