Female Canadian infantry soldier in Afghanistan

[Jarnhamar]

Constantly needing to be praised, rewarded etc. I have met many people like that from both sexes, but the majority are women.

I've found that men are VERY bad for this.
They go out of their way to try and make female soldiers feel good about themselves like they need to or something.
A girl completes the same course as a male and the staff take the girl aside and say
"You did VERY well master corporal, don't let anything you did poorly on the course make you feel like your not as good as a man because your just as good! if not better because you need to try so much harder to prove yourself!"

Same thing with PT. If a male struggles to keep up and does then whatever. If a female struggles to keep up (and does or doesn't) out comes the praise. Your doing VERY very good keep it up! your just as good as the men!

I don't know, if that was me and I was just trying to do my job and people constantly singled me out and felt like they needed to pat me on the back for EVERYTHING I did I'd be pretty pissed off.

Another big problem females in the military are faced with, Ive heard and found, is that society  teaches them to be nice to each others faces yet try to subvert and undermine them privately/secretly.

It's accepted for males to compete against each other publically, not so for females.  Like you find in businesses, women are taught/brought up to compete against each other behind their backs. Nice to their face but don't go out of your way to help them if they can get away with it. Obviously this kind of subtle competition leads to bigger problems.

 

[Springroll]

Exactly Ghost778!!

 

[scoutfinch]

lol...I should've elaborated more on what I meant by a high maintenance woman...sorry
Definitely was not referring to women who look like they could be, because when I scrub up I can look just the same...lol

What I was trying to describe was those women who seem to require someone to hold their hand all the way through their career. Constantly needing to be praised, rewarded etc. I have met many people like that from both sexes, but the majority are women. Almost like they aren't to sure if they should even be in the CF in the first place. Now I am not generalizing all women are like that, because I know that not all are.

Personally, I don't think ANYONE with these character traits or personality requirements are well suited to the military... and I have seen TONS of them in my civilian life, male and female alike.

 

[Pea]

lol...I should've elaborated more on what I meant by a high maintenance woman...sorry
Definitely was not referring to women who look like they could be, because when I scrub up I can look just the same...lol

What I was trying to describe was those women who seem to require someone to hold their hand all the way through their career. Constantly needing to be praised, rewarded etc. I have met many people like that from both sexes, but the majority are women. Almost like they aren't to sure if they should even be in the CF in the first place. Now I am not generalizing all women are like that, because I know that not all are.

Thank you for clearing that up. You had me completely lost. I still don't see how the CF can "target females" for recruitment, but not the kind that you mention above. In a 30 minute interview it's not like you can tell the person is going to be like that. Most people who have taken any sort of classes for career skills know pretty much exactly what the interviewer wants to hear in order to get the job. So really, I think the CF just needs to keep looking for people who will be good soldiers, regardless of sex. Why do we feel the need to fill some "female quota?"

 

[Springroll]

Why do we feel the need to fill some "female quota?"

I have no clue, but would love to hear an answer...lol

 

[camochick]

As lame as it is, I think a quote from GI jane fits in here "She isnt the problem, we are". If men feel the need to hold a womans hand through their military career, or praise them for every little thing then that is their issue. I just wish people who get over the whole male/female thing. It's great women are making it in the forces but the more people make a big deal out of it the more it becomes an issue. Just let people be, to do their jobs, men, women, in between, who the heck cares.

 

[TCBF]

"It's accepted for males to compete against each other publically, not so for females.  Like you find in businesses, women are taught/brought up to compete against each other behind their backs."

- I think that's why some female instructers were glad that D Coy (12 Pl to 18 Pl) CFRS Cornwallis was eventually made 'co-ed.'  The interpersonality conflicts behind the scenes were brutal, especially along the lines of sexual orientation.  One improvement with todays climate - where lesbian relationships no longer violate the National Defence Act as they once did - is that these relationships are now mostly visible, so there are far fewer hidden sexual 'cliques' looking out for each other come PER time.

 

[043]

One improvement with todays climate - where lesbian relationships no longer violate the National Defence Act as they once did - is that these relationships are now mostly visible, so there are far fewer hidden sexual 'cliques' looking out for each other come PER time.

I would tend to disagree with depending on the location you are at. While they no longer violate the NDA, you have probably not been to Gagetown lately. The "cliques" are out in the open for everyone to see and nothing is being done about it.

 

[TCBF]

"I would tend to disagree with depending on the location you are at. While they no longer violate the NDA, you have probably not been to Gagetown lately. The "cliques" are out in the open for everyone to see and nothing is being done about it."

- Well, check out this link, and go hunting...

http://www.admfincs.forces.gc.ca/admfincs/subjects/daod/5019/1_e.asp

'Above is the link to the DAOD on Personal Relationships and Fraternization, which replaced CFAO 19-38 in 2004.  In it we have(etc)'

 

[Jarnhamar]

Too bad that DAODs weren't like wikipedia and we could edit the pages..

 

[TCBF]

Not as potent as the one in 2000, but still there to officially make people uncomfotable if their relationship is creating 'issues.'

We had a situation in Zgon in 2000, that was solved when me and another Tp WO put a photocopy of the old DAOD, with the posting parts highlighted - on the bunks of two soldiers who were flaunting it.

Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.

It worked.

Perhaps a few 'thousand milers' with the DAOD  (highlighted in a few spots) inside, discretely delivered to a few people...

 

[jc5778]

Not as potent as the one in 2000, but still there to officially make people uncomfotable if their relationship is creating 'issues.'

We had a situation in Zgon in 2000, that was solved when me and another Tp WO put a photocopy of the old DAOD, with the posting parts highlighted - on the bunks of two soldiers who were flaunting it.

Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.

It worked.

Perhaps a few 'thousand milers' with the DAOD  (highlighted in a few spots) inside, discretely delivered to a few people...

Where they the ones who had to go home and explain to their spouses why they were sent home?  Tell me that wasn't a difficult "talk"

 

[Armymedic]

So this thread went from being an information post about a woman who is a MCpl infanteer,

to talking recruiting,

to talking about pt standards,

to talking about DAOD IRT fraternization...

Talk about evolution.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Its the infamous Army.ca tangent.

 

[Michael OLeary]

Wait out, see new thread in "Canadian Army" forum for the Scipio tangent. - http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/41949.0.html

This thread will be unlocked later for further posts on the orginal topic(s).

 

[Michael OLeary]

LOCKED.

This topic does not exist to continue the Scipio tangent just because it was locked.