Tom
I'm 90% with you, but I disagree that spinning stories like this does gender equality any good at all. I know of many females colleagues that have turned down being paraded in news stories such as this (such as the first woman to get 1000hrs Fast Jet). They know how damaging this can be amongst their peer group if they are to be accepted for who they are - a felow human being with equal rights and a shared skill set.
Over my 25 years I have seen positive recruitment of females significantly damage their relationships with their colleagues. For example, the first female aircrew got many more 'flex' hours than their male peers - sometimes to 200-300%. Now that is not equality. Neither is the fact that an 18 year old female has to achieve the same RAF Fitness Test standard as a 54 year old male. Again, that is not equality. Now, when something is newsworthy (ie. a Nav getting 4-star) and it doesn't make the headlines, but a 4th female to get Air Force 2-star gets a mention, that again is not equality.
If we truly want to rid the last bastions of misogynistic behaviour from males in the workplace then we need to desist in the spin-doctoring of females in the work place for being female. Treat them as equals and for the merit of their skills not their gender.
I say again, the headline should have read "Talented RAF Officer is appointed Head of DIO" - gender should not be brought into it. All this should have stopped when we had a female Prime Minister some 70 years after Sufferage; enough is enough.
Finally, I am delighted for AVM Elaine; from what I have read it would seem richly deserved. I am also delighted to see that there is Light Blue at the helm of DIO. As I said before, she has my congratulations as a fellow RAF Officer.
LJ
PS. Is Navigator a "life choice"? I thought all of us were selected for natural abilities (that we were born with) and then streamed at OASC to the aircrew branch that would fit them best?
