The British Army is to offer troops the option of flexible working from 3 September in a bid to double its female workforce.
The head of the army, General Sir Nicholas Carter, will also offer its 82,000 troops the opportunity to job share, share parental leave with a partner, or work on a part-time basis.
Flexible working will not be offered to army employees in units which are on a military operation or are about to be deployed.
Carter hopes that flexible working will not only make the army a more modern employer, but also benefit working fathers and almost double the number of female employees.
At present, women account for just under 9% of the workforce.
Female employees over the age of 30 make up just 5% of the army’s workforce.
Carter said: “If you are working in a job that is not at high readiness in an operational unit there is absolutely no reason why you should not perhaps be able to parade a bit later in the morning so that your children will be able to be dropped at the school.
“Maybe you will do some work instead, either at the weekend when your partner is around or in the evening, so that we have a more flexible approach to the way in which we require people to work.”
