An intersectional study of gender and the Royal Air Force

As gendered institutions with their own specific structures and organisational cultures,
militaries shape their personnel behaviour through the construction and reproduction of
norms and the development of rules and policies governing individual activities
(Woodward and Duncanson, 2017). Despite this, there is a notable absence of
contemporary critical accounts of how gender, or the multitude of other conflicting and
competing intersectional identities of military personnel impacts the social construction
and spatiality of the gender culture of UK Armed Forces. The UK Armed Forces are often
viewed in geographical research contexts as homogenous, but it is the complexity behind
each organisational construct which impacts each service's unique social and
organisational culture and sub-culture dependant on rank, role and profession. By
examining the subjective experiences of female service personnel and female veterans,
with an intersectional perspective through a gendered axis, this research will examine
how the negotiation and marginalisation of gendered and racialised identities impact the
social construction and RAF culture. In acknowledgement of the applicants position as a
veteran RAF Officer, reflexivity will underpin data collection in line with current thinking
within Critical Military Studies about the unique positionality and contributions of veteran
researchers.