Norwegian troops get unisex dorms

SamAca10

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http://www.thelocal.no/20140324/norway-army-makes-men-and-women-share-rooms

The Norwegian Army has started making women soldiers share unisex bedrooms with their male colleagues in a bold, some might say dangerous, experiment. Surprisingly though, the women so far report a cut in sexual harassment.

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The new unisex dormitories have been trialled at a military base in northern Norway, with each room putting two women together with four men.

According to Ulla-Britt Lilleaas, co-author of the report "The Army: the vanguard, rear guard and battlefield of equality”, the women reported that sharing a room helped make them "one of the boys".

"To them there was nothing strange about the unisex rooms," she wrote. "They had entered a common mode where gender stereotypes had disappeared, or at least they were less obvious."

One woman soldier, who had purchased especially large underwear to minimize her sex-appeal, was surprised to find that rather than accentuate gender differences, sharing a room helped make them less relevant.

“You have to be a team here, and then you have to live together in order to be able to trust in one another”, said one of the women, who concluded the rooms were a “damn good idea”.

The move is the latest trail-blazing initiative from the Norwegian armed forces. In November, the forces announced that they would now serve soldiers vegetarian-only food one day a week in an effort to combat climate change.

In August they announced that male recruits would be permitted to grow their hair long, so long as they kept it in pony-tails or braids, as is required for female recruits.

Lilleaas and her co-author Dag Ellingsen compared the unisex camp with another training centre for the Royal Norwegian Navy, where women and men have separate rooms.

“It becomes us and them, boys against the girls," Ellingsen argued. “Another problem with girls’ rooms is that they in some cases fall outside the information flow. And they are often characterized by conflicts and cliques.”

I won't be surprised if we start seeing this here in the next few years if it's successful. Especially on ships/submarines and budget-slashing logistics.
 
Well, only time will tell I suppose. It does appear to be a sucky time to be in the Norwegian Army, though. Looks to me like a liberal government that wants to try out it's wild ideas on a population it can control (the military), before putting them onto the whole population, at least in regards to the only serving vegetarian foods. Guinea pigs!
 
Well, only time will tell I suppose. It does appear to be a sucky time to be in the Norwegian Army, though. Looks to me like a liberal government that wants to try out it's wild ideas on a population it can control (the military), before putting them onto the whole population, at least in regards to the only serving vegetarian foods. Guinea pigs!

Oh just shut up.

The Norwegians are an excellent force. Spent many a day with them in RC North. Fine folks, with a culture that is vastly different from ours. Monumentally different. I'd happily fight with them again. Stop pretending that American political viewpoints have anything bearing on them.
 
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Agree Scout, they were great to work with! S&H you will learn to work with many foreign militaries during your active duty years, some with vastly different cultures. The large majority of these countries have been great to work with. They all have different grooming standards (you will see long hair, facial hair, odd uniform standards, etc). Heck on one of my deployments I lived in an open squad bay for 10.5 months with all guys and me. It was never an issue. The article did not address if they are literally living 6 people to a large room, squad bay environment or if it is dormitory like living with 2-3 bedrooms and a common area in the suite (aren't alot of colleges like that?). The last line of the article is so true having been one of very few women in the Marines... there is an impression that women don't get along and are sometimes left out of info loop.
 
I'm not saying that the Norwegian Army isn't different than ours, and I'm sure their miltary and political leaders reflect those cultural differences. I'm just saying that in my conservative American ways, a tour with the Norwegian Army eating tofu doesn't sound like heaven! :thumb:
 
You haven't had a t-rat yet S&H (way worse than an MRE). Once you eat those for a month or MREs (OBTW... Veggie MREs tend to be the best IMHO) for months on end... you won't care what it is if it is hot and fresh! I lived on a foreign military base for nearly a year in the Middle East... when the officers were hosted for dinner we got thrown an entire goat in the middle of the table to each pick off of. Worst meal I have ever eaten. Do you think Americans agree with the way ultra conservative muslims live and treat women? Young officers have to learn to put these differences aside to get the job done. Your conservative American values are as foreign to these countries as their cultures are to ours. It doesn't make ours right, it just makes them different. The great part of being in the military is the great opportunities to see these counties, work with people across the globe and learn everywhere you go. Keep an open mind wherever you go.
 
I'm not saying that the Norwegian Army isn't different than ours, and I'm sure their miltary and political leaders reflect those cultural differences. I'm just saying that in my conservative American ways, a tour with the Norwegian Army eating tofu doesn't sound like heaven! :thumb:

You have alot to learn, my friend.....

As for the coed berthing arrangements, all FTX's I've been on starting this year have had male and female cadets sharing the same tents (large, 20 person or so tents for those curious). The seniors which arranged this (and I assume have been approved by the cadre) said this was how it was at LDAC and this is what the big army is moving towards. Frankly, I could care less. Probably saves alot of money.
 
You haven't had a t-rat yet S&H (way worse than an MRE). Once you eat those for a month or MREs (OBTW... Veggie MREs tend to be the best IMHO) for months on end... you won't care what it is if it is hot and fresh! I lived on a foreign military base for nearly a year in the Middle East... when the officers were hosted for dinner we got thrown an entire goat in the middle of the table to each pick off of. Worst meal I have ever eaten. Do you think Americans agree with the way ultra conservative muslims live and treat women? Young officers have to learn to put these differences aside to get the job done. Your conservative American values are as foreign to these countries as their cultures are to ours. It doesn't make ours right, it just makes them different. The great part of being in the military is the great opportunities to see these counties, work with people across the globe and learn everywhere you go. Keep an open mind wherever you go.

Goat grab!
 
My dealings with the Norwegians...at Bodø...

They had long hair, drank a LOT of beer, were a LOT more relaxed than we in the AF were...

And when they strapped on the F-16...their fangs grew LONG, SHARP, and their eyesite was LASER accurate.

I'd love them on my wing anyday!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
You have alot to learn, my friend.....

As for the coed berthing arrangements, all FTX's I've been on starting this year have had male and female cadets sharing the same tents (large, 20 person or so tents for those curious). The seniors which arranged this (and I assume have been approved by the cadre) said this was how it was at LDAC and this is what the big army is moving towards. Frankly, I could care less. Probably saves alot of money.

That would be correct. But for short (3-5 days) periods at a time. And for the most part there were no issues (There definitely was some hanky panky going on). The time periods talked about from the others is much longer.

Girls and boys do stuff regardless, a tent wall/dorm room won't stop that.

I think S&H may have been hinting more on the Norweigan military being used as a social experimentation platform, rather than the actual social experimentation going on, which happens all over.
 
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I think S&H may have been hinting more on the Norweigan military being used as a social experimentation platform, rather than the actual social experimentation going on, which happens all over.

I find the notion of "the military being used as a social experimentation platform" trite. And in this particular case, the American perspective of Norwegian culture vice military policy even more so. A person with a cursory knowledge of Norwegian culture would know that this is much more a case of the military culture catching up to the broader Norwegian culture rather than the military being forced to accept a yet widespread norm.
 
So when I was in Tuzla we would find excuses to travel to the Norwegian base just to grab lunch! Fantastic food and they were absolutely welcoming to the US troops! I am not sure a comparison between the US and Norwegian military forces is in any way relevant.
 
I find the notion of "the military being used as a social experimentation platform" trite. And in this particular case, the American perspective of Norwegian culture vice military policy even more so. A person with a cursory knowledge of Norwegian culture would know that this is much more a case of the military culture catching up to the broader Norwegian culture rather than the military being forced to accept a yet widespread norm.

I don't disagree one bit. I think I just interpreted his post differently than the others, and thought that he may have been alluding to them being used as a experimentation platform.
 
I had the chance to work with the Norwegian military in the mid 70's, this is nothing new, their military was always a bit ahead of the cultural curve as we know it. Long hair, hard partying, and all around laid back until it was time to get down to business. then you didn't get in their way. Toughest bunch of guys....and women... you ever trained with.

To think that just because a different culture/country does things differently is somehow a social experiment is ridicules
 
Do you believe that, in theory, a military could be used as a platform for social experiments? Throw out the Norwegians, I get that they're great people, that's not the point. Isn't the military a large population that can be forced to be in certain conditions? Not just with political ideas, but with experiments on the physical soliders themselves? Edgewood Arsenal experiments, 1955.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgewood_Arsenal_experiments

I think to argue that a military couldn't be used as a platform for these things is ridiculous.
 
I'll just bow to your vast military and life experience.

I think people are missing his attempts at sparking a discussion (that or I'm interpreting this sideways). Though if I'm off-base in my interpretation, I'm sure he can clarify for himself.

Throw Norway out of this completely, it was just an article. I think S&H is talking about the idea of a military (being a controlled and disciplined force) being used as a social experimentation platform in general, not that Norway's army is a proving ground for social trials of the Norweigan government. Those that know anything about Norway (as most of you have already told of your experiences), already understand they are different from us, and the two simply can't be compared as identical.

To which it could be argued that yes, it could be used as a platform (though the validity of it being a real platform is heavily-debatable). But it's also argued that any controlled group could be used as an experimentation platform. A football coach could test out new plays with the practice squad or certain string offense, before deciding to implement it team-wide. The players can't just say, "Yea, no thanks coach, I'm not gonna run that play." Just like a soldier couldn't say, "Ay, big sarge, don't think I'm gonna sleep in that tent, I like that other suite better." It's just like any scientists experiments, using variables and a control to test for outcomes. It'd obviously be easier for a government to test something out on a military rather than a private corporation, simply because they couldn't "control" the corporation.

Am I agreeing with S&H that armies or soldiers are about to be lab rats testing out all sorts of stuff for their governments? No, not at all. But in the essence of trying to go along with his hunt for discussion (and I'm sure everyone else can tie in their experiences) on controlled groups used for "experimentation" or whatnot, yea I think you can argue a controlled group could theoretically be used in that sense, simply because they're controlled.
 
I'm not saying that the Norwegian Army isn't different than ours, and I'm sure their miltary and political leaders reflect those cultural differences. I'm just saying that in my conservative American ways, a tour with the Norwegian Army eating tofu doesn't sound like heaven! :thumb:

No need to worry about tofu. Just bring an MRE of good old ribs and cornbread.

MRE Ribs (a/k/a Pork Rib, Boneless, Imitation, caramel color and smoke flavor added)

Ingredients: Imitation boneless pork rib [pork, water, tomato powder, salt, dextrose, sugar, sodium tripolyphosphate, worcestershire sauce powder (sugar, sodium diacetate, salt, dextrose, corn syrup solids, spice, citric acid, caramel powder, dehydrated garlic and onion, cellulose gum, malic acid, natural flavor), onion powder, soybean oil, smoke flavor, grill flavor (maltodextrin flavor (from partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oil), modified corn starch, corn syrup solids, tricalcium phosphate), flavorings].

MRE Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients: Water, stuffing crumb [enriched wheat flour (niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid) corn meal, sugar, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, yeast, salt, preservative (calcium propionate and BHT), nonfat milk, color (turmeric and annatto extract), spice extractive, dough conditioner (ascorbic acid and azodicarbonamide)] chicken fat, seasonings (dehydrated onion, maltodextrin, hydrolized soy protein, dehydrated celery, spices, salt, rendered chicken fat, sugar, monosodium glutamate, onion powder, caramel color, citric acid, garlic powder, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, and extractives of turmeric) salt.

Takes less time to eat it than to type the ingredients. Hope you left room for dessert.

Of course the grass is always greener, etc. I wonder if the Norwegians have an MRE of imitation lutefisk.
 
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