The German military, the Bundeswehr, is struggling to recruit and retain female soldiers despite official targets to increase their representation. Currently, women make up approximately 13 percent of the armed forces, falling short of the government’s 15 percent goal. Key obstacles deterring women from joining or staying in the military include systemic challenges such as inadequate equipment designed for female bodies, difficulties balancing family responsibilities with service demands, and ongoing issues with institutional sexism and harassment. Addressing these structural barriers remains a critical challenge for Germany’s defense modernization efforts.
- The Bundeswehr aims for women to comprise at least 15 percent of its personnel, but current figures remain stagnant at around 13 percent.
- A lack of properly fitting protective gear, uniforms, and equipment tailored for female service members remains a persistent logistical issue.
- The demanding nature of military service, including frequent relocations and deployments, presents challenges for balancing family life and childcare.
- Concerns regarding institutional sexism, discriminatory attitudes, and sexual harassment continue to negatively affect the recruitment and retention of female soldiers.
- Defense experts emphasize the need for structural reforms, improved facilities, and cultural changes to make the military a more viable career option for women.
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Policy may invite, but perception still blocks — enlistment numbers tell the truth
Only 20%? I thought you believed in equality Germany. Should be at least 50%.
War is masculine not feminine.
Germany not having enough soldiers is only good news for the rest of the world. Apparently the last two world wars taught the warmongering, war-profiteering German Epstein Class nothing (other than forever wars are great for their businesses). NATO is the true treat to world peace, not Russia. It was American and European meddling in Ukraine that started this mess to begin with.
In Sweden it was recently revealed that most women dont pass the physics tests for battle positions and so were only competing for spots with other women. Many women therefore dont make the cut. They are now debating wether to lower the test requirements. Cant make this sht up lets hope Russia does not invade or we are cooked
Schrödinger feminism
Because the German younger generation especially women have understood the war in Ukraine was created by USA to Exploit Europe so you guys should stop dreaming that you'll beat a nuclear state like Russia.😢
Why don’t women want to?
Last year, I took part in a military exercise in Finland involving 7,000 soldiers, and during the week-long exercise, I saw only one woman—a medic. Women were not accepted into the jaeger unit I belong to.
Hmm…go to war for the rich or protect your way of life?
DW and Europeans just get weirder and weirder, blaming women for men's unwillingness to join the military? Why on earth do they expect women to join the military which is traditionally a male occupation, especially when it comes to battle roles?
Where are affirmative action quotas for the military?
Germans just being Germans.. They are so afraid of war – for honestly understandable reasons – that they destroy the security of not just themselves but Europe itself.
If this is the question your in allot of trouble
Because the radical left has convinced its voters that the west is evil and who wants to fight for an evil civilization?
Women are more radical left than men…
Women don’t defend civilisation
What would they even do with expanded Bundeswehr manpower… You wanna join the ukrainian grinder style war instead of idk, building up arsenal to face both russians and americans from imposing their will on you?
PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO DIE FOR THE RICH ANYMORE. THOSE TIMES ARE GONE. WARS ARE ALL ABOUT PROFIT FOR THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX. WE WANT PEACE NO WAR.
Why would anyone join? If there's going to be a war send the rich and the politicians to fight.
I think only fools want to be soldiers. Soldiers are basically dogs. Need to obey and get punished if they dont. Also they need to risk their lives for a country that is replacing them with hostile foreigners. Also rich people dont send their kids to army. Just ask ursula and others.
too
Russia is on defence. Ukrainian women steer drones and crashing oil industry.
Men & women make a good defence against all Russians drones and missiles against people. Russia is evil.
Right wing party want world war 3
Women don't want to go to war, what an absolute revelation
Just bring back mandatory conscription for men. Problem solved.
To ensure gender equality Germany should have quotas for women in the military. They need to start drafting women to ensure neutrality.
National security and liberal idealism can't coexist,get over it
equality only if it don't require to work hard
It's as if men and women aren't exactly the same. Is forcing equality wise?
You need men preparing for war.
Women help out too but lets be honest, wars for thousands of years have been men fighting in serious warfare.
The reason is because when the war is over its the women who help to rebuild society.
If many of the women are killed off, you cant rebuild society.
Men can not have babies.
Von der Leyen destroyed the Germany military.
If Russia came marching, can you defend yourselves. What if N Korea came ??
As long as there are central banks and/or religion, there will always be war.
Joy Division’s making a comeback…
😂😂😂 is this really what Berlin and DW wanna do ? 😭
One more reason why Americans hate paying money into NATO. Germany doesn't even want to defend itself. They talk a big game about Russia.
Fighting for your life in the civilian sector on the daily just taking your kids to school or at the pool kinda gets you a real perspective on COMBAT …
Why would they? Equal rights, remember?
They would prefer to have Russian kids instead .
Stop destroying yourself. There is enough men. Men fights wars. Women arn't built for war. Most soldiers are foot soldiers, and there is no need for women as soldiers. Draft men. Problem solved!
Germany has been institutionally pacifist since the fall of the Berlin Wall, afterwards the pacifist counterculture movement of the 60s took power. Before that time, the two German states had 15-18 months of national service for all men and Bunderswehr and Volksarme could mobilize many millions of soldiers. Do the same now! And include women, as Israel and Ukraine do. Ukraine recruits its combat medics from nursing schools, its drone pilots from engineering colleges. Introduce military training as a requirement for graduating from German universities, i.e. remove some left-wing subjects and replace them with officer training courses (ROTC) like all countries with high defense capabilities have (South Korea, USA. Israel).
All the current talk in Europe about rearmament is just a bluff to satisfy Trump, when he leaves office Germany and Europe will immediately be demilitarized again. The fact that the EU, which largely regulates everything else, has not made it mandatory for member states to introduce minimum 12 months of military service for all young people in all member states (as Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece already do), proves that EU and Europe forever wants to remain a weakling begging for American protection.
Sexual offenders must be punished severely. But seriously… War is way worse than peace, obviously. If women are unsafe in the military in peacetime, how the h… are they going to make it in war? When the guys on the other side actively are trying to kill and rape you?
where are the feminist egality
You can always recruit foreign soldiers like France, Spain, UK, etc.