Camouflage Isn't Only for Combat: Gender, Sexuality, and Women in the Military

by Melissa Sheridan Embser-Herbert

Reveals the different ways women navigate the traditionally masculine environment of the military

Drawing on surveys and interviews with almost 300 female military personnel, Melissa Herbert explores how women's everyday actions, such as choice of uniform, hobby, or social activity, involve the creation and re-creation of what it means to be a woman, and particularly a woman soldier. Do women feel pressured to be "more masculine," to convey that they are not a threat to men's jobs or status and to avoid being perceived as lesbians? She also examines the role of gender and sexuality in the maintenance of the male-defined military institution, proposing that, more than sexual harassment or individual discrimination, it is the military's masculine ideology--which views military service as the domain of men and as a mechanism for the achievement of manhood--which serves to limit women's participation in the military has increased dramatically.

In the wake of armed conflict involving female military personnel and several sexual misconduct scandals, much attention has focused on what life is like for women in the armed services. Few, however, have examined how these women negotiate an environment that has been structured and defined as masculine.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

Reviews

[Devin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good study into the effects of military culture on sexual and gender identity, although the book was a bit dated having been published in 1998, two years after the implementation of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (which has since been repealed). Despite the slightly dated material, the study's conclusions were interesting, although I wish the author had gone into a bit more detail of the intersection of military culture and gender identity--I wish there was more literature on the subject. Overall it was a quick read and recommended for anyone interested in LGBT or military studies.

[Kali · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish this was a better book, because there is so little work done in the area. The book is based on the results of a single survey that collected quantitative and qualitative data on the experiences of military women, and their perceptions of how the performance of gender is judged in the military. Unfortunately, the study wasn't broad enough to warrant a whole book, and the results are undertheorized.

[notabattlechick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great snapshot of gender and sexuality in the military in the late 1990s. Would be an excellent candidate for a post-DADT update.