A military source said Sunday that a group of female veterans will undergo five to seven days of reserve training starting May 8.
They will be the first female group to be required to report to an undisclosed “strategic location” in Taoyuan’s Bade District for five to seven days of training, depending on their rank when they are discharged, the source said. anonymous.
The reservists will receive the same training as the male soldiers, but their dormitories and bathrooms will be separate from the male soldiers, the sources said.
Image: Taipei Times Fang Pinchao
For security reasons, the source did not disclose the exact number of female reservists who will participate in the training, nor the specific location.
The Department of Defense announced in January that later this year it will begin requiring female reservists to complete the same required reserve training as male reservists.
The military previously said only male reservists were being trained because it did not have enough capacity to accommodate both men and women. For decades, some reserve training participants have complained that it’s sexist.
Men are required to participate in compulsory military service and reserve training, while women are not, but they can voluntarily join the armed forces.
The ministry did not say whether it would require military training for female reservists because of the increased risk of war with China. It said it did so because all veterans, regardless of their gender, should have the same responsibility.
As of 2021, a total of 8,915 women are listed as reservists. In addition to reservists, 15 percent of Taiwan’s 180,000 active-duty soldiers are women, military data show.
A total of 220 female reservists will be required to undergo reserve training this year, the ministry said.
It did not say whether some 8,700 other reservists would be needed for training in the coming years.
Comments will be moderated. Keep comments relevant to the article. Comments containing abusive and obscene language, personal attacks or propaganda of any kind will be removed and banned from use. The final decision will be at the sole discretion of The Taipei Times.
