Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2023
97. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence for an outline of the strategies and improvements required to attract females to enlist in the Defence Forces and feel fully respected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42230/23]
View answerThe Government remains 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.
It is also Government policy to increase female participation rates at all levels of the Defence Forces in order to increase capability and to better reflect the society from which the Defence Forces are drawn and serve.
In light of the Commission on the Defence Forces report and the report of the Independent Review Group, I have also prioritised a significant programme of reform and culture change within the Defence Forces to ensure that it is an equal opportunities employer, reflective of contemporary Irish society and that is providing a safe workplace.
The Strategic Framework for Transformation of the Defence Forces, approved by Government last week which I have published, sets out the vital work that is underway relating to the transformation of the Defence Forces and outlines the necessary actions to be delivered by the end of 2024. The framework puts a focus on strategic HR and cultural change to transform the internal working environment for serving members and includes measures to address recruitment and retention challenges.
As of 31 August 2023, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) stood at 7,671 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) personnel. Of this some 549 personnel or 7% were female, broken down as follows:
• Army: 451 Female Personnel (WTE)
• Air Corps: 36 Female Personnel (WTE)
• Naval Service: 62 Female Personnel (WTE)
It should be noted that while this percentage is not satisfactory, it is not out of kilter with standards across international militaries, for example, the percentage of women in the UK Armed Forces is 11.5%.
The Chief of Staff has signalled his commitment to increasing the female ratio to 9% this year and initiatives to attract more females to join the Defence Forces include:
• A female specific recruitment team is being established to co-ordinate the attendance of tri-service female specific recruiting teams at national and regional level events.
• The team will actively engage with organisations such as the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association, the Camogie Association, Wo.men in STEM events, the Department of Education, Hersport.ie and 30% Club in conjunction with the Defence Forces Gender Equality and Diversity Advisor.
• The team will also engage with the Marketing and Media partner that has been engaged to assist with recruitment advertising, to see what opportunities are available to showcase a career in the Defence Forces for women. The overall aim will be to highlight the career opportunities available to women across the three Services of the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces ensures a gender perspective is incorporated when advertising across all of their social media platforms. This ensures a fair and equal representation of both males and females in all published content.
• A targeted advertising campaign was run during the recent Women’s Soccer World Cup, with further opportunities being explored for the remainder of 2023.
• The recent announcement to extend private secondary medical care to enlisted personnel is also an important development as it is will provide private medical care during pregnancy.
• The Defence Forces are also taking a broad approach in terms of fitness testing. In addition to a re-examination of the female specific milestones that have to be achieved in terms of fitness standards, there has been a change from a “Pass or Fail” system in terms of fitness test scoring to a “traffic light” system. This means that female applicants who do not automatically pass the fitness test may be selected for induction, should the HR demand exist.
• There has also been an emphasis on Fitness Test Preparation. Videos relating to the Defence Forces Induction Fitness Test have been uploaded on www.military.ie with a section specifically focusing on the modified female push up.
• A Gender Equality and Diversity Officer has been in place for a number of years to promote gender equality policies and training within the Defence Forces. Gender Advisors are available to all Brigades and Services and trained Gender Focal Points are deployed with all overseas units and ships in order to promote a gender perspective in operations.
• Work-life balance initiatives including facilitating "job-sharing" for overseas deployments; accessibility of career courses for those with family commitments; family friendly overseas appointments; and a renewed focus on dual- service member families
• A range of ‘harmony’ measures including ‘hot desking’ or remote working have been piloted to create an attractive working environment.
• A joint (Department of Defence and Defence Forces) Defence Women’s Network was formally launched in January 2022, with the aim of increasing the participation of female personnel at all levels of the organisation, and has been very successful. Earlier this year a launch of female sports wear was announced (sports bras) together with the provision of female hygience products in barracks, ships etc
Additional actions that are to be advanced under the Strategic Framework include the appointment of a senior Gender Advisor at Colonel level; options for female participation at General Staff level; and the development of gender, diversity and unconscious bias training.
These are important initiatives which will underpin the commitment to increasing recruitment and moving to a strong representation by women across all ranks of the Defence Forces.
