No military has achieved gender balance

KDF recruitment. As KDF continues its recruitment of men and women to join the military, there has been concern over lack of gender balance. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Most recruitment centres appear to be enlisting more men than women.
  • The public, including the media, have perceived this as a direct violation of the constitutional rights of women.

  • The United States is the most attractive female military entity globally, but to date it has less than 16 per cent of women enlisted.

As the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) continues its recruitment of men and women to join the military, there has been concern over lack of gender balance.

Most recruitment centres appear to be enlisting more men than women. Some are not hiring any women at all.

The public, including the media, have perceived this as a direct violation of the constitutional rights of women.

While the Constitution clearly stipulates the issue of gender balance, the reality on the ground is that it will take time for the KDF to attain a gender balance.

It is worth noting that most armies in the world have not managed to meet constitutional gender requirement even though they strive for it.

MILITARY DUTIES

The biggest hurdle in most armies is the nature of military duties.

While women have been able to perform all military duties, just like their male colleagues, there are circumstances that make them unsuitable for certain roles and in particular, direct combat. Most women-friendly armies in the world are still grappling with raising the number of women soldiers.

The United States is the most attractive female military entity globally, but to date it has less than 16 per cent of women enlisted.

The KDF is one of few in Africa that have an equal opportunity policy for female male soldiers.

Many armies, including the most advanced, still exclude women from direct combat units.

This is not discrimination, but it touches on social moral obligations and norms. A woman soldier faces many challenges that have nothing to do with her fitness or combat readiness. They include pregnancy or having to breast-feed.

Combat troops are usually deployed in detachments locally and abroad for a specific duration. It would be morally wrong to send a young mother overseas or a battlefront, leaving behind her babies. Psychologically, women are more vulnerable compared to men in battle because of their special role in the family and society.

These are among many silent issues women soldiers face globally. It is these kinds of situations that restrict the recruitment of women soldiers.

Most women are deployed to logistical army units and they have proven to be as smart as their male counterparts are.

TERRORISM

They serve in the medical units, transport sections that include flying transport aircraft, and even coordinating the movement of logistics from the rear to the main battle zone.

Globally, soldiers are involved in the most hostile type of warfare mainly guerrilla type and terrorism.

To be able to contain such wars, you need to deploy small pockets of soldiers who operate independently for a long time in the most gruelling environment and this may not be ideal for women.

It is easy to make noise from our comfort zones that women are discriminated against but anyone with a military background is well aware that the environment is mostly hostile to women, and, in particular, direct combat.

Overall, there is good news that the number of women enlisted into the military globally is on the increase and they are playing more critical roles.

With the more technologically advanced military equipment, and evolving military warfare, the prospects of more women joining the military globally are bright.

With time, the gender imbalance that does not favour women will slowly fade away.

Women should not be discouraged by what appears to be an under involvement in the military.

They should take pride in the fact that the men at the battlefront are their children and that they deserve credit on behalf of their sons serving and defending the territorial integrity of their nation.

 

Mr Mbarak is the chairman, Association of Corporate & Industrial Security Management Professionals. [email protected]