What a woman is wearing is always a topic of discussion, though it shouldn’t be. We live in a society that discriminates against a gender because of what we choose to wear. Literally the least of anyone’s concerns is what women should wear but it’s annoying when women are asked to do what men would do, but are required to do it in heels. But what is shocking more than anything is the fact that women in uniform also have to go through the same. Ukraine recently started a dispute regarding the same.
Recently, Ukraine’s defence ministry announced that women in uniform will be parading in heels instead of army boots in a military parade that is to take place on 24th August. The parade is supposed to mark the 30 years of independence since the fall of the Soviet Union.
The Ukraine military even released pictures of female soldiers practicing the parade march in black block heels. Many, including lawmakers and oppositions, have expressed the fact that this is unfair and asked for an apology from Defence Minister Andriy Taran.
In fact, Iryna Gerashchenko, a member of the opposition in the Ukraine parliament, said that this announcement is not equality, it is sexism. Even commentator Vitaly Portnikov commented that some officials in the ministry had “medieval” mindsets. He wrote on Facebook, “The story of a parade in heels is a real disgrace.”
Ms. Gerashchenko said that she first thought that the pictures released by the Ukraine military of women soldiers practicing in combat trousers paired with black pumps with block heels were fake. Because honestly, that would be something we would think as well, this is just so stupid. She even questioned why the defence ministry thought of heels instead of designing a tailored body armor for women. Again, because one would actually help women do their job better.
Speaking against the decision, deputy parliamentary speaker, Olena Kondratyuk, drove home the fact that there were more than 13,500 women who fought for the current conflict between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists in the east.
Even though there are now more than 31,000 females in Ukraine’s army and that is inclusive of 4,000 women officers – the defense ministry has taken this stand. The announcement is not only sexist but is also insulting to the female soldiers that are a part of the army.
An army uniform is supposed to be the same for everyone irrespective of gender. And since shoes are a crucial part of the uniform, differencing the shoes raises a ton of valid questions. Uniforms are meant to show inclusivity, are supposed to show that whoever wears the same uniforms is equal, and they are supposed to represent non-discriminating behavior. When we start making different uniforms for different genders, we are sending a message that we don’t consider the genders to be equal. And that is unacceptable.