Description:
Generally, the military and masculinity are confirmed as harmonious and<br />mutual. For many countries, military service assumes the status of initiation into<br />manhood. In South Africa, for example, in the past, young white men were legally<br />obliged to do military service. This emphasises the importance of focusing on white<br />masculinities within the South African military in this article. Strong parallels with<br />10 African2 male soldiers who also underscored hegemonic masculinity are drawn.<br />The construction of masculinity of young male soldiers is discussed historically and<br />in the present context. Transcriptions of semi-structured interviews with soldiers<br />drawn from a total of 14 participants were qualitatively analysed and are presented<br />to illustrate the themes that emerged in the interviews. The findings suggest that the<br />military encompasses masculine characteristics and defines soldiering as an<br />embodiment of traditional male sex practices. This article concludes that military<br />context and culture exaggerate and emphasise hegemonic masculinity and<br />heterosexuality for male soldiers.