Recent reports about women soldiers being inducted into the Indian army was welcomed by many people (though not all). This has been a long time coming. We have had women officers in each of the branches of the military; however now we are to have women soldiers as well. We are still some distance away from seeing women in frontline positions in combat roles. However, the latest recruitment drive for inducting women soldiers into the army is a start --- and a good one.
The armed forces were in one sense, the last male bastion. Earlier, institutions of higher learning were shut to women. Professions such as medicine and law were long thought of as unsuitable for women. Women were not allowed to participate in many sports as well. The breaching of each male bastion was a long, arduous journey for the women who campaigned for representation in each of these areas.
Today women have come a long way from the archetypal military nurse. At first, it was women in medical corps, then in administrative roles.Then we had women in combat supervisory roles; as officers in each of the three arms of the military. When the Indian Air Force finally inducted women fighter pilots we all cheered for a decision that was a long time coming. We also cheered when the all-women Indian naval crew circumnavigated the globe. We continue to cheer when we see those smart young women of the BSF at Wagah Border, Ferozepur and so on.
As of December 2018, the IAF has about 13%, the Indian Navy has 6% and the army has about 4% women. These numbers are small in themselves, but they matter when we take into account the fact that inductions of women started so late. Indian women were inducted into the army in non-medical roles only in 1992, into the IAF as pilots in support roles in 1994. However, until now, women have only been a part of the military as officers, in administrative, education, legal, aviation, medical, signals, engineering roles.
Now, recruitment drives for women to be inducted into the Corps of Military Police have started. The selected candidates will undergo extensive training for 60 weeks before being inducted in 2021. These women soldiers will then carry out policing of cantonments and other similar tasks. Women will now be able to fulfil their aspirations of serving the nation; some hoping to follow in the footsteps of a father or other member of the family.
We however still have a long way to go. Last year we had Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat speak about women soldiers in the Indian army. He had said that “we are not yet ready for women in combat roles”. According to him, the facilities required for women soldiers are not yet in place and women also have to be prepared for “that kind of hardship”, which is "not easy".
In a lot of ways, we Indians are not yet ready for women in combat roles. That fact that a woman's childbearing years coincide with her most productive professional years is seen as a significant demerit. Many officers I have spoken to, feel that the ROI (return on investment) is low on women officers. Firstly, a large proportion of women are commissioned as Short Service Commission officers, so they would be required to leave service after 10 (extendable by 4 years) unless they get PC (permanent commission which involves scrutiny and a selection process). Further, they would take time off when pregnant or as new mothers. For this and other reasons, there are several premier squadrons of the IAF which have few or no female officers. They are seen as insufficient ROI.
Only two women - Dr. Punita Arora of the Indian Navy and Padmavathy Bandopadhyay of the IAF have reached three-star rank positions in the Indian military – Vice Admiral and Air Marshal respectively. This is telling. Having interacted for years with so many female officers of the Indian Air Force I can say truthfully that they make top-notch professionals. And there are enough of them in the IAF for a comfortable and natural working environment to have evolved in the organisation. However, I still feel that women officers are more closely scrutinised; their missteps more magnified than male officers.
As a society we still expect the woman to be the family’s primary caregiver. She is still expected to cook, look after the house, children and elderly in the family, even if her professional responsibilities are the same as those of her husband. For this, she is penalized professionally – she is cricitised for asking ‘special favours’ and her professional advancement is limited in scope. So the current recruitment is certainly a positive step in the right direction – but we do have a very long way to go still.
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