SYDNEY, Australia - A damning inquiry into the treatment of women in Australia’s military yesterday recommended quotas to increase female representation and the establishment of a unit to probe sexual misconduct.Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick said her year-long review of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) uncovered “systemic, cultural and practical impediments to cultural change” regarding the status of women.
Women currently comprise 13.8 per cent of the ADF’s 81,000 full and part-time positions. Though relatively small, the Australian military is among the top 15 nations by defence expenditure.
The inquiry was set up following a series of sex scandals within the military, including an incident in which a male cadet having sex with a female colleague was broadcast via Skype to his classmates.Broderick said the inquiry heard “deeply distressing” testimony from women who had experienced sexual harassment, discrimination and abuse, with “highly sexualised” behaviour normalised in some workplaces.
She said, the deep distress and trauma experienced by the women who disclosed incidents makes change across the ADF in its treatment of women both critical and urgent.
Broderick found that 25.9 per cent of women and 10.5 per cent of men had been sexually harassed within the military - broadly in line with the civilian population.
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