Gender Aspects of International Military Interventions

The report examines the drive to increase the proportion of women in the Norwegian armed forces from 7% to 15% by the end of 2008. It identifies two primary motivations: a symbolic political goal to reflect Norwegian society's gender equality and a military goal to acquire diverse qualifications for new security challenges. The author highlights structural barriers, such as gender-biased equipment (specifically safety vests) and a highly masculine organizational culture, and recommends improvements in family policy, leadership training, and equipment design. Internationally, the report notes the slow implementation of UNSCR 1325, with women making up only about 1.8% of military personnel in UN peacekeeping missions as of early 2007, and argues that Norway's efforts are critical for supplying female military leaders to the UN system.

• The Norwegian Ministry of Defence aimed to increase female military participation from 7% to 15% by the end of 2008, with a longer-term goal of 20% by 2020.
• Arguments for increasing women's participation in the Norwegian military are split between political leadership, who view it as a symbolic reflection of a "gender-equal and multicultural Norwegian society", and military leadership, who believe women provide "different qualifications" and skills necessary to meet new security challenges.
• A significant barrier to female participation is the perception of the military as a highly masculine organization; the report suggests that if traditional masculine values are most appreciated, it may hinder the recruitment of women.
• Current military equipment is often gender-biased; specifically, safety vests are not customized for women, forcing them to wear oversized vests that are uncomfortable and pose a safety risk because they are not tight enough to provide maximum protection.
• The report recommends that the Ministry of Defence integrate family politics into its gender strategy by encouraging men to take paternity leave and stay home with sick children to improve the military's image as a gender-equal organization.
• Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 has been slow; as of early 2007, women represented only approximately 1.8% of the military components of UN peacekeeping missions (1,305 out of 73,307 personnel).
• There is a critical shortage of women in UN peacekeeping leadership; as of the report's data, there were no women leaders in any of the 18 UN peacekeeping operations, and only one female deputy in Afghanistan.
• To achieve actual influence within a military organization, a "critical mass" of approximately 30% female representation is required.
• The report suggests that Norway should initiate a Nordic comparative study to map national measures for increasing female participation and how Nordic countries utilize women in international engagements.

APA

Skjelsbæk, I. (2007). Gender Aspects of International Military Interventions. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/acf7b491-5994-4ef9-8fcf-8fef1071da14/Skjelsbaek 2007 Gender Aspects of International Military Interventions PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Skjelsbæk, Inger. Gender Aspects of International Military Interventions. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2007. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/acf7b491-5994-4ef9-8fcf-8fef1071da14/Skjelsbaek 2007 Gender Aspects of International Military Interventions PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Skjelsbæk |first1=Inger |title=Gender Aspects of International Military Interventions |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2007 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/acf7b491-5994-4ef9-8fcf-8fef1071da14/Skjelsbaek 2007 Gender Aspects of International Military Interventions PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{skjelsbk2007gender, author = {Skjelsbæk, Inger}, title = {{Gender Aspects of International Military Interventions}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2007}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/acf7b491-5994-4ef9-8fcf-8fef1071da14/Skjelsbaek 2007 Gender Aspects of International Military Interventions PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }