ABSTRACT
Although “new” forms of families are not a new phenomenon, there is a lack of research looking at those families within the Armed Forces. The aim of this chapter is to explore the challenges “new” families face at the intersection with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) as a “greedy” and demanding institution. We focused on three forms of “new families”: same-sex couples, single mothers, and divorced parents; and conducted 24 interviews with personnel and four with policymakers in the IDF. The findings point to a gap between “new policies” the military has recently embraced in order to meet the “new” family’s needs and the “old” organizational culture. Single parenthood and homosexual orientation are still perceived as a disadvantage and a barrier for promotion to higher ranks, within the “unwritten” organizational culture. For single parents (by choice or following divorce), the road to promotion is considerably more challenging, due to a culture that glorifies long working hours as a condition for organizational capital and organizational rewards. Furthermore, the organizational culture is still conservative, and people are prejudiced against LGTBQ service members. Though different sexual orientations are accepted in the back-office units, they may create barriers for a personal military career. The research points to a need for change in the organizational culture, in order to truly embrace diversity, regarding “new” family and parenthood forms in the contemporary IDF.
