WOMEN IN INDIAN ARMY
Maj Gen P K Mallick, VSM(Retd)
For number of years I had been sending e-mails on matters of military interest to many of
you. I have not been publishing them as papers because free and frank opinion cannot be
given in military journals for obvious reasons, Role of Woman in Army has been covered
number of times by me.
In view of recent statement by COAS and policy decision taken by the Army, I thought I
would revisit the issue.
The issue is contentious. Opinion is divided in black and white. I fall in gray variety. Both
black and white opinion have genuine reasons. I don’t want to go into those.
I have trained Young Officers of Corps of Signals in YO’s Course which had number of
lady officers. I have commanded unit which had lady officers. In higher ranks also one
had to deal with issues relating to lady officers. With all humility I want to put forward the
following issues.
There are good officers, there are bad officers. There are good lady officers as well as
bad lady officers just as the gentlemen officers.
We must keep our own Indian conditions into account. All most all our combat arms units
are based on caste. They bring their own mindsets of the village clan. For keeping the
cohesion of the unit intact nobody fiddles with that. It is encouraged in unit and sub unit
level. What effect this have in our men folk, has there been a study on that.
Everybody quotes Western statistics. They have problems about manpower. Nobody
wants to join army. Even today USA is seriously thinking of conscription to get good
quality intake. We are not the army of West. There a very large number of armies which
do not have women in combat arms. For very valid reasons. When did the European
Armies fought wars or CI Ops after Second World War. That is why in Sweden and
Norway men and women share the same room as combat soldiers. Well they will behave
like 12 year old kids! Progressives will say what is wrong in that. Make your choice.
In our case after a lady officer gets married and has kids she has very little utility to the
unit. Most of the blame lies with us. In civil whether a lady is employed as school teacher
or clerk or anything after child birth and maternity leave she performs as usual. No
problem. In army we have been brought up in ladies first culture. We tend to get involved
in domestic help, feeding of kids etc. That is not a bad thing per se. But unit suffers. In
AMC it does not happen.
Unit cohesion is a big casualty. For understandable concerns 2IC will not like to detail
lady officers for duty officer/ temporary duties where one has to move on short notice
without reservations etc. The other officers get their undue share which they resent. Again
there should not be any discrimination on duties, does not happen on ground.
Before taking a decision please ask Commanding Officers of units who have lady officers.
Also ask Officers of MS Branch controlling those arms and services who have lady
officers.
