Army women shake-up BDF :: Mmegi Online

Since inception in 1977, the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) has been a males-only-club. That was up until in 2007, when women were introduced and reintegrated into the army. While the move to un-gender the BDF has been hailed as the best thing that ever happened to the army, the reality is that the move has also brought with it the greatest challenges within our small force, Staff Writer TEFO PHEAGE reports

It was the retired Commander, Tebogo Masire who took a bold decision nine years ago to introduce women into the army following persistent and perennial calls by some legislators and commentators. In a small and young defence force like Botswana’s, women only make about less than 10% and rank from as high as position Captain to the lowest rank of Private.

In a patriarchal society like ours, women have often fallen victim to marginalisation, inequality, abuse, and are portrayed as second-class citizens by the social and political systems of their own countries and army women in Botswana are not an exception.

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