Ours first article on women's services in the peculiar Forces It's echoing. We seem to have raised a delicate and crucial topic. Moreover, the emotions associated with it seem to be very akin throughout the Polish Army. That is why we decided that in the second part we would leave the conversation only a small bit about the presence of women in the "specials".
We will effort to show you the context associated with the approach to the service of women throughout the army, as this creates quite a few emotions and sometimes even tensions. This is at the same time an issue that it is hard for soldiers to discuss openly. This deficiency of dialog between parts serving in the military of men and women is besides sometimes forged by common regret and misunderstanding.
So we will effort to outline the issues that are presently causing the top controversy in women's and men's relations. In the 3rd part, we will consider whether women are presently treated in the army in a preferential way and how the associated atmosphere could be cleared. Then we will besides take greater account of the specificity of the peculiar Forces.
Women didn't have an easy start in the army.
The beginnings of women in the military were not easy. A large group of men approached this idea, putting it mildly... with a distance. We have the impression that many of the ladies who "crossed paths" for their colleagues in uniform could experience discrimination at least erstwhile in their lives. This occurred especially at the beginning of their careers.
There are many forms of unequal treatment in the army. The simplest of these concerns regular responsibilities. For example, “Lasca” can be tried to manipulate all the worst services. Or have her execute a task from an area where she has never had the chance to gain experience so far.
This may aim to ‘provide’ the alleged incompetence of a woman, and consequently undermine her professional position or make her decision to another unit. Our colleague (one of the first candidates admitted to the then-functioning sub-office school in Pomerania) was repeated, for example, that she should quit the course, due to the fact that she would not be able to "hold" the difficulties of service.
For example, erstwhile doing “divisions”, she had to pull the rat's corpse out of the bathroom corner and clean the toilets. In the course of the classes, she was tried to “stretch” with trick questions. It's nothing like that due to the fact that any "old" officers from this school always liked to find 1 or respective "favorites" in a group...
However, it happened that it was women who had a much better chance of reaching specified a group. Another example of unequal treatment of women in the military is the effort to marginalize them. It makes them realize that they are “unfit” for “real work” and excludes them from doing their job. But there were far sadder stories.
A twelve years ago, another of our colleagues had to lock herself in a area while performing practices in the unit. In the evening, the soldiers shouted at her, “give them d...”. A shameful behaviour that should be severely punished. In the army, however, the eyes were closed.
However, times change and the attitude towards soldiers besides evolves
So we have no uncertainty that there have been cases of mistreatment and even harassment of women in the army. The victims were besides deprived of appropriate support in specified situations. The consequences of reporting inappropriate behaviour were hard to foretell and the ladies may have feared that specified an episode would negatively affect their continued service in the military.
Our individual experience besides shows that the attitude to equality expressed by ladies who have experienced discrimination in the past is rather expressive. It may even be said that their views have an exaggerated belief that women are "always" discriminated against at work. In the context of their experiences, however, this is understandable.
However, it is besides fair to admit that the beginnings of women in the military were at times where there was a completely different approach to soldiers. At our previously mentioned officer's school, a female had to clean toilets, but her colleague could besides have “sinked a bomb” on the body because, for example, he shaved badly.
This is of course no excuse for mistreatment of women, but it is worth remembering that the army's approach to soldiers has evolved. This applies to both sexes. It is hard for us to imagine that present the situations we have previously cited can be tolerated by the military in a systemic way.
In addition, the army cannot afford to treat women badly due to its staff shortages. 1 of our friends in the peculiar Forces emphasizes that during respective years of service she has never experienced discrimination or mistreatment.
Some time ago, another friend in turn told us that 1 of the soldiers openly criticized his friend in a little elaborate way. But he was immediately summoned to the company commander.
Polish army is characterized by its own specificity
Does this mean that the military is free from harassment, harassment and harassment? No, but these phenomena seem to mention to the soldiers of each sex equally today. any time ago, we heard, for example, that 1 "genius", he applied to the shooting of a soldier under him from "split". The case has “blown out”. Would it be akin if a female was hit? I don't think so.
On the another hand, ladies sometimes gotta deal with texts that even amaze us. On 1 occasion, 1 of them applied to her superior for a 1 - day leave. She wanted to usage it to do medical examinations. In response, she heard, “Let them do tests on the presence of my sperm in your mouth.”
There are besides stories “from the border”. However, she spoke to women at 1 time with her commander:
– Can I leave work early today? I gotta go to a doctor with a sick kid.
- Why? I made you this baby? Your baby, your problem. The officer replied.
Not a fewer moments passed, and the commander spoke a akin text to another soldier. This time a man. Well, how do you measure that kind of behaviour now? No empathy? Mobbing element? Inappropriate treatment? Or is it equality, due to the fact that the said superior besides refers to everyone, regardless of gender?
The military so rules its rights. Therefore, women who mostly have a higher level of empathy and interpersonal communication skills than men gotta face abroad treatment there. The question is how much discrimination is involved, and how much is the quality of the leadership and the way it is trained?
Nor should it be ‘overturned’
In our opinion, you can't exaggerate the another way around. Soldiers should approach the question of mobbing in a reasonable manner and not abuse specified statements. But the army is an army... So the people present in it cannot “cry” for any reason. Sometimes you just gotta collect “a fart...” or tighten your teeth in the face of the difficulties of service.
Nor can we lead to a situation in which the officers and officers will not be able to show firmness and make advanced demands for women. They will fear that they will be accused of mobbing. And we've seen cases where superiors were besides easy accused of mistreatment of their subordinates.
Sometimes they didn’t just get along with their subordinates, and they tried to remove them from their position. Interestingly, 1 of the situations of this kind that we know took place in the platoon, in which most of the individual composition were women. For any reason, however, they could not find a common language with the deputy platoon commander, who was besides a woman.
When complaints from the ladies reached the platoon commander, this 1 began his own "mini investigation". However, the case spread to its bones due to the fact that men serving in the platoon stood up as deputy commanders.
It should besides be remembered that the military training process should take into account elements causing stress and discomfort in the soldier. This aims to decently prepare him for combat response. So if individual hopes that working in the army will be “easy and pleasant” then they should not join it.
Is the military following the changes in society in the country?
Over the last fewer years we have seen changes in the approach to equality in Polish society. However, the army never truly thought about how to prepare for an expanding number of ladies in its ranks.
The associated obstacles (e.g. infrastructure) are so either ignored or "laced" temporarily. Women should have access to separate showers and locker rooms, among others. But that's not always the case, especially on the ground. In this case, “hours for a wash” shall be designated. Ladies and gentlemen are given the same bath time.
Only that there are usually 50 of them, and women seven...These situations only make unnecessary tensions. The army besides did not respond to the question of how the ladies would function in it. On the 1 hand, it is reiterated that they are "the same soldiers", but on the another hand, "shut his eye" to evade any of them from certain tasks.
The issues that may be caused by the top emotions in men about the treatment of women at the level of top-down, military regulations are, above all, the standards of physical fitness and, subsequently, the absences of motherhood.
Standard from WF
In addition to combat teams in ‘specials’ (where The presence of the ladies is alternatively an evenant), the fitness requirements for women disagree importantly from those for men in the military. The differences are crucial – in the case of a 3 km walkabout, e.g. 2 to 3 minutes. This causes negative reactions among many gentlemen.
According to our peculiar Forces servant friend, the standards for men are not "pretty" adequate to be met by women in regular training. It so considers that the evaluation criteria should be aligned. Another adds: “This would make a much healthier working atmosphere.”
However, there is simply a large proportion of women who believe that the current division of physical fitness requirements is fair. It's a natural and human instinct. Each social group has its own interests. If you can have easier things in a certain area, why make life harder?
On a akin basis, any men do not see anything inappropriate, e.g. in "settling" the military work of members of their families or treating them in a preferential manner. And it besides causes friction. It besides reduces the overall level of staff competence. WF is not a “inventory” in the military and besides translates into the usefulness of a soldier for his tasks.
Existing standards should so not be differentiated by gender, but only by the function of the individual concerned. It would so be natural, in our view, that the standards for “split” are different from those for logistics professionals and yet for cybersecurity professionals.
And specified a strategy already exists in the military to any extent. For any reason, however, the army decided that a soldier female could run at a different pace from a soldier man. We wonder if it would not be healthier to treat the ladies precisely the same as the gentlemen, while at the same time beginning them up to all possible positions?
Motherhood in the Polish Army
In the discussion on women, neither will we escape the issue of motherhood. quite a few men accuse women that they "break up" the fighting abilities of the subdivision erstwhile they become pregnant. They are then on long - word medical leave. On their return, for understandable reasons, they are incapable to execute all tasks and work full-time.
However, we believe that this is hypocrisy. Since we are aware of the limitations for Army improvement are unfavourable demographic trends In our country, we should do everything we can to facilitate women's motherhood. Therefore, we see the facilities active not as a manifestation of preferential treatment, but as an investment in strengthening the state.
In our opinion, however, the military is creating fiction in the field of maternity alternatively than refining strategy solutions to the specificity of institutions. Women who decide to be pregnant frequently stay in a individual state. In practice, the tasks assigned to them must be performed by others.
For mothers who search a second and 3rd child, this condition can last for up to 5 years. This is peculiarly cumbersome erstwhile a division participates in many trips, or erstwhile a individual on leave held a specialised position. At the same time, the entity has limited opportunities to get a ‘replacement’ as the occupation is theoretically filled.
The military must conform to the mothers, and they should be aware of the requirements of service
At the same time, we think that the issue of the approach to motherhood is rather easy to solve. Both gentlemen and ladies should be reasonable in this regard. For example, women returning to work after pregnancy should be allowed to pass a periodic examination with the WF at a later date. Especially erstwhile the date of return is right before the test itself.
However, women should not be allowed to abuse the "system". And this happens, for example, by moving to release immediately after receiving information about pregnancy. Until the kid reaches the age of four, the young parent is besides considered a nursing mother. utilizing this argument, a large group of ladies are trying to “swiggle” from training courses, 24-hour services and exercises throughout this period.
For comparison, in The U.S. Army's equivalent period of return to work by young mothers is simply a maximum of 1 year. So if a female does not think that she is able to execute her duties full for a period of nearly 5 years, then possibly linear units are not just the right place to work for specified people?
Therefore, we would anticipate the command to make a strategy in which women who decide on long-term L4 are transferred for this period to the staff reserve. Units may fill a vacant post at their discretion. Ladies are then allowed to return to their tasks according to the needs of the army, as well as their individual preferences and opportunities resulting from the household situation.
Summary
The military never "worked" seriously on the subject of women's presence in the army. The work for making decisions in this area has been mostly pushed to lower levels. This has consequences. First of all, in terms of discretion in the treatment of women. It besides leads to misunderstandings that accumulate over time.
We'll tell you more about it in the 3rd part of the story. However, we believe that the Polish Army lacks, above all, a clear declaration regarding the approach to the service of women. We consider it reasonable to have the position of beginning up top-down for the ladies all available in the army positions, expecting them to meet all the criteria required for them.
In our view, the standards of the WF should so be equalised for both sexes. This should besides be followed by the adaptation of the terms of service to the essential infrastructure requirements and the promotion of maternity. So soldiers of both sexes should not always be treated equally, but always in an equal and honest manner.
