Not focussing on whether it's a spout or a handle : an anthropological study on even gender balance among conscripts in a Norwegian Air Force battalion

The Norwegian Air and Missile Defence Battalion at 138th Air Wing at Ørland airbase was chosen for an experiment between August 2014 and June 2016 on the initiative of the Air Force. Leaders in the Air Force wanted to gain insights into future development trends by taking 50 per cent men and 50 per cent women into compulsory military service. The percentage of women was expected to increase considerably after the implementation of gender-neutral conscription during the summer of 2016. Even before the experiment, the battalion had an average level of female conscripts of more than 20 per cent.

This report is based on a social anthropological study, in which a social scientist followed the two different cohorts involved in the experiment. Several fieldwork studies were conducted, along with participant observation and more than 70 qualitative interviews. The empirical examples illustrate which mechanisms come into play when there is an equal gender balance in a military unit. “To fit in”, especially through humour, is often the key to the conscripts’ well-being and their capability of seeing their service through.

Neither gender nor economical position decides who “fits in” in this context. In the military, where everyone dresses the same, lives in the same way, and consumes the same food, personalities stand out more than in other contexts. “Fitting in” entails being able to joke rudely with others, but you also have to be able to take a joke yourself. Our impression is that rude jokes about ethnic minorities are generally accepted, while joking about gender issues or women is not tolerated to the same degree. The conscripts talk a lot about the importance of being able to adapt, to be part of a team. A soldier who is not sociable around other soldiers does not “fit in”.

None of the informants in this selection expressed any views about women and men being alike. Differences might be mentioned, but were not emphasised, at least not in a negative manner. Everyone was physically able to perform the tasks and duties in the anti-aircraft Battalion, so no one seemed to highlight whether it was a male or a female conscript that was doing any job. Everything points to personal qualities and skills being the most important grounds for picking out qualified and capable personnel within the Battalion.

The soldiers, living and working closely together, are exposed to each other almost 24 hours a day. In our empirical research, the exposure seems to lead to enhanced understanding and tolerance between the sexes, in addition to reducing stereotypical biases and sexual tension. We did not see any signs of a dominating masculinity culture in the Battalion, and few or no sexual harassment cases are reported. The Battalion’s own survey also indicates a high level of well-being and contentment, which widely correlates with the material we obtained.