The Bundeswehr is no longer a male domain. Many women pursue officer careers, they command companies and battalions or fight in foreign missions. A lot has happened since all military careers were open to women. In 2001 there were around 6,700 female soldiers, today there are more than 24,000. Nevertheless, women are still underrepresented in the Bundeswehr – and the ranks have not changed either. The male form also applies to women: there is no such thing as a “lieutenant colonel”, “captain” or “frigate captain” in the official Bundeswehr language.
Some female soldiers are bothered by this and are calling for the introduction of female ranks. “Language creates awareness, visibility and representation,” says Lieutenant Colonel Anastasia Biefang. “An awareness that we are diverse in our gender and that we all perform our service in accordance with our oath.” Equality does not mean uniformity, as critics complain.
“Why do we have such a hard time depicting gender?” asks Biefang. Perhaps it is because changes in the Bundeswehr are fundamentally difficult. This sensitive topic in particular has a strong defensive attitude within the troops. “For me, it is a bulwark of masculinity; the last bastion that remains.”
“I think female ranks don’t hurt us”
It is also a question of external perception, says Biefang. “Outside the troops, many people say to me: I can’t understand that.” It is time to open up to this topic. Biefang, who served as a man for 20 years before coming out as a woman in 2015, speaks out as deputy chairwoman of the QueerBw association. In 2017, she became the first transgender commander in the history of the Bundeswehr and to this day she advocates for gender-sensitive language in the troops. “I don’t think female ranks hurt us,” she says.
In recent years, there have already been initial relaxations. Since 2021, for example, the female form has been used in career drawings, so since then people have spoken of female officers and non-commissioned officers. The female designation of commanders has also long been in use. However, the masculine ending still applies to the actual ranks such as sergeant or boatswain. The addition “Frau” can be added in front, so the correct term is “Frau Bootsmann”.
Soldier Helena Linder-Jeß also has nothing against female ranks in principle. “That would be contemporary,” she says, even if it is not the most pressing issue for the troops at the moment. Of course, language plays a role in equality. Young people have grown up with the gender issue. In the past, people simply accepted “that it is the way it is.” That has changed. “That’s why it would actually only be logical to go along with this and say we need to change something and take the young people with us.”
Women do not have to answer questionnaires
Supporters of female ranks also argue against the background that women make up 13 percent of the Bundeswehr, and outside the medical service the figure is less than ten. The Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl, recently said that things cannot continue like this. The proportion of female leaders has also been in the per mille range, according to her, “for years.”
The Bundeswehr is generally struggling with a shortage of personnel. The new military service model of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) requires all young men of a given year to complete a conscription questionnaire. Women are also sent a questionnaire, but they do not have to answer it. The CDU/CSU criticized this as a missed opportunity to reach more women.
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Anne Bressem believes that female ranks could make the military more attractive to women. She was part of the first female class to serve in the armed forces in 2001. Since last year, Bressem has been a teacher and a lieutenant colonel in the reserves. Young women often talk to her about female ranks, she says. This could certainly be a factor in their career decision. “There is no plausible reason that speaks against it,” says Bressem. Why, for example, is there a female commissioner in the police force but no “major” in the armed forces? However, she does not expect female ranks to be introduced any time soon: after more than 20 years, this language has become “so socialized in the military that a change, whether for men or women, is met with mixed opinions.”
“Nobody joins the force because there are female ranks”
Frigate Captain Tanja Merkl sees no reason to change the rank designations. In day-to-day interaction, it is about emphasizing the similarities – and not the differences. “For me, we come before I: respect, appreciation and camaraderie know no gender,” says Merkl. Among other things, she was commander of sea mine countermeasures units for three years and also worked on foreign missions.
“For me personally, it was not an issue how I was addressed, as the existing rules are sufficient and I did not feel disadvantaged as a woman.” She always felt like part of a team in which every member was needed and important. “For me, when I’m on duty, it’s the person who counts, not their gender.” Especially in military operations and in the language of command and reporting, things often have to happen quickly, so you can’t pay attention to the form of address. This does not mean that there should be a lack of mindfulness, encounters at eye level, care and, above all, trust.
Since last year, Merkl has been working in an area that deals with the troops’ personnel readiness. The aim is to make the Bundeswehr ready for war, she says, and to provide ready-to-use forces for NATO as well. “Do female ranks increase readiness? No!” And Merkl does not believe that the Bundeswehr will be able to attract more women as a result. “One of the reasons we have so few women is that we do not yet sufficiently show female role models and career paths that women have already taken.” In addition, balancing work and family is difficult. These challenges are being addressed. “There are many sensible reasons to join the Bundeswehr, but no one becomes part of the force just because there are female ranks.”
Mood picture without scientific claim
Soldier Wiebke Hönicke sees it similarly. In 2020, she wrote on Instagram that gendered ranks had nothing to do with emancipation or equality. Today, Hönicke reiterates this position. For her, equality means that ranks do not differentiate between genders. “The uniform knows no skin color or gender. It unites us just like the rank, which is the same for everyone.” The Bundeswehr Association and Reservist Association also spoke out against female ranks in an interview with the FAZ.
The Reservists’ Association expects a “considerable” bureaucratic effort. Female reservists and soldiers also often say that they do not attach any importance to female endings. Hülya Süzen, deputy chairwoman of the Air Force in the Bundeswehr Association, says that this is not currently an issue for the Bundeswehr: “We have obtained a snapshot of the mood among the membership, and the vast majority are against it.” However, she is referring to a flash poll from 2020 with no scientific claim.
That year, the last major discussion about ranks was sparked under the then Minister of Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU). There was soon great resistance in the troops and in politics. The Bundeswehr had completely different problems, critics complained, and rather than “sham debates” it lacked equipment and operational readiness. In an open letter from a female soldier to the minister, she said: “That is not a bridge that you are building there, but a trench that you are digging.” Kramp-Karrenbauer dropped the subject.
Fears must also be addressed
The Equal Opportunities Act for Female and Male Soldiers does not rule out the introduction of female ranks. “Female forms of rank designations can be established for female soldiers,” it states. A spokeswoman for the German Armed Forces in Cologne describes the wording in the law as a “placeholder” for a possible future decision to introduce female ranks. “We are closely following the discussion about gender-neutral language – both inside and outside the German Armed Forces.” According to the Soldiers Act, the change in rank designations can only be ordered by the Federal President.
Lieutenant Colonel Anastasia Biefang does not believe that resistance among female soldiers is as great as often portrayed. In her lectures on gender-sensitive language in front of a predominantly female audience, there is no longer such a clear stance on the no. “Then an open discussion is held about it or fears are expressed as to why people do not want this term,” says Biefang. One fear of female soldiers is that they will “be marginalized again or seen as something other than a unit in the army.” These fears must also be addressed. “They have learned that they have not been well integrated since 2001.”
Helena Linder-Jeß is not very emotional about the discussion. She can understand the arguments of the supporters, says the soldier, but it should not be rushed. The introduction of female ranks takes time, if at all. Nevertheless, Linder-Jeß does not rule out that this will become the norm in the troops at some point: “There is a certain relevance – and sooner or later the Bundeswehr will deal with it.”
