Women in the Australian military
[1] This has grown steadily since 2011, when Defence made increasing female participation a priority, with the intent of opening all previously gender restricted roles to women.
The role of Australian women in World War I was focused mainly upon their involvement in the provision of nursing services.
[11] The Federal Government and military did not initially support women being trained to serve in the armed forces, however, and these organisations were not taken seriously by the general public.
Many of these women were trained to undertake skilled work in traditionally male occupations in order to free servicemen for operational service.
[10] Women were also encouraged to work in industry and volunteer for air raid precautions duties or clubs for Australian and Allied servicemen.
[8] Manpower shortages during the Korean War led to the permanent establishment of female branches of the military.
In 1975, which was the International Year of Women, the service chiefs established a committee to explore opportunities for increased female participation in the military.
This led to reforms which allowed women to deploy on active service in support roles, pregnancy no longer being grounds for automatic termination of employment and changes to leave provisions.
Integration was hindered by entrenched discriminatory attitudes, sexual harassment and a perception that less demanding standards were applied to women.
[8] This led to a number of scandals, including allegations of sexual harassment on board HMAS Swan, and the RAN's mishandling of these complaints.
[8] The Defence Equality Organisation was established in 1997 in response to these problems, and it developed frameworks to facilitate the acceptance of women throughout the ADF.
[19] Women also began to be promoted to command units in the late 1990s, and Air Commodore Julie Hammer became the first woman to reach one-star rank in 2000.
[21] On 27 September 2011, Defence Minister Stephen Smith announced that women will be allowed to serve in frontline combat roles by 2016.
[3] Women became able to apply for special forces roles on 1 January 2014 following validation of physical employment standards.
[38][39][40] Women have passed the selection course for the Army Reserve 1st Commando Regiment and been awarded a Green Beret.
[46] Since the expansion in the number of positions available to women, there has been slow but steady growth in the percentage of female permanent defence personnel.
[6] In August 2016 the Chief of Army Lieutenant General Angus Campbell AO, DSC, in an address to the Defence Force Recruiting Conference stated that his “number one priority.. with respect to recruitment is increasing our diversity; with a focus on women and Indigenous Australians”, and that “My aim is that women will make up 25% of the Army – based on analysis of best practice across like work environments globally (military and appropriately related industries).
[57] Partially due to IMPS reductions the Air Force achieved female initial-entry enlistment targets in 2017-18.
