NATO and the Women

The report examines the gender gap in the Norwegian Armed Forces (NAF) and other NATO countries, arguing that while national recruitment is a prerequisite for female participation in international missions, it is not sufficient on its own. Despite implementing numerous initiatives, Norway has seen slow growth in female personnel, trailing behind countries like Canada, France, and the United States. The author analyzes NATO's recommended best practices across recruitment, employment, operational planning, and quality of life, noting that many states prioritize equal rights over the instrumental operational value of women. The report specifically highlights Canada's 'employer of choice' strategy as a successful model for Norway to consider, while cautioning that mandatory conscription for women in Norway may be premature without a deeper understanding of female motivation for military service.

• Norway is among the least successful NATO member countries in securing female personnel, despite being one of the top four countries to establish initiatives for their recruitment and retention.
• As of February 2010, female military personnel in the Norwegian Armed Forces (NAF) represented approximately 9 percent of the force.
• There is no automatic correlation between the number of women recruited into national armed forces and their deployment in international missions.
• UN peacekeeping missions remain heavily male-dominated; in 2009, military troops had the lowest percentage of women among all personnel categories.
• NATO's recommended strategies for closing the gender gap are divided into four areas: recruitment, employment, operational planning and operations, and quality of life.
• Many NATO states implement 'facilitative' strategies focused on equal rights and opportunities, rather than 'instrumental' strategies that treat women as providers of specific operational expertise.
• Canada is identified as a highly successful example of recruiting and retaining female personnel, partly due to its 'employer of choice' strategy which focuses on quality of life and personnel development.
• The author argues that implementing a mandatory draft for women in Norway is premature because the motivations for women to pursue and maintain military careers are not yet well understood.
• In Norway, while the percentage of women in international operations has increased, the actual number of women serving has remained relatively stable due to an overall decrease in total personnel.

APA

Schjølset, A. (2010). NATO and the Women. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/f211b5c1-87b5-45b6-b8f0-e01957e245c1/Schjolset 2010 NATO and the Women PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Schjølset, Anita. NATO and the Women. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2010. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/f211b5c1-87b5-45b6-b8f0-e01957e245c1/Schjolset 2010 NATO and the Women PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Schjølset |first1=Anita |title=NATO and the Women |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=July 2010 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/f211b5c1-87b5-45b6-b8f0-e01957e245c1/Schjolset 2010 NATO and the Women PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{schjlset2010nato, author = {Schjølset, Anita}, title = {{NATO and the Women}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2010}, month = jul, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/f211b5c1-87b5-45b6-b8f0-e01957e245c1/Schjolset 2010 NATO and the Women PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }