ACHIEVING A GENDERED TRANSFORMATION OF THE POST-CONFLICT MILITARY THROUGH SSR: UNPACKING THE PRIVATE-PUBLIC DYNAMICS

The author contends that traditional Security Sector Reform (SSR) fails to erase gender hierarchies in the military because it focuses exclusively on the public sphere. By analyzing interviews with soldiers in Burundi and South Africa, the paper identifies three 'societal borders'—resistance to women in combat, the role of women as primary caregivers, and perceived male superiority—that originate in the private sphere and perpetuate exclusion and discrimination in the public military environment. The author proposes a 'radical' SSR model that integrates private experiences, such as addressing domestic violence and regulating parental leave, to achieve genuine gender equality.

• Traditional Security Sector Reform (SSR) programs often focus on 'gender balancing and gender mainstreaming within the existing structures' but fail to transform the underlying structures that maintain gender hierarchies and the invisibility of women.
• A 'male default mode' persists in military institutions, manifesting in both discourse and material infrastructure. In Burundi, this is evident in initiation rites requiring hair shaving, oversized uniforms, and a lack of separate toilets and showers for women.
• Societal expectations regarding childcare in the private sphere create significant barriers for female soldiers. In South Africa, female soldiers report high stress regarding childcare during deployments, while male colleagues do not share these concerns due to the assumption that mothers remain the primary caregivers.
• There is a 'continuum of violence' where 'ordinary' private violence (such as domestic abuse) and 'extraordinary' public violence are linked. The author notes that military authoritarianism and the command of weapons can increase the risk of domestic violence in the private sphere.
• The level of female integration varies significantly between the two case studies: the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) increased female membership from 11% in 1994 to over 23% in 2015, whereas in Burundi, the number remained under 1%.
• To achieve a transformative gendered SSR, the author suggests specific measures that bridge the public-private divide, including strengthening laws against domestic violence, vetting military personnel for histories of domestic violence, and implementing regulated maternity and paternity leave.

APA

Wilén, N. (n.d.). ACHIEVING A GENDERED TRANSFORMATION OF THE POST-CONFLICT MILITARY THROUGH SSR: UNPACKING THE PRIVATE-PUBLIC DYNAMICS. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/a4be5ff8-2173-447f-97e5-0506a09f1c65/Achieving a gendered transformation of the post-conflict military through security sector reform unpacking the private-public dynamics.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Wilén, Nina. ACHIEVING A GENDERED TRANSFORMATION OF THE POST-CONFLICT MILITARY THROUGH SSR: UNPACKING THE PRIVATE-PUBLIC DYNAMICS. Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/a4be5ff8-2173-447f-97e5-0506a09f1c65/Achieving a gendered transformation of the post-conflict military through security sector reform unpacking the private-public dynamics.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wilén |first1=Nina |title=ACHIEVING A GENDERED TRANSFORMATION OF THE POST-CONFLICT MILITARY THROUGH SSR: UNPACKING THE PRIVATE-PUBLIC DYNAMICS |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/a4be5ff8-2173-447f-97e5-0506a09f1c65/Achieving a gendered transformation of the post-conflict military through security sector reform unpacking the private-public dynamics.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wilnndachieving, author = {Wilén, Nina}, title = {{ACHIEVING A GENDERED TRANSFORMATION OF THE POST-CONFLICT MILITARY THROUGH SSR: UNPACKING THE PRIVATE-PUBLIC DYNAMICS}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/a4be5ff8-2173-447f-97e5-0506a09f1c65/Achieving a gendered transformation of the post-conflict military through security sector reform unpacking the private-public dynamics.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }