The Future of Women and Work
As a way to promote the recruitment of women, the Swiss Army is ceasing to provide men’s underwear to female recruits.
The Woman Post | Catalina Mejía
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Women were previously being issued oversized men’s underwear. From the start of April, the swiss army announced that women would be given two sets of female underwear, one for colder months and another for the colder ones.
With the mentioned initiative, the Swiss Army plans to increase the number of female recruits from 1% to 10% in the next ten years. The Swiss Army realized that the clothing that was being handed to female recruits was actually designed for men, so if the army was to be transformed to include more women taking action was important. The army’s spokesman Kaj-Gunnar Sievert publicly expressed that the army’s clothing pack was not properly suited to adjust to the requirements of women. The current clothing provided by the military was introduced for the first time during the 1980s as reported by Swissinfo.
The defense minister, Amherd, also manifested his support, highlighting the importance of compatibility in terms of the gear provided to women in the army. Especially, taking into account that from the year 2004, men and women have been performing the same duties in the army. Other elements of the uniform, such as camouflage trousers, will also be adjusted to include adjustable waistbands in order to provide a better fit for women. As a means to increase the percentage of women in the army, the ministry of defense stated that they would launch a new service for women and strongly encourage the reconciliation of military service, work, education, and family. It is vital to remark that Viola Amherd became the first female defense minister in Switzerland during the year 2019.
Also read: HIRING BY SKILLS INSTEAD OF TITLES
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that this year, Sydney Barber became the first black female Brigade Commander of the US Naval academy. Barber started on January 2021 in her new role where she oversees 4000 students at the academy. She is the 16th woman named as Brigade Commander during the 44 years that women have been authorized to attend the naval academy. When interviewed starting at her new position, Barber mentioned that her performance at this role and the way she would lead would set the road for all the minorities and all the girls coming after her.
Adeola Ogunmola, also made history in 2018 being appointed as the first Nigerian female pilot of the Boeing 787 to fly for Qatar Airways. When interviewed Ogunmola made emphasis that women can achieve anything they want by being focused and putting mind and aligning mind and heart on the objective.
Marwa Elselehdar is an Egyptian woman who studied at the Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales, who is widely known for being the first female ship captain in Egypt. On September 2018, she started working at Aida IV and she earned inclusion in the Encyclopedia of Arab-African Economic Integration’s list of top 20 Arab women in terms of achievement.
There are several examples of women who have conquered the challenges of male-dominated professions. The actions taken by the Swiss Army serve as a reminder that the world is heading towards the inclusion of women in various professions which were traditionally performed by men. Barber, Ogunmola, and Elselehdar are clear examples of the transformation that is taking place in various places of the world, which show a tendency towards women inclusion and democratization of jobs.
