Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 January 2018
64. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the extent to which women continue to be attracted to all branches of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3684/18]
View answerAs of the 31st of December, 2017 the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 9,173 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) personnel. Of this some 6.6%, or 600 personnel, were female, broken down as follows:
- Army: 496 Female Personnel
- Air Corps: 34 Female Personnel
- Naval Service: 70 Female Personnel
The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces and to the full participation by women in all aspects of Defence Forces activities. This is underlined by a commitment in the Programme for Government to increase the level of female participation in the Defence Forces. In each of the two general service recruitment campaigns conducted in 2017, approximately 13% of the Applicants were female. The figure for cadet Applicants was approximately 15%.
One impediment in achieving greater numbers of women serving in the Defence Forces is the lack of women recruitment applicants relative to men which may be as a result of societal perception and attitudes to female soldiers and officers.
A number of specific initiatives have been implemented to increase the level of female participation such as the targeting of female websites as part of recruitment campaigns and visits to female schools by Defence Forces personnel to promote a career in the Defence Forces to women. Other initiatives include:
- The introduction of best practices in recruitment, such as the adjustment of physical standards for female applicants,
- Special consideration is paid to women as a target group for recruitment,
- A balanced composition between men and women on recruitment and selection boards,
- All promotions and career courses are open to both sexes on merit,
- A Gender Advisor has been appointed to promote gender equality policies and training within the Defence Forces.
The White Paper on Defence recognised a requirement to develop a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and this, along with the associated Action Plan, has been achieved.
Notwithstanding the recent proactive initiatives, over the lifetime of the White Paper further projects will be progressed to ensure that the development and promotion of strategies that support increased female participation in the Defence Forces is continued. Such projects include:
- Developing further initiatives to encourage more women to apply for the Defence Forces and to increase female participation at all ranks.
- Conducting a survey to identify any impediments to the advancement of women in the PDF.
With the support of the Chief of Staff, I remain committed to maximising recruitment of both men and women to retain the capacity of the Defence Forces to operate effectively across all roles and to undertake the tasks laid down by Government, both at home and abroad.
