Thank you.
There needs to be more work done to stress the work and life balance issues that women face, particularly from the operational taskings and the competition with the support for their own families. In 1983, when I joined the Canadian Forces, there were 10% women in the Canadian Forces. In 2011, it's probably 13%. The difference between 1983 and today is that every occupation is now open to women, except for Roman Catholic chaplain. So you have to ask the question: why is there such little change, from 10% to 13%?
It's a male-dominated institution. It's a very operational environment. Women still have to make the choice between a successful career and a family. What is the impact of the stress of the operational environment over the long term on women? That research has not been done. The other issue is the physical demands on women for a 20-year or 35-year career in the army, in the navy, in the air force. The research has not been done to see if there is a difference on the physical demands for women as there are for men.
I think those are the two key areas.
Thank you.