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“Freeze my Semen and I Will Join the War”: The Masculinization of the Security–Demography Nexus
Swedish Defence University, Department of Political Science.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0389-6095
Swedish Defence University, Institutionen för ledarskap och ledning, Leadership and Command & Control Division Karlstad.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5070-4979
2025 (English)In: International Political Sociology, ISSN 1749-5679, E-ISSN 1749-5687, Vol. 19, no 3, article id olaf020Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This article explores and theorizes an aspect of war in the 2020s that has not previously been recognized in social science literature: The practice of soldiers freezing their semen before joining the military. The security–demography nexus has been studied mainly as a state concern—whether a state should limit or expand its population depending on different factors. In this context, women have been the main targets of biopolitical reproduction efforts. However, societal and political shifts, coupled with advancements in reproductive technology that enhance accessibility, necessitate a re-evaluation of the gendered dynamics within the security–demography relationship. The war between Russia and Ukraine represents an unusual example of two industrialized states involved in an interstate war. The practice of soldiers freezing their semen constitutes a new masculinization of the security–demography nexus. We argue that the theoretical concept of reproductive insurance implies a form of self-governance that can manage shifting masculinities in ways that allow the male individual to protect the capacity to have children before risking life on the battlefield. The shifting gender dynamic of the security–demography nexusmeans that Western militaries may have to adapt their policies and offerreproductive insurance to both women and men within their ranks.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. Vol. 19, no 3, article id olaf020
Keywords [en]
Security, military, cryopreservation, war
National Category
Political Science Sociology Gender Studies
Research subject
Leadership and Command & Control; Political Science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:fhs:diva-14030DOI: 10.1093/ips/olaf020OAI: oai:DiVA.org:fhs-14030DiVA, id: diva2:1987970
Available from: 2025-08-09 Created: 2025-08-09 Last updated: 2025-09-29Bibliographically approved

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Holmberg, AritaAlvinius, Aida

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