Women academics and feminism in professional military education

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the ways in which gender and feminism are practised in professional military education (PME), which is viewed as an atypical higher education institution, by focusing on the practice and discourse of female academics.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a case study approach using participant observation and semi‐structured interviews. The authors' qualitative analysis is informed by feminist research methods.

Findings

The authors identified a number of key areas around which resistance and accommodation to gender norms are produced: the visual, the vocal and collective action. Analysis of these revealed the everyday practices of academic identities, the gendering of knowledge, and feminist interventions. The authors found that the practices and debates of academic women in PME reflect the wider debates in academia.

Originality/value

PME and its relationship with gender and feminism have rarely been studied. This paper begins that task. The findings of this atypical case also add to the growing body of research on identity, gender, and feminism in academia, as well as to women working in male‐dominated institutions.

Citation

Brown, K.E. and Syme‐Taylor, V. (2012), "Women academics and feminism in professional military education", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 31 No. 5/6, pp. 452-466. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610151211235460