Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 January 2021
140. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which the number of women in the Defence Forces has fluctuated in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4890/21]
View answerAs at 31st December 2020, the latest date for which such data is available, the number of female personnel in the Permanent Defence Force was 603.
The table below shows the number of women in the Permanent Defence Force in each of the last 5 years.
|
Year |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|
Females |
568 |
600 |
601 |
598 |
603 |
The White Paper on Defence 2015, which provides the current defence policy agenda over a ten year planning horizon, contains a number of initiatives and projects designed to encourage more women to apply for the Defence Forces and to increase female participation at all ranks.
The commitment to increase participation by female personnel in all aspects of Defence Forces operations is further exemplified in the Defence Forces Equality Policy and the Defence Forces Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Statement and Action Plan, which outlines the Organisation’s commitment to gender equality.
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.
