Female participation in the UK Defence sector rises to 24%…
New research by Women in Defence showed…
Female participation in the UK Defence sector
This included...
... at Director level
and a notable...
... at Board level
Average of total % females at each level 2023
Source: Women In Defence Charter Report 2023
New research by Women in Defence, which analysed the workforce profile of 54 of the 75 companies who have signed its Charter, evidenced a 24% (96k) female participation rate within their UK Defence sector workforce (395k) in 2023 – up from 19% in 2022. This included 25% at Director and 22% at Board level.1
Proportions notably varied by sector, however, ranging from just 12% in the Armed Forces to 41% within the Civil Service, coupled with 29% female private sector participation.
1. Women in Defence Charter Report: https://women-defence.files.svdcdn.com/production/pages/Women-in-Defence-Insight-and-Data-2023-Report_Updated.pdf?dm=1695136471
When looking specifically at the MOD, official Q3 2023 data identified that they are making good headway towards gender parity (46% female). There is, however, a higher proportion of female personnel for age groups 16-29, 30-39 and 40-49, and higher proportion of male personnel for age groups 50-59 and 60+.2 As such, female personnel are likely to be younger than their male counterparts.
2. MOD Diversity Dashboard, October 2023: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-diversity-dashboard-october-2023/civilian-personnel-biannual-diversity-dashboard-report-october-2023
Female % by age
60 and over
12% of females
50-59
33% of females
40-49
23% of females
30-39
20% of females
16-29
12% of females
Male % by age
60 and over
20% of males
50-59
36% of males
40-49
18% of males
30-39
16% of males
16-29
10% of males
Source: MOD Diversity Statistics, October 2023
When looking specifically at the MOD, official Q3 2023 data identified that they are making good headway towards gender parity (46% female). There is, however, a higher proportion of female personnel for age groups 16-29, 30-39 and 40-49, and higher proportion of male personnel for age groups 50-59 and 60+.2 As such, female personnel are likely to be younger than their male counterparts.
2. MOD Diversity Dashboard, October 2023: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-diversity-dashboard-october-2023/civilian-personnel-biannual-diversity-dashboard-report-october-2023
Sex % by age
60 and over
12% of females
20% of males
50-59
33% of females
36% of males
40-49
23% of females
18% of males
30-39
20% of females
16% of males
16-29
12% of females
10% of males
Source: MOD Diversity Statistics, October 2023
The overall proportion of women joining the armed forces peaked at…
in March 2021, since then the percentage has declined
In contrast, within the Armed forces, where there is just c.12% female participation within the UK Regular Forces and c.16% amongst Future Reserves 2020, the overall proportion of women joining the armed forces peaked at 13% in March 2021, since then the percentage has declined.3 Moreover, more females are leaving the UK Regular forces than are joining – to the tune of a negative net flow of 310 women in the twelve months ending 30 September 2023.
3. Armed Forced Bi-Annual Diversity Statistics, October 2023: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-october-2023/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-october-2023
Pledging ongoing support to drive change and improve gender balance within the defence sector, Matchtech partnered with WomenInDefence.Careers (WiD.C) and signed the Women in Defence Charter in September 2023. By signing the Charter, Matchtech has made a commitment to building diversity, creating more opportunities, and tackling the skills shortage within the sector, which currently has a shortfall of more than 10,000 new recruits.
UK Regular Forces and Future Reserves % females 2020
Source: Armed Forces Bi-annual Diversity Statistics, October 2023
Key takeaways and recommendations:
As with all areas of skills shortage where there is low female representation, there is a clear and obvious opportunity to address this shortfall by encouraging more women to participate and then putting mechanisms in place to support them to develop within their roles.
Aidan Wood, head of Defence & Security at Matchtech notes that, “of course, many catalysts are driving the under-representation of women in defence, but we believe that, in order to create positive change, we must improve access to opportunities".
With our commitment to the Charter, our team at Matchtech will use collective experience to help the defence sector better understand how to improve the job proposition and recruitment process for women with the ultimate aim of enabling more women to find careers in this sector.”
With the lack awareness to opportunities identified by STEM professionals, across all disciplines, as the key barrier to entry to their profession, raising visibility to opportunities in Defence for women is an imperative.