Changing framing in military recruitment

Abstract

This thesis examines how gender framing in Dutch military recruitment advertising has evolved following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Building on competing theoretical expectations, either an increasingly inclusive frame due to persisting recruitment crises and societal change, or a return to an exclusive frame in times of a security crisis is hypothesized. This thesis employs a qualitative content analysis. The analysis focuses on 20 of the most-viewed official Dutch military recruitment videos, equally divided between the periods before and after the Russian invasion. Using a systematic coding framework, the study examines discursive, behavioural, and visual elements across four dimensions: identity, emotional expression, strengths and skills, and role. The findings show that recruitment framing in both periods is dominantly inclusive. Before the invasion, the military emphasized diversity in roles, gender-neutral participation (except for male-dominated infantry roles), and personal development. After the invasion, inclusivity increased further: soldiers are depicted as even more humanized, with greater emphasis on everyday civilian practices, emotional expression, and diversity, including representations of women in broader roles. While exclusive, combat-oriented elements persist, they are often performed by both genders. Infantry roles remain male exclusive. Comparatively, post-invasion framing shifts toward a more civilian based and emotionally expressive frame, alongside a stronger sense of urgency to enlist. The study concludes that gender framing has become more inclusive rather than more exclusive. Thus, the inclusivity hypothesis is supported, while the expectation of a return to exclusive framing is rejected.