The passing century has broken many stereotypes. Views on the role and place of women in the system of social relations have changed significantly. Feminization has also affected military life. Today, more and more women of the fairer sex devote their lives to military labor, which has been considered an exclusively male occupation since ancient times. And although we are far from the usual "be ahead of the whole planet", but this, you will agree, is not our most serious lag. However, Russian women want to serve in the army, boldly go there and are going to continue to come to military collectives. And it doesn't seem to make sense to argue whether it's good or bad that women try on military uniforms. This is a fait accompli. It seems reasonable to look at the same" fait accompli " in the armies of other states. Khaki emancipation has a lot of nuances. Here we will talk about them.

If in our Russian army women, one might say, are just beginning to master the military service, then in the armed forces of NATO member states, representatives of the fair sex did it long ago. Currently, the number of women serving on active duty in the armies of the United States, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and a number of other North Atlantic Treaty States is more than 270 thousand. They serve as soldiers, sergeants, officers and generals in almost all types and branches of the armed forces. There are also quite a few women at NATO headquarters itself.

Despite the fact that the degree of feminization of our Armed Forces in comparison with the armies of leading states is still small, it should be borne in mind that, apparently, in the near future, the Russian army will also gain the necessary "female maximum" without compromising its combat readiness, since it is already repeating the path that the armed forces of a number of countries have passed through the world.

For example, the increase in the number of female military personnel in the US Army was associated with the introduction of a system of voluntary recruitment as the main principle of recruiting professional armed forces. The military department was forced to take such a step for the following reasons: the unsuccessful end of the Vietnam War, a significant decline in the prestige of the entire military institution of the state and military service in particular, as well as demographic changes in the country.

The US Military then made a very successful bet on a woman as a potential subject of military activity. At the same time, the economic situation associated with the crisis of 1973-1976 was taken into account. If for a significant part of the male population, the army remained a low-authority institution of society (primarily for people with a high level of education and qualifications), then for women who have eternal problems with employment, it became a kind of island of salvation in times of crisis. It was in the armed forces that the fair sex representatives had the opportunity to prove themselves in a professional field, while having a fairly stable and high annual income, as well as some benefits. Here are the following statistics. In the late 70s and early 80s (the initial period of military reform), the average annual income of men employed in civilian industries was significantly higher than in the army, while the opposite was true for women. The annual income of an American female soldier exceeded by 1 - 1.5 thousand dollars (15-20 percent) the income of a woman "in civilian life".

In addition, women were able to prove that they can perform the most important combat training tasks on an equal basis with men. Therefore, it is not surprising that today in the US Armed forces there are practically no closed specialties for them. They even forced the men, as they say, to move in military transport and special aircraft, as well as on ships. For example, during the operation in the Persian Gulf on the floating base accompanying the destroyer "Stark", the number of women was 240 people. And this is almost 20 percent of the entire crew. Due to their higher level of intellectual and strong-willed qualities, ladies in uniform created a healthy competition for men who applied for prestigious posts in the army hierarchy. By the way, there are currently 11 female generals and one admiral in the US armed Forces. As for the mentioned intellectual potential, the figures speak for themselves - according to sociologists, the average indicator of mental abilities of an American soldier is estimated at 66 points (on a 100-point scale), while men - only 55.8 points. Maybe these indicators are not entirely to the liking of the stronger sex, but the facts can not be ignored...

Professional and social adaptation in the army environment is also facilitated by the network of educational institutions that is available in the armies of NATO countries. So, in the UK, special schools and courses with different terms of study are successfully functioning. In Norway, girls can study in non-commissioned officers 'and officers' schools. A similar system exists in other States, where women are allowed to study at colleges and academies on an equal basis with men. At the moment, the issues of their preparation are still being worked out at best... By the way, the US Army has an Advisory Committee on Women in the Armed Forces, which was established back in 1951. Since then, its tasks have remained unchanged - advice and assistance to the Minister of Defense in solving problems related to the service of women in the army. As a rule, the most worthy, competent and educated female military personnel are appointed to the committee, who are able to defend the interests of their colleagues, women in uniform, and develop the necessary documents. A similar committee functions at the NATO headquarters.

Most of the female military personnel, of course, are not married. However, marital status abroad is not an obstacle to military service. Sooner or later, many female military personnel get married and have children. And here they are faced with the question: will their family happiness be a hindrance in their career? In the West, there are attempts to resolve emerging problems. In the US Army, there are special services that take on the social protection of children of military personnel, are engaged in selecting the optimal place of service that meets the interests of all family members. In the German armed Forces, a woman has the right to take family leave for up to three years, with the possibility of extending it for up to 12 years. After a vacation, a woman has the right to return to the army again. Similar regulatory developments are probably necessary in our Armed Forces as well.

In the process of serving in the Russian Army, representatives of the fair sex often face difficulties and even get into conflict situations due to a lack of information about their rights, duties and benefits, and the order of service. Many of them complain that lectures on legal topics are not read for them, orders are not communicated or explained. Apparently, it is necessary to listen to the complaints of women and publish a special collection that would provide answers to the most common questions among the fair sex.

Take the same moral and ethical questions. It is not uncommon for many female military personnel to deal with the rudeness and lack of culture of individual officers and ensigns. Unfortunately, there are also attempts by some men in uniform to persuade female military personnel to cohabit. However, here the West has not gone far from us. For example, American servicemen are still subjected to sexual abuse, despite attempts to eliminate discrimination in the armed forces. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the US Department of Defense. 64 percent of American military personnel surveyed said that they had been subjected to various insults in one way or another - from whistling and vulgar jokes in their address to lascivious glances and direct sexual harassment. The survey results also show that female military personnel are four times more likely than male military personnel to experience sexual abuse in various forms. Five per cent of women who suffered abuse reported that they had been raped or otherwise sexually assaulted. Eight out of ten complained about "sexual taunts, vulgar jokes"...

With the arrival of the fair sex, the manifestations of favoritism are already making themselves felt. They find their expression in the undeserved promotion of women to higher positions, in their appointment to easier, preferred jobs. Often, individual commanders "attach" their wives and relatives... Unfortunately, such a "personnel" policy does not contribute to normal relations in the team, and worsens the moral atmosphere in it. By the way, in the United States at one time, this phenomenon also became acute, which prompted the military department to issue a special directive to curb this kind of abuse and increase the requirements for the admission of women to military service.

In conclusion, I would like to note that we have only touched on some of the problems that ladies in uniform have to face. And, as we can see, the comparison is not in our favor yet. Consideration and resolution of urgent issues should not be postponed for a long time, since the presence of women in the army is no longer an exception, but, one might say, the rule. And the sooner this happens, the less thorny the path of feminization of the young Russian army will be.

From the Orientir dossier

The first country to enlist women in the military was Canada. It started in 1895. The experience of Canadians was soon supported in European countries. Especially many representatives of the fairer sex took part in the First World War. The largest formation was the Women's Royal Auxiliary Corps in Great Britain.

To date, 200 thousand women serve in the United States alone, which is approximately 11 percent of the personnel. However, less than one percent of them are generals and admirals. In France, more than 20 thousand representatives of the fair sex are serving in the military, in the UK - more than 16 thousand. There is a very low percentage of female military personnel in the German armed Forces, where they are mainly employed in the military medical service.

Permanent link to this publication: