A new study from FOI shows that women and individuals in educational professions are less likely to invite military foreign veterans to job interviews. However, veterans with a staff background have a slightly higher chance of advancing in the recruitment process.
FOI researcher Peter Bäckström conducted an experimental study where nearly 1,000 people compared hypothetical job applicants. The study indicates that military foreign service in a staff position increases the likelihood of being called for an interview, while experience as an infantry soldier did not significantly affect the chances.
– People perceive the experience of staff work as more positive than the infantry soldier role, even though there is no evidence that infantry soldiers are being excluded, says Peter Bäckström, senior researcher at FOI's Defence Analysis department, in a press release from FOI.
Women were found to be more likely than men to reject candidates with military foreign service experience, even when other factors were controlled for. Individuals in educational professions were also less inclined to invite veterans to interviews, particularly those with an infantry background.
Peter Bäckström suggests that the results may be due to perceptions of military personnel as less emotionally stable and more action-oriented, which is seen as less suitable in professions that rely on social interaction.
– I believe veterans are perceived as more emotionally distant, more focused on action than feelings, and therefore considered less suitable for jobs involving a lot of interpersonal interaction, he says.
He encourages more researchers to take an interest in issues regarding perceptions of military personnel and defence from a gender perspective.
– It concerns the legitimacy of the defence and civil-military cooperation, larger issues than just that of foreign veterans, says Bäckström.