Women at Defense are desperately needed. Yet uniforms and facilities for men and women are not the same. An exhibition in Echoes Home in Havelte about female soldiers at the front in Ukraine shows what the reality is and also what still needs to be done. The interest of the Dutch army has been aroused.
“It is strange that we apparently see women different or find special,” says Nico Boom, brigadier general of 43 mechanized brigade in Havelte at the opening of the exhibition. He calls himself a ‘reference man’: “60 years old, white skin color, 1.85 meters long and always a commander function.”
Boom would like more women and diversity within its troops. “It is now all hands on deck. For everyone and for every part of our organization. We need everyone, regardless of color, male or female, belief or sexual orientation.”
A diverse unit is part of a diverse equipment. In the exhibition Arm Women Nowthe importance of women in the army is emphasized. Politician Iryna Nykorak voluntarily followed a military education and frequently visited the front. She portrayed 18 women and designed a uniform for the female fit.
The female soldiers are what she calls ‘the most important weapon of Ukraine’. Since the war, around 70,000 women have been working in the Ukrainian army. Before the war there were 42,000. But there was no clothes and appropriate equipment for these numbers of women until recently. The clothes of soldiers are mainly designed for men.
That also makes the Dutch armed forces think. Here too the equipment sometimes falls short because it is made for men, says Kapitein Denise. Because of her safety, we only mention her first name in this article. “The old Scherfvest sands in different places. If you have a large bust, there will arise after hours of swearing.”
Her own equipment, an interim suit, does not fit as she wants. “It is made for broad shoulders and narrow waist. When I put my arms up, the shirt crawls up. I also often have to raise my pants because the cross is too low.” Not to mention the men’s underwear. “Many women bring the clothing to the clothing maker to adjust it.”
They look like small details, but it can matter in a fight. There is often no time at all to hoist your pants. “Then seconds are about life or death. Then the stuff should just be fine.”
She points to the armpits and breasts of a mannequin that is released under the old Scherfvest. “It’s terrible because it is going to hurt, but it also has to do with safety because it no longer protects all places.”
Defense has been working on solutions for some time. Last year a large order was placed for a suitable Scherfvest for women. It is adjustment bale and has more room with the chest. “That kind of purchase procedures often take long,” says Boom. “It is sometimes difficult to determine exactly from a male perspective what the need is of female soldiers. For that I am regularly in conversation with the ladies I have in my brigade.”
Yet he sees the shard jackets be entered in the short term. Boom: “The current events and the urgency are much higher now.” Captain Denise adds: “I feel it will be fine. We are working hard on it. It is a piece of recognition for women that you arrange it well.”