Women and Gender in the Military compares the integration of women; gender perspectives; and the women, peace, and security agenda into the armed forces of eight countries plus NATO and United Nations peacekeeping operations. This book brings a much needed cross-national analysis of how militaries have or have not improved gender balance, what has worked and what has not, and who have been the agents for change. The country cases examined are Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, and South Africa. Despite increased opportunities for women in the militaries of many countries and wider recognition of the value of including gender perspectives to enhance operational effectiveness, progress has encountered roadblocks even nearly twenty years after United Nations's Security Council Resolution 1325 kicked off the women, peace, and security agenda. Robert Egnell, Mayesha Alam, and the contributors to this volume conclude that there is no single model for change that can be applied to every country, but the comparative findings reveal many policy-relevant lessons as well as advance scholarship about women and gendered perspectives in the military.

Women in UN peacekeeping operations / Sabrina Karim -- Sweden's implementation of a gender perspective : cutting edge but momentum lost / Robert Egnell -- The gender perspective and Canada's armed forces : internal and external dimensions of military culture / St²fanie von Hlatky -- The role and impact of change catalysts on the Netherlands defense organization : integration of women and gender in operations / Yvette Langenhuizen -- Women and gender in the United States military : a slow process of integration / Brenda Oppermann -- Women, gender, and close combat roles in the United Kingdom : "sluts," bitches," and "honorary blokes" / Anthony King -- Are women really equal in the people's army? a gender perspective on the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) / Hanna Herzog -- The case of Australia : from 'culture' reforms to a culture of rights / Susan Harris Rimmer -- Three waves of gender integration : the causes, consequences and implications for the South African armed forces / Lindy Heinecken -- Integrating gender perspectives at NATO : two steps forward, one step back / Charlotte Isaksson.