There is more space for women in the Swiss army since a woman, the 58-year-old Christian Democrat lawyer from Brig, in the canton of Valais, Viola Amherd, took office at the head of the Ministry of Defense. Aware of the fact that, until now, the Swiss armed forces had been a purely male body, if not downright male, with only 0.9% of female soldiers in service, Viola Amherd recently presented a plan to increase the female presence in the army. For example, through the reconciliation of different roles, in the civil sphere, within the family, with the granting of maternity leave, and in the professional sphere. In fact, since the Swiss army is a militia army, it allows not only soldiers but also officers to carry out a work activity during military service which, most of the time, lasts several years.
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by Franco Zantonelli
The novelty introduced by Minister Amherd, who made the most noise, even outside Switzerland, however, contains an exclusively female intimate cotè. We are talking about the supply of panties and bras. Nothing extraordinary, it would be worth commenting! Yet, until now, enlisted women received the same underwear as their male colleagues, including their underwear. “The old outfit of uniforms was no longer suited to the specific needs of women,” acknowledged army spokesman Kaj-Gunnar Sievert in an interview with the Watson portal. For her part, a female soldier declared that “when you have to march with 27 kg of equipment, even the type of underwear you wear can make a difference”.
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by Franco Zantonelli
With this and other measures, including – relevant – greater severity towards sexism, the Swiss military leaders hope to bring the female army contingent to 10% within 10 years. Meanwhile, Minister Viola Amherd has already announced the national day of female soldiers for 4 March next year.
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