Gender, Headlines, Human Rights, Latin America & the Caribbean

Q&A: South America Marching Towards Equality in Armed Forces

Daniela Estrada interviews MARIEL LUCERO, expert on gender issues in the military

SANTIAGO, Jul 21 2009 (IPS) - It’s not something out of a Hollywood movie. In a decade’s time, any one of the countries of South America could have a woman as chief commander of its armed forces, Argentine expert Mariel Lucero predicted in this interview with IPS during her visit to the Chilean capital to deliver a presentation on the subject.

Women were first admitted into South America’s armies in the 1970s, but only in nursing or administrative roles. They then made their way into officer training academies, said Lucero, who has a master’s degree in international relations and is a professor at the Congreso and Champagnat universities in the western Argentine province of Mendoza.

“Starting in the year 2000, the issue of gender equality began to be taken into account in policies affecting the armed forces,” Lucero said, underlining the importance of the United Nations’ call for member states to incorporate more women into peacekeeping missions.

In Chile, one of the most advanced countries of Latin America in terms of women’s incorporation in the military, women represent almost 10 percent of the personnel in all branches of the armed forces, with that figure climbing to 15 percent in the air force. But it is difficult to make estimates on a regional level due to the lack of systematised data, the expert on gender issues in South America’s military observed.

IPS: What participation do women have in Latin America’s armed forces today? MARIEL LUCERO: It depends on the country, because there’s a significant asymmetry that has to do with the decade in which women began enlisting in the armed forces. The first countries – such as Chile – to admit them did so in the 1970s, and one of the last to do so in South America was Ecuador, in 2000.

It is important to keep in mind that at a global level, women account for no more than 30 percent of military personnel. I think that’s the percentage in Spain. The (Latin American) countries that have made the most progress in gender equality in their armed forces, although not necessarily in terms of incorporation, are Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.

IPS: You underscore the difference between incorporation and gender equality… ML: Yes. Incorporation refers to numbers, while gender policies have to do with how women are incorporated and how the military institution – one of the most masculine institutions there is – adapts to the presence of women.

IPS: What kind of gender policies have these three countries implemented? ML: For example, granting maternity leave and breastfeeding breaks, so that these are not barriers for the promotion of women. Uruguay also allows women to enlist in all branches and to access any position.

IPS: What has this process of incorporation of women and implementation of gender policies been like? ML: It has met with resistance inside the institutions, and in fact both Argentina and Chile have women’s observatories precisely to monitor how these processes evolve. Despite the resistance, some of the equality measures, which address the relationship between men and women, have been favourable to both sexes.

In Argentina, for instance, military personnel could not marry higher ranking officers or personnel from other branches of the armed forces. Now they can. Another of the advances that has to do with equality is the acceptance of children born out of wedlock. Until recently, it was grounds for discharge.

IPS: What is the situation in other countries? ML: There’s not much information available. Efforts are being made to combat sexual harassment, one of the most difficult issues for these institutions to address. It is now penalised with a specific military sanction, besides the general penalties that apply to such cases in state institutions.

IPS: Are there any roles women are banned from? ML: Combat duties. But Uruguay and Venezuela allow women to enlist in any area.

IPS: What arguments are given to bar women from combat? ML: That’s a global debate, which has to do with a model of male domination that sees women as vulnerable creatures in need of protection. And based on that conception, they limit women’s ability to make their own decisions.

IPS: There are feminist groups opposed to women joining the armed forces because of their antimilitarism. What is your view on this? ML: The opposite. I’m in favour of equal participation in the armed forces. Nobody makes women join, but if they choose to do so, it’s up to them to decide; that’s part of the principle of equal rights.

IPS: When can we expect to see a woman occupying the position of chief commander of the armed forces? ML: This depends primarily on women’s continued involvement in the institution. But, yes, I believe that it’s something we can expect to see within a decade. As advancing in military ranks is dependent on strict time frames, we have to wait for such time frames to be met.

IPS: Can women bring different values to the armed forces? ML: I don’t think so. Some believe that women hold different values concerning peace or negotiation. I think that women involved in defence activities are not particularly more in favour of peace than men, regardless of how the military as an institution values the importance of war and peace.

It’s incorrect to associate women with peace values. I think values are general. I think these changes in the military have to do with changes that have occurred globally in the system, and are not specifically connected with the presence of women in the institution.

IPS: What about the case of gays and lesbians? Are there specific regulations that allow them to join the armed forces in South America? ML: A decree issued by President Tabaré Vázquez (of Uruguay) two months ago that allows declared homosexuals to enlist in the armed forces is a sign of progress towards eradicating the discriminatory culture that exists within military institutions.

President Fernando Lugo (of Paraguay) has said that he will do the same. Whether these measures are enforced or not is a whole different matter.

But the fact remains that most countries have internal disciplinary actions, applying specifically to military personnel, that penalise homosexuality.

IPS: What role have women defence ministers played in South America? ML: This has been an interesting element in terms of boosting gender policies in the armed forces and maintaining good security and defence relations with other countries in the region. I’m talking in particular about what happened in Argentina with Nilda Garré, in Chile under current President Michelle Bachelet, and with Vivianne Blanlot, and in Uruguay with Azucena Berrutti (all four current or former defence ministers).

While the last three are no longer heading defence ministries, their presence contributed to promoting gender policies. And when I say gender policies, I mean more than just specific measures that have to do with family, marriage or children. I’m talking about incorporating human rights-centred education in the military and transparency in defence policies.