Reservation For Women In Armed Forces

India has had the distinction of having many Women Fighters and Leaders like Rani of Jhansi, Captain Laxmi Sehgal, Sarojini Naidu, and many others. The creation of Indian Military Nursing Service in 1888 was a turning point for the advancement of women’s roles in the Indian Armed Services. Thereafter; Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose inducted women in Azad Hind Fauj. After Independence; Army Act of 1950 forbade women from being appointed to the Regular Commission. Army Medical Corps, AMC, was the first Military Institution enroll Female Troops on 01 November 1958. India broke the Gender Barrier in 1992. Direct admittance to the National Defence Academy as a cadet and enlistment in the Armed Forces under the Agnipath Program has commenced in 2022. But, debate on women in Combat Roles in the Armed Forces comes up at Regular Intervals. Now, their Induction in Combat Role, initially in Military Police, is a new beginning.

As part of the Agnipath Scheme, women have been enrolled as Agniveers commencing from first batch starting in 2022. They are subjected to the same Training Curriculum, Professional Courses and Retention Criteria as compared to their male counterparts.

Army

Combat Roles for Women in the Armed Forces is a continuously evolving process and is regularly reviewed by the Indian Army. At present, women are commissioned in Indian Army in ten Streams eg Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals, Army Air Defence, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Corp of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Aviation Corps, Intelligence Corps, Judge Advocate General Branch, and Army Education Corps in addition to the Armed Forces Medical Services as Doctors and a woman only entry, Military Nurses.New Avenues like the grant of Permanent Commission to SSC Women Officers, Induction of Women Cadets in National Defence Academy and recruitment of Women as Provost JCOs/OR have started opening NOW.

Army is now,poised to break new ground by allowing women to Command on at Par with Male Officers.It convened a Special Number 3 Selection Board in January 2023 which screened 224 Women Officers and recommended 108 female officers out of 224 from 1992 to 2006 Batches to promote them to Rank of Colonel to hold Command Positions as a one-time solution to clear the backlog.Future Selection Panels will be Gender Neutral.

Access has been granted to Women Officers in Artillery. Six female officers have completed the esteemed Defense Services Staff Course and Defense Services Technical Staff Course. Recently, First Woman Officer has been posted to Siachen for Three Months.

However, women are still not allowed to join the Combat/Fighting Forces, including the Armoured Corps, Infantry/Mechanised Infantry, and Special Forces., and merit-driven competitive entry, which would allow women to join the Armed Forces on an Equal Footing with men as officers and soldiers as opposed to the vacancy-based entry that they can currently do.

Navy

The induction of women as Officers in the Indian Navy commenced in the year 1991. Since then Indian Navy has Gradually Opened all branches to Women Officers including induction through NDA.For the first time women are also being recruited as Sailors under the Agnipath Scheme from 2022 and 20% Vacancies are reserved for women. The Navy has also started inducting women officers on Frontline Ships since 2021.

Women officers are being appointed onboard warships. Currently, 33 women officers are deployed on afloat billets. Women Officers have been appointed as specialist Naval Air Officers (NAO) to Shipborne Helicopters and as Dornier Aircrew in Maldives.

Air Force

Officers’ recruitment in the Indian Air Force is Gender Neutral. Women officers have been inducted in all the branches and streams of IAF since 2015. Opportunities for a career in IAF have also been provided through NCC Special Entry for Flying from 2017 onwards. The experimental Scheme to induct women officers in all Combat Roles by IAF in has now been regularised without any restrictions.

Advantages

The inclusion of more women in Leadership Roles would help India to solve its problems. India aspires to be a Rising Power in World Domain and needs to confront the ongoing problem of gender discrimination in the Armed forces. Administrative and Institutional Regulations concerning Maternity Leave and Transfers should get Continuous Scrutiny to support the Empowerment of Women in the Armed Forces.

In the modern high-technology battlefield, Technical Expertise and Decision making Skills are increasingly more valuable than Physical Strength. Future Wars which are more Sophisticated and Technologically Advanced, require tapping into a large pool of skilled women. To achieve this, it is essential to promote the concept of Meritocracy, whereby individuals are selected based on their capabilities rather than their gender. Women Officers in the Armed Forces would be able to interact with Foreign Officers, using their Foreign Language abilities in addition to being able to carry out their Tasks as Translators. This is because India is seeking individuals who are fluent in various languages and NDA Curriculum would be able to fulfill this need.

Gender should not be a factor in the recruitment of personnel in Armed Forces, as long as Applicant meets the required qualifications. Many women are in better shape than many men sent into combat. Women encourage participation and share power and information as they have learnt this since their childhood, and yet are ruthless when the situation demands.

Challenges

Armed Forces are facing a few Challenges and trying to solve them to achieve Gender Equality;

a) Gender Quotas are required to be established at first for Administrative Reasons to build appropriate Infrastructure for women;

b) There is urgent need to carry out Scientific Studies to chalk out Gender specific/Gender neutral Physical Fitness Standards for men and women;

c) Women tend to lose good amount of Service Period due to Pregnancy, Post partum recovery, and Motherhood, which is disadvantagous in women assuming Combat Roles;

d) Armed Forces, though have not faced as yet, would be confronted with the problem of Sexual Assault and Harassment of Women due to the prevalent Masculine Warrior Mentality of men. This issue on the Fore Front is due to the Proximity of young who Live, Train, and engage in Combat. There is an Urgent Need to carry out a Detailed Study based on Our past experience and that of Other Militaries to lay down Policies, Rules, Regulations, and Laws.

Employment in the Indian Armed Forces is Gender Neutral. There is no distinction in deployment and working conditions of male and female soldiers in Arms and Services in which they serve. Postings are as per organizational requirements and employment is as per Qualifications and Service Qualitative Requirements. As of date, 59 women officers (excluding Medical and Dental officers) have been granted Permanent Commissions.

The biggest challenge before the Nation is best expressed in the observations of the Supreme Court; “Seventy years after the birth of a post-colonial independent state, there is still a need for change in attitudes and mindsets to recognize the commitment to the values of the Constitution.” Armed Forces are following these directions. The ultimate objective would be a Merit-based Entrance System that is Gender Neutral.