The exit survey has been in place for a considerable length of time, I think at least 20 years or more. One of the difficulties in acquiring consistent data, particularly about voluntary attrition behaviour, is that completion of the survey is voluntary. In some cases individuals just don't want to say why they left, so we're not getting an entirely reliable picture of why people leave.
We looked at attrition behaviour as recently as 2008-09 because our attrition rate within the Canadian Forces generally was elevated. We were up over 9%. We're now currently at about 6%. We were concerned about the effect this was having on force expansion and our ability to meet our growth targets.
What the data from a variety of sources tended to show was that particularly for women, but not exclusive to them, it was a sort of work-life balance issue. Particularly as people got into 10-plus years of service, it got to be a big factor. As you are probably aware, the CF imposes fairly heavy mobility requirements on military members and their families. We move them around every few years. For many serving members with families and for members who have spouses or partners who are trying to maintain a career themselves, this becomes disruptive. At some point many of them have to face the decision: do I stay or do I go? Attrition in the later years of service tends to reflect that dynamic.
I don't recall anything that particularly identified sexual harassment or an unwelcoming work environment for women. In fact, in my recollection the attrition statistics show that the rates are about the same for men and women.