An intersectional study of gender and the Royal Air Force

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