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Gender integration in the Zambian Army
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614047783878656 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Mubita, Fredrick |
| author2 | Heinecken, Lindy |
| author_browse | Heinecken, Lindy Mubita, Fredrick |
| author_facet | Heinecken, Lindy Mubita, Fredrick |
| author_sort | Mubita, Fredrick |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131848 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:45:50.231Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131848 Gender integration in the Zambian Army Mubita, Fredrick Heinecken, Lindy Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. Armed forces -- Zambia Gender mainstreaming -- Zambia Zambia. Army Military power Peacekeeping forces -- Zambia Military history -- Zambia Organizational change UCTD Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The need to increase the number of women serving in the military is not only necessary to achieve greater gender parity but also essential, where armed forces are tasked to perform a wider range of tasks across the security spectrum. However, they face many challenges integrating into the military. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to explore how women experience their integration into the Zambian military. In doing so, the study set out to establish what societal factors influence the participation of women in the military and their motivation to serve; the factors that affect their inclusion once enlisted; the extent to which military service in Zambia is gendered in terms of work and organisational culture; and what is needed to bring about a more androgynous military culture. The study scrutinised the various military, masculinist, and culturalist views on gender integration; liberal, radical, and anti-militarist feminist perspectives on women in military service; as well as organisational change theories, as conceptual lenses to reflect on these issues. The study employed a qualitative research strategy to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of women in the military, which included semi-structured interviews with forty-three participants, including both serving and retired military personnel, and one journalist. The study’s findings show that national security threats initially led to the inclusion of more women in the military and that Zambia adopted a liberal equal rights approach to gender integration. However, this approach has not ensured gender equality or equity, due to a range of societal and military influences that affect their inclusion. A distinct gendered division of labour persists in the Zambian army, which excludes women from certain functions of the military, based on concerns about their abilities, impact on military effectiveness, and their safety as potential victims of violence. At the same time, patriarchal values affect women’s ability to balance their productive and reproductive roles in the military, and their ability to deal with the negative effects of tokenism, as well as sexism, and sexual and gender harassment. Besides this, to be accepted as equals, women must assimilate into the masculine military culture which requires them to dilute their femininity – to act and behave like men. This undermines their ability to regender the military to ensure that their contribution is equally valued, and their ability to infuse a gendered perspective in decision-making and security sector reform. The conclusion reached is that to bring about a sense of belonging and inclusion, a different approach to gender integration is necessary. This approach requires joint efforts by military personnel and external researchers to decipher the organisation’s gendered practices and to suggest better ways of doing things. Further research is needed to understand whether the Zambian military has implemented gender mainstreaming and gender equality at all levels and stages of programs, policies, and practice, in accordance with UNSCR 1325; how daily practices of inclusion and exclusion affect unit cohesion, military readiness, and effectiveness; and, on the Zambian Defence Force’s Female Engagement Teams in terms of their training, composition and operational effectiveness. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die behoites om die aantal vroue wat in die weermag dien te vermeerder is nie net nodig om groter geslagsgelykheid te bewerkstellig nie, maar ook noodsaaklik, waar gewapende magte die taak het om 'n groter reeks take oor die veiligheidsspektrum te verrig. Hulle staar egter baie uitdagings in die gesig om by die weermag te integreer. Gevolglik was die doel van hierdie studie om te verken hoe vroue hul integrasie by die Zambiese weermag ervaar. Sodoende het die studie uiteengesit watter samelewingsfaktore die deelname van vroue aan die weermag en hul motivering om te dien beïnvloed; die faktore wat hul insluiting beïnvloed sodra hulle ingeskakel is; die mate waarin militêre diens geslagtelik is in terme van werk en organisatoriese kultuur; en wat nodig is om 'n meer androgene militêre kultuur te bewerkstellig. Die studie het die verskillende militêre, manlike en kulturistiese sienings oor geslagsintegrasie ondersoek; liberale, radikale en anti-militaristiese feministiese perspektiewe oor vroue in militêre diens; sowel as organisatoriese veranderingsteorieë as konseptuele lense om oor hierdie kwessies na te dink. Die studie het 'n kwalitatiewe navorsingstrategie aangewend om 'n dieper begrip van die geleefde ervarings van vroue in die weermag te verkry, wat semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met 43 deelnemers dienende en afgetrede militêre personeel en een joernalis ingesluit het. Die studie se bevindinge toon dat nasionale veiligheidsbedreigings aanvanklik gelei het tot die insluiting van meer vroue in die weermag en dat Zambië ’n liberale gelykeregte-benadering tot geslagsintegrasie aanvaar het. Hierdie benadering het egter nie geslagsgelykheid of gelykheid verseker nie, as gevolg van 'n reeks sosiale en militêre invloede wat hul insluiting beïnvloed. 'n Afsonderlike geslagsverdeling van arbeid duur voort in die Zambiese weermag wat vroue uitsluit van sekere funksies van die weermag, gebaseer op kommer oor hul vermoëns, impak op militêre doeltreffendheid en hul veiligheid as potensiële slagoffers van geweld. Terselfdertyd beïnvloed patriargale waardes vroue se vermoë om hul produktiewe en reproduktiewe rolle in die weermag te balanseer, en hul vermoë om die negatiewe gevolge van tokenisme, sowel as seksisme, en seksuele en geslagteistering te hanteer. Daarbenewens moet vroue om as gelykes aanvaar te word, assimileer in die manlike militêre kultuur wat van hulle vereis om hul vroulikheid te verwater – om soos mans op te tree en op te tree. Dit ondermyn hul vermoë om weer die weermag te herstel om te verseker dat hul bydrae gelyk gewaardeer word en hul vermoë om 'n geslagsperspektief in besluitneming en sekuriteitsektorhervorming in te vul. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat om 'n gevoel van behoort en insluiting te bewerkstellig, 'n ander benadering tot geslagsintegrasie nodig is wat gesamentlike pogings van militêre personeel en eksterne navorsers vereis om die organisasie se geslagtelike praktyke te ontsyfer en beter maniere om dinge te doen voor te stel. Verdere navorsing is nodig om te verstaan of die Zambiese weermag geslaghoofstroom en geslagsgelykheid op alle vlakke en stadiums van programme, beleide en praktyke geïmplementeer het, in ooreenstemming met UNSCR 1325; hoe daaglikse praktyke van insluiting en uitsluiting eenheidskohesie, militêre gereedheid en doeltreffendheid beïnvloed; en op die Zambiese weermag se vroulike betrokkenheidspanne in terme van hul opleiding, samestelling en operasionele doeltreffendheid. Doctoral 2025-04-03T07:15:15Z 2025-04-03T07:15:15Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131848 en Stellenbosch University 292 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Armed forces -- Zambia Gender mainstreaming -- Zambia Zambia. Army Military power Peacekeeping forces -- Zambia Military history -- Zambia Organizational change UCTD Mubita, Fredrick Gender integration in the Zambian Army |
| title | Gender integration in the Zambian Army |
| title_full | Gender integration in the Zambian Army |
| title_fullStr | Gender integration in the Zambian Army |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender integration in the Zambian Army |
| title_short | Gender integration in the Zambian Army |
| title_sort | gender integration in the zambian army |
| topic | Armed forces -- Zambia Gender mainstreaming -- Zambia Zambia. Army Military power Peacekeeping forces -- Zambia Military history -- Zambia Organizational change UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131848 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mubitafredrick genderintegrationinthezambianarmy |