Search

It is clear that, collectively, Israeli army experience differs greatly for women and men. Concentrating on issues of organizational belonging, this paper will discuss "lone girls" in Israel's Defence Forces, that is, women serving in bases where the majority of soldiers are men. While lone girls benefit from their army experiences on an individual level, their presence on male-dominated bases does little to strengthen the position of women in Israeli society and in the IDF. Drawing on Kanter's discussion of tokens, it is argued that "lone girls" are subject to a great deal of special attention and differential treatment. Token women in the IDF are often used as surrogate families for male soldiers, as sexual objects and as social workers. The paper closes with a discussion of why lone girls are pushed into traditional gender roles and positions and, furthermore, why they find acting out traditional sex-roles empowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a great deal of literature regarding the differences between motherhood and fatherhood. The literature suggests that parenthood is deeply gendered and takes on different meanings for men and for women. While taking a feminist approach, this paper examines parenthood from an angle not typically addressed in feminist discussion. Missing from recent scholarship is any in-depth examination of the role that women may play in limiting the involvement of their male partners. What part do women play in the maintenance of traditional parenting roles? This paper (still in progress), based on a series of interviews with parents of young children as well as field research in child centered locations, concentrates on the reasons behind the emergence of gendered parenting approaches. The qualitative nature of this study makes it possible to note the complexity of this issue and examine the role of both mother and father in gatekeeping. Overall, I argue that many mothers are involved in maternal gatekeeping through taking control over both major and minor parenting decisions, through controlling access to parenting information and through implementing control mechanisms during their absence. I discuss the means by which some mothers attempt to limit their partners' involvement and the ambivalence that this creates for both parents involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]