There Exists a Profession of “Defending the Homeland”: Motivation Preferences in Choice of Military Careers

Abstract

Irina Surkova — Associate Professor, Chair for Sociology, Social Anthropology and Social Work, Saratov State Technical University. Address: 77, Politechnicheskaya St., Saratov, 410054, Russian Federation. E-mail: irina.surkova@socpolicy.ru

This article discusses the results of a study which explored the life paths among the military in Russia. The study was based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, which allowed for a rather multifold analysis of career choice among the military. Sociological data has been collected through questionnaires and in-depth biographical interviews in several military districts.

The major analytical focus is motivation preferences and their influence over satisfaction with military service in the times of its transformation. The author develops a typology of main factors which influence the choice of profession, provides detailed sociological portraits of the people in service, and elaborates on the key features which ease successful recruiting of young people in the army. The interpretative analysis of interview data further expands the explanatory capacity of the elaborated typology and reveals the strategies of professional self-identification of the military. The major factors that influence career strategies among the military include: the family (social capital, dynasties, parental expectations, father’s desire, etc.); romantic expectations about the service generated by the Soviet ideology (sense of duty, heroic representations of the defender’s profession, etc.); and higher social status and material well-being. The typology also secures a number of motivation criteria, which could prove useful in developing new recruitment and selection procedures in the army.