### 🛡️ The Defense Ministry's Gender Barrier

Though widely seen as a bastion of male representation, states increasingly appoint women to defense minister roles post-Cold War.

### 🔍 Understanding Exclusion Factors

This study explores why men remain dominant in these positions by analyzing three sets of hypotheses using comprehensive cross-national data. Women face exclusion when the portfolio reinforces traditional masculinity expectations—particularly evident in states engaged in fatal disputes, governed by military dictators, and large military spenders.

### 🌟 Identifying Predictors for Change

Female representation emerges when political norms evolve: specifically in countries with female chief executives or parliamentarians. Additionally, shifts occur when the role's traditional conceptions diverge from modern realities—observed especially in peacekeeping-focused nations and former military states transitioning to left-wing governance.

Military, Defense Minister, Peacekeeping