Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 15 October 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence

Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Engagement with Chair of Implementation Oversight Group

3:10 pm

Ms Julie Sinnamon:

Gender diversity is a subject close to my heart, having chaired Balance for Better Business for a number of years and in the context of the various roles I have held. At this stage, 7.58% is the total figure for female participation. We have engaged significantly with the various women's networks and met them a number of times in different locations. They are working with mentors and others and getting inputs from best practice in other women’s networks and other organisations that are further up the learning curve in respect of the issues they are experiencing. That direct contact is a valuable input for us, helping us understand what is happening, how life is for people on the ground and what key things need to change to help them.

On the recruitment side, a subgroup from the external oversight body worked with the recruitment team within the Defence Forces and it is specifically targeting females in respect of the schools they go into and other places with a view to increasing the numbers. I do not have to hand the breakdown for this year's recruits in terms of males versus females, but we are nowhere close to where we are trying to get to over a period. That said, females are being specifically targeted.

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