site.bta14.7% of Bulgarian Armed Forces Personnel is Female - Defence Minister

14.7% of Bulgarian Armed Forces Personnel is Female - Defence Minister

Sofia, October 27 (BTA) - At present, 14.7 per cent of the 
personnel of the Bulgarian armed forces is female, Defence 
Minister Nikolai Nenchev said here on Tuesday. He took part in 
an international conference "Women, Peace and Security" 
organized by the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria and the Association 
of Servicewomen.  

The forum takes place in connection with the 15th anniversary of
  Resolution 1325 of the UN Security Council under the auspices
 of the Defence Minister.

Of Bulgarian servicewomen, 7.2 per cent are in the Land Forces,
 3.8 per cent in the Air Force, 1 per cent in the Navy and
around  3 per cent in the structures, directly subordinated to 
the  Defence Minister. At the same time, over 92 per cent of
them are  represented in the lowest echelons of the armed forces
 - as  privates and sergeants. Female junior officers account
only for  5.6 per cent and senior ones - for 1.75 per cent, said
 Minister  Nenchev.

He recalled that all formal obstacles to the admission of women
to the armed forces in Bulgaria have already been removed.   

National Ombudsman Maya Manolova spoke about the existence of an
 'invisible barrier', which foils the career development of
women. She voiced hope that this barrier will be lifted and
already within her term as Ombudsman she will be able to hail
the first female general or admiral.

There has been considerable progress in the drafting of
legislative frameworks but not in their application, said
Marriet Schuurman, NATO Secretary General's Special
Representative for Women, Peace and Security. No equal
participation of women and men in the prevention of conflict has
 been ensured yet, she added.