On Tuesday, Indian Air Force (IAF) vice chief air marshal PK Barbora said that women getting inducted as fighter pilots could be happy, be married, but they cannot have offspring till a certain age.
According to the IAF, women inducted into the flying branch fall in the age bracket of 21-23 years; they may be allowed to start a family after crossing the 35-37 age bracket. However, if the woman pilot takes a pregnancy leave, she will be off-flying for around 10 months, affecting herself and the service.
Barbora added that women fighter pilots would be allowed to have children only after 13-14 years of service, since by then the government would have recovered the investments made in them.
Who and what gives the IAF vice chief air marshall the right to dictate to women fighter pilots-who have joined the armed forces fully aware of the risks and responsibilities involved-when they should bear a child?
Comments