The role of women as soldiers and warriors has been evident throughout centuries. As early as the 15th century, Joan of Arc is said to have led the French army during the war against England. Indian Army started recruiting of lady officers in 1992. About 5,000 women graduates and postgraduates between the ages of 21 and 25 years apply to join the Army, twice every year. The first Women Cadet batch was of 25 cadets which joined Indian Army on 6th March 1993. Women were also a part of the Indian National Army raised by Subhash Chandra Bose to fight the British. Post- independence, women have for long been serving the Indian Army in the Army Medical Corps, Army Dental Corps and Military Nursing Service. Lady Officers unlike male have to retire early and since the early-1990s, women have been serving in the services like legal, education, engineering, ordinance, intelligence, signals, air traffic control and the like but only as short-service commission (SSC) officers for a maximum of 14 years.
It’s quite clear that the Lady Officers have played a vital role in the Indian Army and continue to make an impact (even though they are small in number).
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It’s safe to say that these women are different. Everything about them, their personality, and their qualities are different. So what are the qualities that the Lady Officers possess?
- Courage: How many women have you come across who aren’t scared and afraid of doing tasks that only men are expected to do in our society? My guess is, quite few. The Lady Officers possess unmatched courage. Courage that enables them to face challenges with a calm and determined attitude.
- Integrity: The Lady Officers have strong moral principles and moral uprightness. They are candid and are forthright.
- Mental toughness: It’s not an easy job to make and leave your mark in a workplace which is highly male dominated. One needs to be mentally tough. A Lady Officer can face difficult situations because she is mentally tough. Serving in hard field areas and staying away from family for months is not an easy task for a woman but Lady Officers deals with such situations with poise and determination.
- Adventurous: Life in the Armed Forces isn’t easy. Time to time you will be faced with difficult tasks and situations and it takes a courageous and an adventurous individual to excel in such tasks. Lady Officers have a knack for such a thrilling life!
- Compassion: They have the ability to empathise and understand, thus enabling them to excel in all such areas that deal with interacting with human personnel.
- Perceptive and Intuitive: Research has shown that women are more perceptive and intuitive and endowed with organisational skills that help plan right down to minute detail. Thus being a great asset to the Armed Forces.
- Passion: Lady Officers are filled with a deep desire to serve their country. They are filled with passion and determination to ensure the safety and security of their motherland.
- Leadership and Management Skills: The Lady Officers command and lead the troops. There are n numbers of examples where Lady Officers have commanded units and managed number of soldiers under them (restricted to the Army Medical Core.)
- Sophistication : The Lady Officers are both ‘Ladies’ and ‘Officers’. They maintain the balance between the poise and sophistication of being a lady and the toughness of being an officer.
- Multi-tasker: Lady Officers are heroes at both the home front and the professional front. Like any other working woman, they too manage their personal and professional life and pursue both personal and mission accomplishment.
Also Read:
- 7 Army Leadership Traits
- Where Girls Dare, Lady Aspirants Special
- Lady Aspirants Exclusive: A Few Tips for Lady Candidates
