Abstract

Recruiting more women into peacekeeping operations due to the perceived unique contributions they are said to make to missions has been widely advocated by the United Nations (UN) and other agencies as a means to overcome the unintended consequences of deployments. One example being the ongoing reports of sexual abuse of locals by male soldiers. Taking into account the broader gender debates surrounding women’s contributions to peacekeeping and by considering the experiences of women in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), this study reveals the challenges women face in realizing these widely advocated contributions. These challenges include the current recruiting processes, the self-perception of female soldiers, the deeply patriarchal ideologies within South African society, and the hyper-masculine culture which marks the military. The study concludes that, for women to be properly utilized, a reassessment of recruitment processes in the SANDF is necessary, gender training should be prioritized, and an androgynous soldier identity should be advocated.