Women Researching The Military. The Researcher-Researched Relationship Through A Gender Sensitive Perspective

The focus of this paper is the gendered researcher-researched relationship in the military environment. While it is well known that relationships, which evolve during the research process, can influence results, not many analytical reflections have been devoted to this aspect from a gender perspective. Being different because of its own gender strongly affect the relationship researcher-researched relationship. It is not just a question of «goldfish bowl syndrome» as defined in literature, or being highly conscious of their own gender identity or diversity as minority in a male world; it is moreover question of understanding how gender differences affect the entire research process. This paper retrospectively examines the more than twenty-years experience of authors with the Italian armed forces, looking at interactional dynamics, obstacles and assets by doing research as female sociologists in an all-male organization. Armed Forces are considered an «extreme case of gendered organisation» where manliness is the gender military regime foundation. In the interaction gender roles tend to overcome the professionals: women tend to be perceived first of all in terms of their gender identity more than their professional role. As female researcher, being perceived as outsiders, as threat, or being object of chivalry or protecting attitudes, are all evidences of a male military dominant background. These also unveil a gender resistant environment that have to be managed through the all process. Through gender perspective field research experiences is going to be reinterpretated, by considering interactions between the different actors involved as meta information, focusing on negotiations of gender as part of doing research. The paper is going back to research stories, assertions, rituals etc. to show how research process can be affected from gender distance between researcher and research, which interaction can sometimes turn into an asset for the successful conclusion of the research.... or?