However, the positive effect from room sharing only appeared to be temporary, which, according to the research crew, demands further studies.
Men in the Norwegian Armed Forces who live and work together with women become more positive towards equality and have a better attitude towards the opposite sex, a new study has concluded.
The study covered 500 recruits from Brigade Nord, a major combat formation and only brigade of the Norwegian Army. In the experiment, men were “exposed” to women and shared a room with women for eight weeks and worked closely together. Before, during, and after, the researchers measured both the attitudes and well-being of the men.
The result showed a noticeable difference between those who lived in rooms with women and those who were in male-only groups. The recruits who shared a group with women gained better attitudes to gender equality in general and became more positive about mixed gender groups in the Armed Forces.
The performance or well-being of soldiers, was not negatively affected, which some had expected.
He emphasised that this has been a concern, among others, in the US. According to Kotsadam, there has been a kind of “myth” that male soldiers lose the “military feeling” in women's company – which doesn't match their study.
Pauline Tvedt, a Brigade Nord recruit from Inner Troms, argued that there are no differences between women and men in the Armed Forces.
Her fellow recruit Sverre Jervell suggested that men and women make a good…
