Karlova Ekaterina N.

The article presents the results of a long-term sociological study of the cadets’ motivation to serve in one of the most dangerous military specialties - piloting army aviation. The traditional institutional structure of military service has been showing signs of infiltration by market mechanisms since the second part of the 20th century, which has had a detrimental impact on professional conduct of the servicemen. Several sociological surveys were used to identify long-term trends in the shifting social base and motivations of future pilots. The study showed an increase in the average age of applicants, the educational status of their families, and a decline in the number of military dynasties over the past twenty years. Maintaining intergenerational continuity of traditions and corporate foundations in the military profession will assist in stabilizing the number of military dynasties’ continuers. Pragmatic motives for choosing a military profession are replaced by non-material values. The Special Military Operation increased the conviction among the cadets in the social significance of their profession, as well as the importance of patriotic motivation.

The article presents the analysis of military and professional status of women, prospects and limitations in achieving gender equality in the Armed forces of the Russian Federation. The author makes a conclusion about partial gender integration according to the criteria of military rank, military specializations and education. The gender structure of the Russian army is characterized by a significant imbalance with a predominance of men in prestigious military ranks. The current situation of gender imbalance in the military profession is due to a set of factors. Most females perform support jobs in the military that are not associated with combat risks, personnel management or increased risk to life and health. Higher and secondary vocational military education is available to a minimum number of women, which makes it difficult to have equal opportunities for interaction and professional development. The achievement of gender equality in the military socio-professional environment is hampered not only by socio-cultural stereotypes, but also by a set of anatomical and physiological characteristics of women, as well as a number of other factors: the right to realize the social role of the mother, the lack of a clear gender policy of selection, training and order of military service by women, legal barriers, gender incompetence of military personnel and the unformed feminist movement for women’s rights. Gender stereotypes and negative social attitudes towards female soldiers act as an additional restriction on their integration into the military profession. The prospects for the expansion of gender equality are unclear due to the lack of conceptual documents and programs aimed at achieving a balance in the Armed forces of the Russian Federation and the formation of a neutral gender regime for military units and organizations.

The article highlights the results of the research work carried out from 2013 to 2017, the aim of which was to study the organizational and socio-pedagogical issues of scientific work of the military of the research squadrons. Service activities of operators of the air force research squadrons was the subject of the study. Since their formation in 2013, research squadrons evolved from a local experiment to a fully fledged network of units solving theoretical and applied problems in terms of different scientific areas. Informational openness of the project contributes to the construction of an attractive image of the Armed forces of the Russian Federation as a reliable social institution, as well as contributes to the growth of motivation of the operators, their commanders and scientific supervisors to achieve higher results in work. The study showed that the new form of military conscription service enables citizens to perform their patriotic duty without loss of professional competencies. Most operators chose to be soldiers in the research squadrons based on pragmatic considerations: in order to pass compulsory service in the army without departing from the chosen professional path, to improve and augment research skills and to gain new research experience. The assessments given by the military to various aspects and conditions of activities in the research squadron in general are positive. During the period of the research the growth of the military identity was observed, in other words, the operators identified themselves with the group of the conscript military servicemen and, taking into consideration the specifics of the service, with the officers as well. The authors conclude that the idea of conscription of the successful graduates from civilian universities for services to research squadrons for five years has proven its viability and productivity.