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The South African Military and Gender Integration: Bridging Theory and Practice

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International Clinical Sociology

Part of the book series: Clinical Sociology: Research and Practice ((CSRP))

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Abstract

This chapter addresses the challenges that gender integration in the military poses, both within an international and South African context. In the first part, the debates on opening up combat positions to women are deliberated, by focusing on the different feminist positions that frame women’s exclusion and inclusion from a theoretical perspective. From here, the focus shifts on how these debates, changes in policy and practice have shaped my research over time as more women enter the military. Hereafter it is explained how my academic publications and awareness, resulted in invitations to present my research at various international, national and Department of Defence forums. The extent of these invitations, the participants involved, and how they came about are outlined. In conclusion, it is argued that as a sociological practitioner, one walks a fine line of being a critical, yet empathetic researcher. This balance is necessary if one’s research is to have any policy impact and influence, but at the same time ensure that social justice prevails.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The South African Border War, and Angola from 26 August 1966 to 21 March 1990 against a perceived communist threat from the north of South Africa and Namibia’s borders, most notably in Namibia and Angola.

  2. 2.

    The adoption of the South African Constitution on 8 May 1996 was one of the turning points in the history of the struggle for democracy in South Africa and was considered one of the most advanced in the world, given the inclusion of a Bill of Rights.

  3. 3.

    According to the latest Department of Defence annual report, the Department had 75,555 personnel in its employment in February 2018. As of 31 March 2018, the SA Army had 38,572 personnel in its ranks, the SA Air Force 9652, the SA Navy 6992 and the SA Military Health Service 7624. Other divisions such as Legal Services and Human Resources accounted for several thousand others (DefenceWeb 2019).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

    Lindy Heinecken

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  1. Lindy Heinecken
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Correspondence to Lindy Heinecken .

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  1. University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Jan Marie Fritz

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Heinecken, L. (2021). The South African Military and Gender Integration: Bridging Theory and Practice. In: Fritz, J.M. (eds) International Clinical Sociology. Clinical Sociology: Research and Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54584-0_15

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