Many of our female members are seeking the supervisory roles, at the sergeant and staff sergeant level, the lower supervisory roles. Not many are seeking the commissioned officer or higher rank roles. We've just had this discussion in the last few months and we really want to implement a study to find out whether there are systemic barriers. My wife in her role doesn't think there are. She thinks she's actually been given opportunities herself that she may not have had as a male, because we're trying to get more females in specific roles. Whether or not that's a fair interpretation is up to her.
We need to do more; we're just not sure what. I think in our organization, getting the experience for the senior officer roles often requires moving around the province or taking jobs with lots of overtime and working night and day. That is difficult for some of our female members, particularly those who are mothers and who may or may not have husbands who are as understanding. That's a whole other element that's beyond my control. We need to do all we can to develop those females without having to move them around if they don't choose to.