Europe is facing a growing array of security challenges, from conventional military threats to cyberattacks and hybrid warfare. Women’s inclusion is not only vital for addressing staff shortages but also for providing a comprehensive, diverse, and ultimately more effective response. This report offers an overview of the evolving role of women in defence and resilience across four Eastern Flank countries – Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Deep structural and societal barriers persist, ranging from recruitment campaigns and training pathways that still reflect traditional gender norms to a lack of fitting equipment and infrastructure, outdated national plans, unchanging informal norms and organisational cultures, lack of mentorship, and more. Amid persisting challenges and new security realities, modern defence operations increasingly rely on data, digital systems, and networked coordination, opening new opportunities in technical and analytical roles. The countries on the eastern flank have a high prospect of further strengthening European and NATO’s resilience by including more women in new technology-oriented units, tapping into the available talent and breaking down traditional barriers.
Key Recommendations
- Embrace whole-of-society security and resilience frameworks
- Adjust institutional language and communication
- Promote women’s participation in emerging security domains
- Acknowledge and measure invisible roles
- Establish and empower gender advisors
- Invest in gender-sensitive infrastructure and service conditions
- Mainstream gender equality training
- Enhance public communication strategies
- Support grassroots and civil society engagement
- Prioritise access and collection of gender-disaggregated and granulated data
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