Military Masculinities and Gender Training

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PART 1- LONG ANSWER QUESTION
Q. Which course text do you think portrayed military masculinity most effectively and why?
The articles studied under Military Masculinities presented by Paul R. Higate have
made an extraordinary attempt in expanding the understanding of how thee social definitions
of masculinity fluctuate in the responses made in the ideological/social and historical contexts
and organizational requirements. These articles have not just tried to explain the traditional
ideas, but also a complex and varied sense of identity of masculinity. The text tends to dig
deeper in the historical facts and experiences from the Great Britain. It has included various
stories from Germany, the German Democratic Republic, Canada and Israel. Firstly, the
author uses various qualitative research for supporting analysis and then switches on to the
explanation of primary purpose of military organizations. It has to use the instruments of
destruction ad must be able to subjugate individual goals and values for the good of the
organization. In the process, at times, people have to put their lives at risk.
The primary theme of the articles shows a negative impact of how men and women
usually ignore the harsh realities of masculinity. Just like the uniform becomes a tool to hide
the differences between men and women reactions and experiences, it is necessary to create
homogenization is supposed to create cohesion of experiences amongst all the soldiers.
Combat being the primary reason behind a military, the uniform definition of a man soldier is
often linked to violence and aggression. A few jobs in the military are thought to be as more
feminine, like, of a steward or a clerk whereas others are thought to be as hyper masculine, as
in combat and arms-ammunitions. This usually creates a hidden stratification system in the
organization which is justified on the basis of ranks and promotion rates. The stereotypical
definition of masculinity is used to marginalize women both practically and symbolically.