Page 11 - The Wish Stream Year of 2021 (Crest)

ness as well as increasing the risk of injury. The body armour, for instance, is too tall. On aver- age, women have shorter torsos than men, yet the current design does not accommodate for this. The smallest sized body armour tends to drop below the waist of female OCdts. When OCdts attempt to sit or bend, the armour rides upwards, pushing the shoulder straps above the ears. As a result, female OCdts are unable to move their head from side-to-side compro- mising effectiveness, especially when in the sit- ting position. It is recognised that this is being addressed and the female cohort welcome the trials of female fit VIRTUS employed on Exercise ALLENBY’S ADVANCE and SLIM’S STAND.
Frustratingly, the little uniform that has been designed for women is also inadequate. The issued barrack dress skirt does not have pock- ets. This means female OCdts are unable to carry mandated or necessary items with them, such as their MoD Form 90, a face mask, or sanitary products. Rather than providing skirts with pockets, female OCdts are issued a hand- bag, further highlighting the difference between genders. Female Officers from previous intakes recalled that in order to carry their MoD Form 90 when in barrack dress, they would either have to carry the handbag for the day or entrust their ID to their male counterparts, who had been pro- vided with pockets. It is an inconvenience the male OCdts are not subjected to. The Academy has taken definitive steps to address issued female kit; however, there are still areas which can be improved upon.
This can alienate the female audience and make them feel unwelcomed.
Improvement may also be required in the pro- gressiveness of the PT programme. The 2016 MoD report into GCC roles for female person- nel found that phase one female trainees were three times more likely to suffer a stress fracture injury and were two times more likely to be medi- cally discharged. It also found that these injuries could have been prevented through single-sex training which delivers “an appropriate progres- sion in training loads”. The CC211 female OCdts were not separated or conditioned during the first few weeks of training. This may have been due to COVID-19, but it did expose the female community to additional risk. There are many benefits of mixed gender platoons; however, risk of injury could be mitigated by separating gen- ders for the first few weeks of physical training. It should be a concern for the Academy that every female OCdt in Imjin Company has been injured and placed on light duties at various points dur- ing the Junior Term. Once an OCdt is cleared to return to exercise, they are expected to drop in at the standard of the whole platoon, who have not missed any training. It is not unreasonable and should not be unusual for an OCdt returning from injury to be placed on an adapted or modi- fied PT programme.
Female OCdts would also benefit from greater clarity with regards to standards of dress. Using the term ‘female equivalent’ is a useful exam- ple; what does this mean? When asked, staff
Another area where the Acad-
emy has made positive changes
is its responsiveness to gender-
specific complaints. At the start
of term, it became apparent that
female OCdts were not issued
socks with their barrack dress
trousers. This was brought to the
attention of staff and was imme-
diately rectified in a professional
and supportive manner. The staff
have also been responsive in their effort to adopt inclusive language. Often staff will use language such as ‘he’, she’ or ‘troops’ when referring to hypothetical situations, positive affirmation that women are being accepted into positions of power. There is still room for improvement; gendered terminology such as ‘lads’, ‘chaps’ or ‘blokes’ has often been used at Expression of Interest presentations or by external visitors.
will often give conflicting answers as there is no clear direction regarding what female OCdts ought to wear. The term is not only ambiguous,
When asked, staff
will often give
conflicting answers but it can also make female OCdts as there is no clear feel like an afterthought. Book 15 direction regarding sets out the Standing Orders for all
what female OCdts ought to wear
OCdts at Sandhurst. However, it is outdated and adds to the ambiguity; for instance, it does not account for female OCdts opting to wear trou- sers. When discussing drill order, it
states that female OCdts must not wear barrack dress trousers unless for religious reasons.
It also states that, when wearing a helmet, OCdts may French braid their hair which must then be tied up above the collar. However, this defeats the purpose of braiding. Females braid their hair when wearing a helmet because the alternative – a bun at the nape of the neck –
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