Women's Views on News |
- Are women already on the front line?
- Retirement and career breaks
- Challenges for women in an aging society
| Are women already on the front line? Posted: 26 Mar 2013 09:00 AM PDT
Lance Corporal Abbie Martin recently won the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service after she administered first aid to her colleagues whilst under fire during her first patrol. And SAS soldier Andy McNab recalls an incident where a female medic killed two Taliban soldiers when her patrol came under attack. However, whether women soldiers should be on the front line is a debate that has raged for some time. It re-ignited in January, when the US lifted its ban on female soldiers having combat roles, as WVoN reported. But as an increasing number of women soldiers win awards for courage on the field, is it time to recognise that the debate has shifted: although women in the British army are technically not allowed in combat roles, they have nevertheless found themselves in combat situations. In addition, the front line has become an increasingly nebulous concept over the past decade with the growth of counter-insurgency warfare rendering it 'irrelevant'. For military historian Sir Hew Strachan, the very idea that there is a front line and a 'rear' where you can separate men and women is no longer applicable to the recent wars. The number of women soldiers injured or killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan testifies to this shift. More than 130 US women soldiers have been killed in the two wars and more than 800 injured. Perhaps former soldier Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth encapsulated this best, when, asked about women on the front line, she quipped, "Well I didn't lose my legs in a bar fight, pal!" In the face of all of this, officially allowing women a combat role may represent not so much a departure from existing practices but rather a recognition of today's reality. Couching the debate in these terms – as recognition rather than departure – may make their contribution more visible. As a reader of the New York Times pointed out, lifting the ban on women in combat not only allows them to be recognised for their contributions but, “will also allow them to receive the proper training for the types of combat situations they already "unofficially" find themselves a part of.” Globally, attitudes towards women on the front line appear to be changing. Other countries, including Israel, Italy, Norway and New Zealand have recognised this shift and officially allow women a combat role. Polls conducted in the US by Washington Post-ABC News, showed that a large majority of Americans accept women in combat roles. Within the UK, much of the press is either supportive of women on the front line, or at least propose genuine for and against arguments, whereas some years ago outright opposition would have been a likelier outcome. The UK - as it is obliged to do every eight years – last reconsidered the combat role for women in 2010. Let us hope that in 2018 the MOD will decide to give women soldiers equality of opportunity and recognise the work that many of them already engage in.  |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2013 07:00 AM PDT
Former England football captain Faye White has announced her retirement at the age of 35. White won 90 England caps and became captain in 2002. She led England at two World Cups and two European Championships, the pinnacle being the Euro final in Finland in 2009. She played centre-back for Arsenal for 17 years, amassing one UEFA Championship, one FAWSL Championship, 10 Premier League titles, nine FA Cups, seven League Cups and one Continental Cup. In 2012, White announced her retirement from international football. She gave birth to her first child in October, but was hoping to return to the domestic game with Arsenal this year. However, a recurrent knee problem has proved to be insurmountable. Needless to say, some have said that motherhood was the decisive factor in her decision to hang up her boots, but White is adamant that this is not the case. In an interview with the Surrey Mirror, she said: “I retired from England when I announced I was pregnant last April but left the door open with Arsenal. “Everyone says it’s because I’ve had a baby but it’s not. I could have juggled the demands. The will was still there. The rest of my body could have done it, but my knees couldn’t and you have to think of your later life as well." England coach Hope Powell praised her former captain, "Faye was a fantastic captain for England and role model for women's football. "Her professionalism and conduct were the main reasons I decided to give her the captain's armband. "She is a natural-born leader who has been instrumental in helping to drive the game forward." Hopefully we won't have seen the last of Faye White, as she is continuing in her role as an ambassador both for Arsenal and for the Football Association as well as fulfilling both terrestrial and satellite media commitments. At the other end of her career is England's number one tennis player, Heather Watson. The 20-year old has made great strides over the past 18 months, climbing to number 39 in the world rankings. But after two successive first round defeats Watson announced on Tuesday that she was going to rest and reassess. “This year I’ve been going a bit too long so I’m a bit burnt out,” Watson told the BBC. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while now and I’m definitely going to take a break from tennis.” Her year had got off to a promising start in January when she reached the third round of the Australian Open. However, after losing to Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, she then lost again in the first round at the Sony Open in Miami, this time to Ayumi Morita of Japan, 6-1 5-7 4-6. However, less than 24 hours after her announcement, Watson backtracked. On Wednesday night she gave another interview with the BBC in which she said: “Yesterday when I was speaking to the press after my interview I was very upset about my match and wasn’t really thinking straight. I’m going to carry on with my schedule. “I have Charleston next week and then the Fed Cup after that, so everything is going to stay the same. After a match, losing a close one like yesterday, I was really disappointed and upset and wasn’t thinking properly about what I was saying.” So what changed her mind? Who did she speak to between Tuesday and Wednesday? Someone has convinced Watson that now is not the right time to take a break. And they could be right. There are some big tournaments coming up, with opportunities for Watson to make a real difference. Certainly Judy Murray, coach of Britain's Federation Cup team, would not have wanted to lose her number one for the next vital round of matches. But we also have to hope this advice does not backfire. Watson is clearly suffering from a drop in confidence, and may also be suffering physically too. If she does feel burnt out, would it not be better to let her take a break to regain her strength both mentally and physically? It just goes to show that for professional sportsmen or women timing is everything. Faye White goes out at the top of her game, the plaudits ringing in her ears. For the younger Watson, things may be more difficult as she struggles to come to terms with the punishing schedule of commitments which, at this stage in her career, will increase year on year in line with her success. It is to be hoped that she is able to balance this out and get as much out of her hard work as she puts in.  |
| Challenges for women in an aging society Posted: 26 Mar 2013 02:00 AM PDT
Ready for Aging? is the House of Lords' Select Committee on Public Service and Demographic Change's latest report on the UK's rapidly aging population. The committee's conclusion is that ‘the Government and our society are woefully underprepared,’ and that ‘there has been a collective failure to address the implications.’ While ‘longer lives can be a great benefit,’ the report says that ‘without urgent action, this great boon could turn into a series of miserable crises.’ Included within that admonition of an imminent economic and social emergency is a warning about the great differences between men's and women's experiences of aging. They are ‘markedly different,’ and those ‘divergences must be taken into account.’ The statistics reveal a forceful combination of factors that produce the distinct disadvantage faced by women as they age. Women have a longer life expectancy, experience less continuity in their professional lives and continue to face a dismaying 15 per cent pay gap. Largely due to ‘caregiving for children and older people,’ this combination leads to ‘inequalities in pensions and income.’ Women ‘stand to do worse than men in the new defined contribution world, and in particular, face disadvantages in the annuities market.’ Coupled with the fact that ‘older women have higher levels of disability, functional impairment and musculoskeletal problems than men,’ women face aging with a disproportionate handicap. Adding to this already detrimental situation is the proportion of women who are widowed and live alone. ‘Nearly half of women over 65, and over 80 per cent of women over 85, are widowed.’ This compares to the approximate 50 per cent of men over 85 who are still married. This difference ‘has a major impact on caregiving and support.’ When older women need care, they are often forced to look beyond their home, family and local community for support, which brings a range of associated costs. Something the committee believes would help solve a number of these problems is a broad and thorough shift in society's attitudes towards people working longer. ‘Flexible retirement and withdrawal from the workforce must be made a reality, by enabling people to downshift to part-time work, and wind down work while taking up pensions, benefits and tax relief more flexibly.’ Carers UK reported that more than 40 per cent of carers who gave up work did so due to a lack of sufficiently reliable or flexible services and 41 per cent of those who described themselves as looking after their home and family – 85 per cent of whom are women – say "they would rather be in paid work, but services available do not make a job possible." The committee said that ‘employers should support those with responsibilities for caring for older people – particularly people in their 50s or 60s who care for elderly parents – to continue part-time or in flexible work.’ With no easy answer available, the committee recommended formal change via policy and law, through contributions by all political parties, starting with a government-led analysis of the issues and challenges in providing pubic services in an aging society. The analysis, including a vision for the future, should be published before the next general election. Until then, the committee's warning remains. ‘Many people, young and old, expect far more than they will get. ‘Society is behind where it needs to be.’  |
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