The Armed Forces: In service of Human Rights [2021]
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
-G. K Chesterton
All our soldiers embody this quote completely, regardless of their gender, caste, or creed. So why is equality between men and women in the army, a right guaranteed by our Constitution, such a far-off dream? Soldiers are willing to sacrifice everything for their country and their people that they hold so dear. The army protects our right to life and gives us the comfort to sleep at night. We extol every man and woman that is a part of our armed forces. So, let us explore the system that has given us these incredible guardians.
The army as an institution has changed a lot over the last few years and will continue to do so. We would like to focus on the role of women in the army – the great strides that have been taken to uplift them, as well as the imperfections that are hindering our progress. The Right to Equality is a fundamental right. So, what has the army done to uphold this statement regarding women?
A platoon of female soldiers from the Assam Rifles have been deployed on the Line of Control at Tangdhar in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian navy has deployed four female officers on frontline warships in March 2021. This move is a first step towards integrating more women into missions on warships. Ten female fighter pilots are part of the Indian Air Force and one of the first women inducted into the fighter pilot position, Flt Lt Avani Chaturvedi, has been chosen for training on the newly inducted, cutting edge Rafales. The first batch of three female pilots of Indian Navy have been operationalized on Dornier Aircraft by the Southern Naval Command at Kochi in October 2020. The Supreme Court granted female officers the right to hold permanent commission and unit command postings in the army in July 2020 and 277 women (out of the 615 that applied) were granted a permanent commission, which means a career in the army till retirement. Taking a page out of the US, UK, Australian, German, and French navies that have women deployed on warships, the Army Aviation Corps is scheduled to induct women pilots into frontline helicopter missions beginning in 2022.
The former prime minister of the UK lifted the ban on women in combat roles in 2016 and Laura J Richardson become the first female deputy commanding general of the US army forces command in 2017. To quote the former UK defense secretary Gavin Williamson, “I am delighted that from today, for the first time in its history, our armed forces will be determined by ability alone and not gender.”
Yet, women continue to face practical hurdles in building a career in the armed forces and violations of their rights like sexual harassment and assault, gender integration, and parental leave policies. Surveys show that when women marry and have children, they are overwhelmingly more likely to leave the military. This shows that they believe the military does not support their choice to be mothers. The familial and societal pressure causes many Indian women to leave their role in the military. The actuality of the armed forces is that it is still a difficult world for women to navigate.
Tokenism is the practice of making a symbolic effort, by recruiting only a small number of people from underrepresented groups to give the appearance of equality. While we do see women going places within the army and see barriers being broken when reaching new heights, these still tend to be special cases. This relegates women’s success to a unique occurrence, rather than the norm. This makes us wonder weather will there truly be a day when women are large part of the army. In India, women still only make up 0.56% of the Army,1.08% of the Air Force and 6.5% of the Navy. These numbers are abysmal compared to other nations like the US, having 14.4% of the army being women, which is still not even close to them being equal to the men.
Promotions to command ranks are a bleak prospect for women as their career confidential reports are often written for women officers by male commanders with a casual outlook. The attitudinal barriers of men are one of the biggest challenges faced by women in the armed forces. Many are slow to change their beliefs about women being physically and physiologically weaker and therefore being unsuited for combat. Women need to be given a fair opportunity and they will serve to the best of their capability.
Women face social barriers too. “What will happen if they are captured as prisoners of war?” is one of the most frequently stated expressions when women are denied the opportunity to take part in direct combat. It is said that it would be a situation of extreme mental, physical, and psychological stress for the army and the government and that can be avoided by keeping women away from direct combat. Familial duties are also stated. Since most of the army is predominantly male and from rural backgrounds, they are not mentally prepared to accept a female officer in command. It is a greater challenge for women to adapt to separation and frequent transfers, owing to prolonged absence during pregnancy and domestic obligations towards children. We continue to remain caged by such antiquated ideas.
Women are making strides in the army, but they are faced with great resistance from all fronts, the Indian society, the army, and in most cases, their own families. To ensure greater integration of women in the army, education of society, as always, is the answer. The total strength of women in the armed forces has increased threefold in the past six years (from 3000 to 9000). While challenges, resistance and unresolved issues remain, steps in the right direction are being taken to achieve gender equality in the armed forces. The value of small steps as exceptions to the norm lies in that they set legal and procedural precedents and examples, on which future policy can be framed.
Jai Hind!
Sources:
- Unique Challenges Faced by the Powerful Women Who Serve in the United States Military – Military Families Learning Network
- Army Aviation Corps (India) – Wikipedia
- In Historic First, 2 Women Officers Set to Join Crew of Frontline Indian Navy Warships
- After SC warning, Army agrees to grant permanent commission to 11 women – India News
- Women in Indian armed forces. She is unique! | Wall Street International Magazine
- 39 Women Army Officers Get Permanent Commission After Supreme Court Win
- First batch of 3 women pilots to fly Dornier operationalized at SNC Kochi | Women News | Manorama English
- All British Armed Forces roles now open to women | The British Army
- Women on the front lines: Military service, combat, and gender | OUPblog
- Women in the U.S. Army | The United States Army
- Male troops won’t accept women commanders: Government to SC | India News – Times of India
- Indian military sees threefold increase in women personnel in 6 years | Latest News India – Hindustan Times
- Minority representation, tokenism, and well-be
- Lori Robinson | Biography, Rank, & Commands | Britannica Ing in army units. – PsycNET
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