All roles in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) are open for men and women to apply.
Defence has introduced initiatives to help us attract the best talent from the widest possible talent pool.
Women account for 51 per cent of Australians and are a critical part of this talent pool yet women remain significantly under-represented in the ADF. The ADF has set goals for female participation rates of 15 per cent for the Army and 25 per cent for the Navy and Air Force by 2023.
While Defence maintains targets to encourage greater participation of women, every candidate must meet the required standards. Successful candidates are selected based on merit and their capacity to do the work, not on their gender.
Men are not excluded from any roles. Males continue to represent the majority of all ADF applicants at a ratio of 2:1.
There are no ADF employment categories which are open exclusively to women.
The entry standards for ADF recruitment have not been reduced.
All entrants into the Army are still required to meet the Army’s entry standards of a shuttle run score of 7.5 and 45 sit ups 15 push-ups (male) and eight push-ups (female) prior to commencing the Army.