AILEEN’S UNIFORM ATLAS
The Pulse is pleased to present Aileen’s Uniform Atlas, a recurring feature written by Aileen Out.
Out is the owner of Prettybusiness, a news blog in the Netherlands that focuses exclusively on work clothing.
Recruiting personnel is not always easy for armed forces. Increasingly, countries are focusing on a significantly underrepresented group: women. By offering good women’s workwear, maternity clothing, and sports bras, they hope to become attractive employers for women. Sometimes this strategy is successful, but other times it misses the mark.
Women are not ‘one of the guys’
Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan is one of the few women in the Netherlands who holds a top position within the Ministry of Defence. The Deputy Director-General of Policy is known for her advocacy for good women’s workwear. Currently, there is a flak vest with room for breasts, a trial is underway with dresses as part of the daily uniform, and they plan to introduce backpacks designed for women. This, according to Boekholt-O’Sullivan, is essential. She says in interviews that women should not want to be ‘one of the guys’. Women have different bodies and therefore different needs. By considering this, she aims to attract more women and hopes to fill the 10,000 open vacancies more quickly.
The Netherlands is not the only country trying to attract more military personnel through suitable workwear. In 2022, Belgium introduced a combat uniform specifically for women for the first time. It was deemed inappropriate to have the 10% female military personnel continue working in men’s uniforms. This percentage is relatively high compared to Switzerland, where only 1% of the military personnel were women in 2021. To reach the target of 10% by 2030, special women’s underwear was developed.
The American armed forces have also been active in this area over the past few years. The regulations on grooming were relaxed, and four different sports bras were developed. The U.S. Air Force went even further, introducing a camouflage uniform for pregnant personnel in 2021. Nearly a quarter of their personnel are now women.
More fashion-conscious women
Despite the noble intentions, these initiatives do not always turn out well. In 2017, the Canadian military formed a special ‘Tiger Team’ to focus on strategies for recruiting female personnel. After three years of research, the team suggested making the skirts of the uniform tighter and shorter. The idea was to attract fashion-conscious women to join the military. This unusual proposal was widely discussed in the media and received considerable criticism.
The proposal was ultimately not implemented, and in early 2022, the approach was changed. The dress code for men and women in the military was made gender-neutral. This meant that everyone could wear any uniform, regardless of gender. Despite all the initiatives, the percentage of women in the Canadian military has barely increased: from 13.5% in 2020 to 13.9% in 2023.
Sometimes it seems like things are made more complicated than they need to be. Women don’t need shorter skirts or a unisex dress code, just clothes that fit well and offer protection. Because women are women and certainly not one of the guys.
