Resolution 1325 shows that the role of women in military organizations and in armed conflicts is an important resource. One of the reasons for this is that the legitimacy of peace agreements and peace building is increasing. Although it is 18 years since the adoption of this resolution, there is a very limited number of research studies indicating what motivates women to participate in international military operations.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate what motivates Swedish women to participate on an international military operation. Using quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis, Swedish women's motivation has been examined in relation to Battistelli's theory, which defines three categories: paleo modern, modern and postmodern. Survey results indicate that Swedish women are most highly motivated by paleo modern motives, followed by postmodern and finally modern motives.
An analysis was also conducted to determine whether levels of motivation varied in relation to the type of operation involved, for example, if the mandate was peacekeeping or peace enforcement. Findings indicated similar results for both types of operation, although modern motives had a stronger influence in the case of peace enforcement.