Exit on grounds of pregnancy!
The MOD has a record of ignoring laws it doesn't agree with. pregnancy, equal pay, sex discrimination, women in combat roles. I'm sure the age discrimination law will bite the MOD in the future. i.e you leave at 55 unless you hit a certain very senior rank or you are a doctor, dentist etc in which case you can stay in longer. However if your an ATC, Plod, loggie etc you can bugger off at 55.
BTW how many female or ethnic minority air officers do we have...
BTW how many female or ethnic minority air officers do we have...
Same with sex discrimination - there are absolutely no obstacles to promotion in the branches that women can join, well none that I'm aware of...
...but when it comes to the RAF Regt, line infantry, RM, MCD etc - the MOD is covered by some opt-out clause of the Sex Discrimination act (anyone know exactly what this is?) - therefore legal, if somewhat unpopular and untrendy to some.
And the ratio of females and VEM officers is entirely dependent on the number of females and VEMs who choose to join in the first place, do well enough to get promoted by dint of ability not positive discrimination and don't leave prematurely to have kids. There are no barriers any more - the opportunities are open to everyone.
Agree on the age thing though.
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VEM = Visible Ethnic Minority
The Armed Forces are exempt from the provisions of the The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 under Part 6, Section 44 Paragraph (4) of that act:
IIRC this exemption is carried forward from the European Directive that led to the Act.
The Armed Forces are exempt from the provisions of the The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 under Part 6, Section 44 Paragraph (4) of that act:
(4) These regulations do not apply to service in any of the naval, military or air forces of the Crown.
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Thread Drift warning
The older I get the more this irritates. I am passing the RAFFT at a couple of stages higher than I need to, I am wiping the floor with my younger colleagues at every range up to 300 mtrs with the SA80 and I remain fully deployable; in my core role my SJAR OPG has consistently been A- for the last 5 years.
In a couple of years time I will be 55 and made unemployed, whilst those younger people who are regularly failing every requirement in the book will remain - fat, dumb & happy.
The MOD has a record of ignoring laws it doesn't agree with. pregnancy, equal pay, sex discrimination, women in combat roles. I'm sure the age discrimination law will bite the MOD in the future. i.e you leave at 55 unless you hit a certain very senior rank or you are a doctor, dentist etc in which case you can stay in longer. However if your an ATC, Plod, loggie etc you can bugger off at 55
In a couple of years time I will be 55 and made unemployed, whilst those younger people who are regularly failing every requirement in the book will remain - fat, dumb & happy.
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I left on pregnancy (didn't sue, was in the contract as far as I was concerned) and would have loved to have rejoined. When I challenged the head WRAF on a station visit to give me a job - imagine how popular I was - the categoric answer was NO!
Having said that, we have come a long way. When I was talking to my kids about the Falklands last year, explaining that I couldn't serve there at the time because I was a woman they were amazed. They will have other challenges but at least either of my daughters could be aircrew and have a career in the forces now. When I asked a senior offcr about the possibility of women pilots (in the 70's 80's) I was told it would be too expensive to install ladies loos in all the crew rooms
.
Having said that, we have come a long way. When I was talking to my kids about the Falklands last year, explaining that I couldn't serve there at the time because I was a woman they were amazed. They will have other challenges but at least either of my daughters could be aircrew and have a career in the forces now. When I asked a senior offcr about the possibility of women pilots (in the 70's 80's) I was told it would be too expensive to install ladies loos in all the crew rooms
.
I was told it would be too expensive to install ladies loos in all the crew rooms.
The RAF's premier AAR squadron did at least ensure that their ladies' loo was installed outside the crew room!
As part of the required facilities, it was built regardless of the cost. Quite rightly too!
....which reminds me of a story.
A squadron mate who, to preserve his anonymity, I'll just refer to as 'Snake', had a university T-shirt on which was emblazoned something like '1980 World Muff Diving Championships. No Muff Too Tough, We Dive At Five!'
"Snake", asked his future mother-in-law somewhat sternly, "just what is muff-diving?"
"Errm, oh, err, that's, errm....errm....it's when you jump into the water with your legs folded to try and make the biggest possible splash", said the quick-thinking young Snake.
Some months later, he was again at the future M-i-L's house. Future M-i-L looking through some photos suddenly announces "Oh look, here's a picture of Snake muff-diving".....
Snake's father was quietly reading his newspaper. Which began to shake visibly; it was slowly lowered to reveal his father quietly pi$$ing himself laughing, whilst wondering what the hell was in the photo....
A squadron mate who, to preserve his anonymity, I'll just refer to as 'Snake', had a university T-shirt on which was emblazoned something like '1980 World Muff Diving Championships. No Muff Too Tough, We Dive At Five!'
"Snake", asked his future mother-in-law somewhat sternly, "just what is muff-diving?"
"Errm, oh, err, that's, errm....errm....it's when you jump into the water with your legs folded to try and make the biggest possible splash", said the quick-thinking young Snake.
Some months later, he was again at the future M-i-L's house. Future M-i-L looking through some photos suddenly announces "Oh look, here's a picture of Snake muff-diving".....
Snake's father was quietly reading his newspaper. Which began to shake visibly; it was slowly lowered to reveal his father quietly pi$$ing himself laughing, whilst wondering what the hell was in the photo....
Climebear:
That's right. It's in Council Directive 2000/78/EC:
The Armed Forces are exempt from the provisions of the The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 under Part 6, Section 44 Paragraph (4) of that act:
IIRC this exemption is carried forward from the European Directive that led to the Act.
4) These regulations do not apply to service in any of the naval, military or air forces of the Crown.
(19) ... in order that the Member States may continue to safeguard the combat effectiveness of their armed forces, they may choose not to apply the provisions of this Directive concerning disability and age to all or part of their armed forces...
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Thanks Baffman
And just to keep us up to date, the exemption is still in place in the Equality Act 2010 that came into force today. It can be found in Schedule 9 Part 1 Para 4:
4 (1) A person does not contravene section 39(1)(a) or (c) or (2)(b) by applying in relation to service in the armed forces a relevant requirement if the person shows that the application is a proportionate means of ensuring the combat effectiveness of the armed forces.
(2) A relevant requirement is—
Training Risky - the first part of this exemption is the legal 'opt out' that the Armed Forces could use for the Inf etc.
And just to keep us up to date, the exemption is still in place in the Equality Act 2010 that came into force today. It can be found in Schedule 9 Part 1 Para 4:
Armed forces
4 (1) A person does not contravene section 39(1)(a) or (c) or (2)(b) by applying in relation to service in the armed forces a relevant requirement if the person shows that the application is a proportionate means of ensuring the combat effectiveness of the armed forces.
(2) A relevant requirement is—
(a) a requirement to be a man;
(b) a requirement not to be a transsexual person.
(3)This Part of this Act, so far as relating to age or disability, does not apply to service in the armed forces; and section 55, so far as relating to disability, does not apply to work experience in the armed forces.
(b) a requirement not to be a transsexual person.
Last edited by Climebear; 1st Oct 2010 at 09:12.
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Saw a pregnant LAC the other day. Now that is fast work!
Yes, Him
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Should not getting a WRAF* pregnant be regarded as a very cheap method of Force Multiplication?
(Thus subject of a long and tedious essay by some boring old git in Air Clues).
* What are "Airwimmin" called these days?
(Thus subject of a long and tedious essay by some boring old git in Air Clues).
* What are "Airwimmin" called these days?
* What are "Airwimmin" called these days?
Whatever, hopefully something rather nicer than the expression used by some crumbly old C-130 route queen who referred to his female navigator as "The Drift Bitch"...
