The current Mrs O-D did a tour in what was then the Directorate WRAF in MOD. She and one of her colleagues struggled long and hard against the 'entrenched' view of some of the senior female officers who were reluctant for females to fly etc. Mrs O-D became very - and I do mean VERY - unpopular with said 'brass' no pun intended, to the extent that it effectively ended her career.
She now delights in seeing these obvious examples of females breaking the mould but looks forward to the day when, as many comment here, it will be so routine as to be no longer noteworthy. The temptation to cut the newspaper clipping and send it to the DWRAF of the time is almost overpowering!!
Old duffer