Women in the Military: Navigating Through Female Life Stages and Military Career by “Acting Normally”

Recruiting and retaining female military personnel remains a challenge in most military organizations. This study explores how female-specific transitional stages in life (e.g., maternity and menopause) relate to the career development of women in the military from their perspective. Drawing on a qualitative interview study with 20 women, we demonstrate how they adjust themselves to the masculine norms of the organizational culture in all life stages during their careers. Our contribution outlines the practices of overperformance in which these women engage and the practices of (self-)silencing during different life and career stages, which can result in the reproduction of gender inequalities within the Netherlands Armed Forces.