The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have been accepting female soldiers for over a century now. Women are able to serve in all occupations and are beginning to take on larger roles and higher positions within the military force. One woman who has worked hard to see great reward is Chief Warrant Officer Tracy-Ann Fisher of the Canadian Armed Forces. Fisher put in the extra work to prove that she was worthy of her position and gain the trust and loyalty of her comrades.
“The job that I have done and the fact that I have proven to be able to do that job has earned me the respect and the acceptance. I was very much aware that I was somewhat of a minority at that point in time but made it a point to do my job and do it well to prove that I deserved to be there,” says Fisher.
Although statistics from National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces shows that female representation in the CAF has increased “from 11.4 percent in 2001 to 15.3 percent as of January 2018,” Chief Fisher says, “I think over the years it has somewhat decreased, which is why we are looking at insuring that we diversify our recruiting.” The Armed Forces hope to reach out more to women as a potentially strong demographic for soldiers in coming years. When asked about whether Fisher believes women are interested in the CAF she replied, “I think that there is somewhat of a lack of interest but I also believe that there really has not been any targeted recruiting to a female audience. We are making changes to be better at that now.”
Chief Fisher is currently helping to pave the way for women in the Canadian Armed Forces as one of very few women in high ranking positions. As the Regimental Sergeant Major of 31 Signal Regiment, Chief Fisher is the only female Sergeant Major at the 31 Brigade. Fisher works alongside 13 male officers and feels a mutuals respect for the work that everyone does and the strength that everyone brings to the table.
Fisher wants to encourage those interested in the Army to just go ahead and do it, no matter what is holding you back. “Male or female, if you really want to be in the Army you are going to go and do it. I say do it, if you really believe, truly, that this is something for you…do it.” Fisher continues that, “you won’t know what you can and can not do until you get out and try it.”
When women question their own abilities when considering a physically draining job Fisher says that “obviously there is physical differences between a man and a woman so I did have to work hard at the physical aspect in that way but that really is where the differences end. Everybody has the smarts to do a job, male or female it doesn’t matter, when you are using your brain it should be at the same level that way. “
