Women going backwards under National

Women may have got the vote 120 years ago but new figures show women in the Defence Force are going backwards under the National Government, Labour’s Defence spokesperson Phil Goff says.

“Figures provided to the Foreign Affairs and Defence Select Committee shows there are 1325 women in the armed services this year. That is a 16 cent fall in five years; in 2008 there were 1574 – or 249 more – women serving our nation.

“The Army has been the worst hit. There were 664 women in 2008, there are now 547. In the Navy women fell from 473 to 403 and in the Air Force from 437 to 375.

“Civilianisation and budget cuts have seen morale in the Defence Force plunge and attrition rates rise to record highs.

“Women are another casualty in the Government’s ongoing attempts to cut costs in our armed forces.

“Just last month the Chief of Army Major-General Dave Gawn said the Army was not an attractive option for women.

“Major-General Gawn also said studies show gender perceptions and attitudes won’t change until the percentage of women in the Army grows closer to 30 per cent. He said with women only making up 13 per cent, the Army had a ‘long way to go’.

“Defence isn’t the only area women are going backwards in under this Government. Further figures provided to the select committee show the number of female heads of mission in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has plummeted from 39.2 per cent in 2008 to 24.6 per cent this year.

“Labour has always backed the role of women. The former Labour government passed the Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Act which enabled women to work in any area of the Defence Force, including on the front line,” Phil Goff says.

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