The defense establishment issued a solemn announcement, all military units opened their doors and a new era was declared in the headlines. Nothing to say, the Women's Recruitment Project in the British Army was supposed to be a symbol of gender equality. In practice, after five years, the results are far from what was expected.
Specifications obtained by the kingdom's media indicate that out of 18,50 infantry fighters, only 5 are women. Of the 000,30 soldiers in the British Armoured Corps, there are only <> women. Since the opening of all British Army units, including the SAS (British Commando Unit), almost no women have enlisted in combat units.
Soldiers in the British Navy. That's where it actually worked, Photo: AP
In addition, the British media reported that so far lone women have volunteered for frontline combat units, and no women have been able to complete the training course of the British Marine Corps.
A former senior British defence official said the reports of the project were just a "failed publicity stunt" by the Ministry of Defence. Another officer noted that women may have been reluctant to volunteer for combat field units following a series of reports of rape and sexual abuse that took place in various army units.
"This is not surprising"
Colonel Richard Kemp, commander of some of the army's armed infantry units in Afghanistan, was not surprised by the figures. "It's no surprise that very few women want to volunteer to serve in our armored or infantry corps. Women who did volunteer failed in the training courses that the forces undergo, and it is clear that there will be a negligible number of female fighters in combat roles."
The officer added: "Being one woman or a minority of women in a unit that is almost entirely male is unproductive. This will harm the morale of the female fighters and the combat efficiency of the entire unit. This process of recruiting women to the combat forces is proving to be very expensive, harmful and useless. It was done only for reasons of political correctness. It's a waste of taxpayers' money that the army didn't want at all, but it was forced upon it." Another British officer, Philip Ingram, believes that "the reason so few women join the fighting forces is because of their fear of facing sexual harassment and discrimination."
However, it should be noted that women serve in the British army successfully. Britain's late Queen Elizabeth II herself served as a military driver in the Women's Auxiliary Corps during World War II. The corps has since been disbanded and women have been integrated into all units of the British Army. It is also quite possible that the current process may take longer than five years.
In response to the publication, a British Army spokesman said: "We are proud that the opportunities are as accessible to women in the military as to men. We work hard to ensure they have a thriving career."
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