Breaking the Mold: Women’s Transgressive Roles in the Military
By: Yuliia Mieriemova (she/her)
How the stories of female combatants in Ukraine shift the focus from a masculinized story of war to transform the gendered binaries
In 2022 I started a series of interviews with Ukrainian servicewomen to understand how by asserting their agency and advocating for gender equality, women combatants are reshaping both the military and society. I managed to interact with female soldiers and officers successfully and establish a rapport not least because my efforts as a researcher were seen by the participants as contributing to a general effort of “shedding the light on what was really happening”. I was explicit about the modest potential output of my research and yet, I was supported in my effort to do it. Servicewomen were eager to elaborate, explain things that I, as a civilian, might not be able to understand, they were happy to recommend their colleagues to be interviewed after. I thus chose to treat the accounts that informed the analysis of this research as an archive of women’s diversity in response to life-altering events that have a potential to shape further interaction within the society. Here is how some of the most significant findings unveiled throughout the article.
During the full-scale invasion, women found it more accessible to join the military. The immediate danger and urgent demand for recruits opened doors, while years of women’s social, economic, and military mobilization had already shifted societal views, recognizing women as legitimate members of the armed forces. Additionally, a broader push for gender equality helped cement this change, making women's participation in the military more accepted and encouraged during the crisis. Remarkably, even as people began to "get used" to the war, women remained undeterred, continuing to enlist in the military when the Russian invasion escalated. Notably, living in-between the realities of war-peace dichotomy within one country was different for those who started their service in 2014 and those who joined almost eight years later in 2022.
Women in service seem to be confident about their contributions, their roles in the military and value that such work brings to others. The willingness to study further shows that women are interested and invested in their professional development within the military structures, they do not want to be pushed outside once the war is over, instead they plan on growing and training other recruits.
Servicewomen have put special emphasis on the role of commanders on their military careers, missions that they were involved in, safety and promotion opportunities, general satisfaction and even private matters, such as matrimony. The interviews also revealed a problematic correlation between women's experiences of sexism and presence of their male partner in the military. Participants who joined the armed forces or territorial defense alongside male partners reported fewer negative gendered experiences compared to those serving without a partner. This compelling finding suggests that the presence of a male counterpart may provide a protective effect against gender discrimination, fostering a more supportive environment for women in combat roles. It poses a serious problem for women who are trying to negotiate their safety and a career path in the armed forces, whether they see the military service as a safe outlet for their growth and development or a patriarchal structure that forces them to comply with the rule of a male protector/female protected.
There was another intriguing dynamic observed: women who recently joined the army reported having experienced less stigma and sexism in their units than the women who have served for years. This shift suggests that the increased presence of women in the military is gradually changing the culture, though there is still much work to be done. Some participants shared how they negotiated joining the military with their roles of caregivers, which in most cases turned out to be a positive experience that could add to the broader structural changes in Ukrainian society, where women’s roles are not essentialized or prescribed, but rather actively chosen by them. The changed attitudes in the society towards women militants and their concerns that such a positive shift could be diminished when the war is over were voiced by women veterans, because they tend to find themselves marginalized at the outskirts of the victorious narrative employed to tell a nation-binding story, a homogeneous story that does not necessarily reflect the diverse and problematic experiences of service women.
The stories of Ukraine’s female combatants are transforming the gendered binaries that have long defined our understanding of war. By asserting their agency, challenging patriarchal structures, and advocating for gender equality, these women are reshaping both the military and society. Their experiences highlight the need for continued support and recognition of women in the armed forces, not just during times of war, but in the post-war period as well. As they continue to fight, both on the battlefield and in the broader societal arena, their voices are crucial in building a more inclusive and equitable future for all.
Read the full article here: How Ukrainian servicewomen’s stories of war matter
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Yuliia Mieriemova was a postdoctoral researcher in the Gender, War and Security research group at the Center for Gender Studies, University of Basel. She holds an MA in Gender and Women’s Studies and a PhD in comparative linguistics and has a professional background in journalism. Her current research focuses on the role of women in the war in Ukraine, from political leadership to the armed services and the production of political subjects through the everyday making of life and switching between the identities of war and peace.