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    On the battlefield : exploring gendered experiences of being Infantry in the New Zealand Army : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Defence and Security Studies at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2024-09-25) Brosnan, Amy
    Prompted by the question ‘why aren’t there more women in combat trades?’, this research reaches beyond this to ask about the broader gendered context of the Infantry. Bringing in the experiences of both men and women, this thesis contributes a more nuanced understanding of the gendered issues at play by identifying what factors enable or inhibit success. As such, this thesis seeks to address a gap in knowledge that currently exists with respect to the experiences of men and women working together within a hypermasculine gender integrated combat-focused unit. It does so through the conduct of a qualitative study of soldiers enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (RNZIR) of the New Zealand Army (NZ Army). As this thesis will reveal, the production of ‘war-fighters’ is not an accidental or inevitable process. Infantry soldiers are socialised into certain ways of thinking and doing, and it is the performance of institutionalised habits, traditions and behaviours that makes an individual Infantry. The production of a war fighter is, therefore, a purposeful process of creating a particular type of Infantry soldier that is deemed to be most effective on the battlefield. What also becomes apparent in the course of this research, however, is that ‘success’ within Infantry is a complex concept; one which is underpinned by a specific gender performance, and which requires negotiation of a number of factors that extend beyond the professional realms of the ‘actual job’. Notwithstanding the need to produce ‘war-fighters’ this thesis argues that the way in which Infantry soldiers are produced within the NZ Army perpetuates a very specific masculine gendered ideology within the RNZIR. This ideology is based on both assumptions and understandings (and also misunderstandings) of gender, coupled with a battlefield narrative that inhibits the possibility of contesting the ‘status quo’. This thesis will illustrate that while some of the participants thrive within this context, others do not. Indeed, the gendered ideology which supports ‘the way things are done around here’ inhibits the participation (and retention) of many men and women, including men and women who exhibit the same qualities and attributes that are claimed to be necessary for Infantry success on the modern, or future, battlefield.
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    You and I aren't so equal : the visual representation of gender inequality in the contemporary New Zealand workforce and the visual manifestation of inequality in Wellington's southern suburbs : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Visual and Material Culture at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Ellen-Eliza, Natalie
    Inequality abounds. It is a complex issue that a#ects all manner of environmental, political, economic, and social factors. It underlies many detrimental phenomena including sexism and crime. Inequality holds an ambiguous presence in academic scholarship yet it a#ects the lives of many. To show how inequality is registered within the social fabric is one aim of this thesis. Epidemiologists Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson (2010) begin to propose inequality as a concept that can be seen in daily life. Based on this proposition, the present studies investigate the visuality of inequality across three chapters. Despite much progress, gender inequality and inequity remain present in the contemporary New Zealand workforce. As has been highlighted in much feminist theory, gender and women’s studies, representation is a significant factor in the activation of gendered identities and positive visual representations of women can reduce gender inequity. Tertiary education providers were turned to for analysis on the basis that educational inequalities develop into workplace inequalities. Specifically, selected visuals from Massey University’s College of Creative Arts and four trades training institutions (Unitec, Wintec, Weltec, and the Open Polytechnic) were analysed to reveal indexes symptomatic of inequality. These are undertaken to examine whether women are represented equivalently to data and if non-governmental organisations are implementing governmental suggestions for change.The final chapter addresses inequality in public space manifest in the form of graffiti, postering, visual sign, and demonstration determined as ‘interventions’. A set of theoretical lenses including the work of Michel Foucault, Karl Marx, and Alfred Gell, is used to examine a selection of interventions in relation to concepts of power, landownership, current a#airs, authorship, site-specificity, and surveillance technologies. Here a cultural reading of the visuality of inequality is made. In sum, this thesis posits two everyday places as sites where discourse on inequality visually manifests so as to better understand its cause.