Women to serve on submarines
December 09, 2011
Posted by:Zoe Lomax
Philip Hammond, the Secretary of State for Defence, announced yesterday that women are to be allowed to serve on submarines from 2013. Historically women have been excluded from roles in the Royal Navy’s Submarine Service, which has been operating for 110 years, due to health concerns. Higher levels of carbon dioxide within the submarine environment were thought to be a high risk to women. However, research recently conducted by the Institute of Naval Medicine shows this belief to be unfounded and therefore the bars to entry can be removed. As military compensation specialists we know that the INM can be trusted, and so we support the news that female recruits will have the same opportunities as males. Our concern is whether, once recruited, these women will be treated with equality.