Ms Jo McCarthy:

It is quite interesting that 12% of the Reserve Defence Force is female, which is double what it is in the PDF. The challenges are different, I suppose, but they are challenges and are welcomed. In the Reserve, there is the number of different qualifications across the women. It would be horrible to say "nurse" or things like that, but there are female architects, engineers, operations managers and managing directors within the Reserve Defence Force and they take on the strategic roles in planning and in the different types of exercises we have.

There are no real allowances made. There is a two-minute allowance in regard to fitness testing but if someone is out on the ground and a gun goes off, she does not have that extra two minutes to hit the ground. If you are on the ground with the Defence Forces, you go with them and you need to carry the same type of equipment and ensure your standards are up there. It is very funny if there is anybody in the platoon saying "I cannot do that". It does not matter who you are or what you are. You are moving with your platoon and that is it. In a civilian world, you do not get to experience the challenges the Defence Forces can put to you. I know myself from being the first in many instances that you have to pave the way. I was talking to the lads a while ago about Cumann na mBan. In a way, they were not really wanted but we would have been fairly stuck without them.

Also, from a reserve point of view, it is much more attractive to be a member of the Reserve as a female. It can be part-time work done along with raising a family or things like that. There are a lot more opportunities to be involved in that way, perhaps as part of a career break from the PDF as well. It is easier to slip into the Reserve, fill up that time, not lose any service and slip back into the PDF again. It is very good.