India is predominantly a land of patriarch where in today’s day and age majority of the families’ donors encourage their daughters, wives, sisters to progress outside the four walls of their house. Most would think that reasons might either be a certain religion, underdeveloped region, or being plain uneducated. But it’s time to burst the myth, because it is not so, people choose to do so under the garb of being conservative which very conveniently only applies to the female family members of the family.
Now this might apply to a section of the society, but let’s not forget, the rebels, the courageous, the gutsy who refuse to adhere to the customs and pave their own way. India has been taking some commendable steps to crush the gender barriers.
Today, women are coming forward with a hunger to achieve and win in all sorts of job profiles. And one such job profile asks them to serve their nation like no other, the armed forces.
As per the government figures, induction of women in military has increased 3 folds over the period of last six years and currently 9,118 women are working in the army, navy and air force combined, which still remains an abysmal number.
There has been a stereotype for years whether women can take up the workload that comes with the job and only recently in the 90’s women have been allowed to take up jobs in the army.
A lot has been said about the senior most women in the army, Lieutenant General Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar, AVSM, VSM. She has been serving the Indian army since the 1980’s. She also became the third woman officer and pediatrician to be promoted to three- star rank in 2019.
As per her interview given in the Indian express, she talks about life as a soldier. She says that this job not only makes you physically but mentally stronger. And there is no gender discrimination at the work place. Women have always been at the army medical core. And no one in the forces looks at you as a man or woman, but as a professional colleague and when in uniforms, as officers.
One of the turning points for women in the military came when the Indian Air Force decided to induct them into the fighter stream in 2015.the navy is also doing its bit and opening more avenues for women in the recent years. In 2016, the first naval women were inducted as pilots of maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
So it is quite clear that there is no gender discrimination at the work place. To make things better the army has also constituted a special screening board to select women officers for permanent commission. In 2008, the government extended this commission to two branches for the time being, Army Education Corps and Judge Advocate General.
Till now the women had been serving as short serving commission meaning they could serve up to 14 years but as per the supreme court order which has come out in February 2020, women will now be serving under the board of permanent commission. Out of the 615 women who were considered for permanent commission board, 422 were found fit for the role, last year.
Warships, tanks and combat positions in infantry are still no go zones for women. We have come so far , we’ll go farther. There are a lot of changes taking place in the military in favour of women and hopefully it will continue to do so.
About the author –
This blog has been written by Adv. Irika G. Jyoti, Completed LL.B from National Law University, Jodhpur.
