Women’s Lived Experiences of Serving in the Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserve

Abstract: Strengthening Canada’s military capacity and capabilities to address modern-day conflict requires personnel from the Primary Reserve to work alongside the Regular Force in meeting operational challenges, both domestically and abroad. In helping to augment the capabilities of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Primary Reserve members, primarily across the Naval Reserve, Canadian Army Reserve, Royal Canadian Air Force Reserve, Military Personnel Command Reserve, and Canadian Special Operations Forces Command Reserve, are ready to respond if and when needed. The Primary Reserve is instrumental in supporting the Regular Force by responding to humanitarian challenges, both domestically (i.e., natural disaster emergencies) and in international operations. It is within this context that we examine women’s lived experiences of serving in the Canadian Primary Reserve. Specifically, the purpose of this article is to explore the challenges and opportunities associated with being a woman in the Primary Reserve. To better understand these challenges and opportunities, a qualitative study conducted by Waruszynski and MacEachern (2019) examined the attraction, recruitment, employment, and retention of women in the Primary Reserve.Footnote2 Through the use of focus groups and individual interviews, the researchers were able to take note of the lived experiences of women serving in the CAF Primary Reserve. These participants also provided suggestions on how the CAF could increase the representation of women and thereby foster a more integrated, diverse, and inclusive Canadian military to further strengthen its defence capabilities and operational effectiveness.