Foreign correspondents have traditionally been seen as a "macho club" with few female members. Today, there are more women, but the profession has also become more risky.
“My studies from Colombia and Nepal show that many minors enlisted voluntarily and that their quality of life even improved as guerrilla soldiers,” says Wenche Iren Hauge.
In recent years, gender has become an important factor in the international work against extremism. But some researchers fear that when women become part of the first line defence against radicalisation, they also become more vulnerable.
The masculine culture in the Norwegian Armed Forces is a democratic problem. This makes it difficult to work with issues related to gender, according to researcher.
Congolese girl soldiers are labelled violent and sexual, also by international media and aid organisations. This hampers the girls’ reintegration, according to researcher Milfrid Tonheim.
Oversimplified perceptions of gender roles in war and conflict reproduce gender stereotypes and existing inequalities, according to researcher Maria Eriksson Baaz.
Being a journalist in war zones and armed conflicts is becoming increasingly dangerous. Most of the journalists killed in the field are men, but the concern is about the security of their female colleagues.
