A lot has been said about the recent comments regarding the importance or rather the lack of importance of women officers in the armed forces. Well I agree with the comments. Yes we women do pose the liability of pregnancy. And definitely when compared to our alpha male counterparts and their complete lack of pregnancy and periods, we do have a shortcoming!

Today the armed forces, argues, about how it’s a waste of money to train women officers, only to have them go off on maternity leaves. But wait a minute, what if the millions of other industries decide on the same logic? Aren’t big conglomerates too spending money on training their women employees? What if they also decide to do away with women on the basis of a maternity leave? And are our women officers pregnant throughout their careers? I fail to understand why a few months of maternity leave undermines an entire career dedicated to the protection of our nation. If every industry examines the liability posed by their women employees in a manner similar to the said comments, we are bound to witness a regression in the status of women Can schools not decide that it is meaningless to educate a girl child when eventually she is going to take a few months off from work to have a child?

A small spark is enough to trigger a big fire. And now the process has been tuned to ignition. If we, women, accept this deal that is given to us, soon we will be in the same old positions that we fought so hard to come out of.

When China, Britain, The United States and a number of other countries across the world have women officers in their defense forces, why should India treat her women separately. Are the women in other countries biologically different?? Have they mutated into unto a non-conceiving species?? Think about it!