Gender Diversity Matters – More and More

Over the last two years, Military Technology magazine has been changing, quietly and gradually. Part of the change has been to keep up with the times and to structure the magazine with shorter, more narrative features, rather than ‘catalogues’ of equipment. Part of it has been to ensure we cover the increasingly important issues of joint, cyber and space-based warfare, in keeping with the interests of the communities we serve. And part of it has been to begin to address some of the less tangible but still critically important issues that characterize our domains: issues such as mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, procurement reform – and gender diversity.

That gender bias is decreasing and becoming less troublesome is beyond debate. But “less troublesome” does not equal “situation solved.” This unreconstructed editor – reasonably well educated, quite well travelled and in his 60s – has seen enough regional and business cultures to recognize the phenomenon’s continued existence, and to acknowledge how reprehensible that is. Quotas, affirmative action and other ‘reactive’ policies, however, tend not to work because the edges of such policies are too sharp, the areas in which they rub up against daily life too abrasive. Meritocracy tends not to work due to cognitive bias (or willful prejudice), which can undo in a heartbeat what has taken years of effort to achieve. Glass ceilings have been shattered – and replaced, in some instances, with tempered, bullet-proof glass.

Women – and men – have made huge steps towards a more equable situation in recent years – and indications are that change is continuing, albeit, perhaps, at a pace that mirrors that of progress towards climate change mitigation. So we asked two of our senior correspondents – individuals whom readers will recognize for their journalistic and narrative abilities as well as their creatively different ‘takes’ on the compelling stories that surround us – to address two separate aspects of the question, and their respective articles appeared in MilTech 1/2022, just published. Their articles appeared in alphabetical order by last name, in order to avoid any accusation that one viewpoint had precedence over the other. And both articles are, hopefully, thought-provoking.

Norway’s ‘Hunter Troop’ is the world’s first all-female special operations training unit. (Forsvaret)

Angus Batey – known for taking a subject, workaday or unusual, and twisting it through 90 degrees before dissecting and reassembling it – tackled the question of diversity in the workplace, looking at some of the issues that have shaped progress – and some of the challenges to taking the next steps. His article can be viewed here for those without access to either print or digital editions. [Are there still such people? – Editor]

Caterina Tani – Italian by birth, European by inclination and relentless observer and commentator by profession – took on the question of women in the military. And wrestled it to the floor, took a sane look at it and helped it back to its feet. The results of her investigation can also be seen here.

Congratulations to both correspondents for a job well done, and for helping MilTech to continue to address the important issues of our time – whether those issues are dressed in silicone wafers, ceramic radomes, classic wool or whatever material flight suits are made from. Not before time, we are hoping to raise the level of awareness, improve the quality of debate and – hopefully – inspire reflection and provoke further thought.

Tim Mahon is Editor-in-Chief of Military Technology