It has been less than one year since the Indian Air Force admitted its first three female fighter pilots, and the country’s military is egging women to smash gender stereotypes and be the top gun.
The air force recently released a video challenging India’s gender roles, calling on women to question whether defending the homeland may suit them better than staying at home.
“I am a girl. Of course I’m scared of loud noises,” a voiceover says, rattling off stereotypes over images of female pilots walking among their male colleagues.
“A girl who’s only supposed to be a homemaker is the girl who will now defend our homes.”
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The video has been viewed more than 23,000 times on one YouTube channel alone.
Women make up just 2.5% of India's armed forces, working mainly in non-combat roles such as doctors, nurses, administrators.
India, with one of the largest armies in the world, had been dithering over allowing women into combat roles over concerns over being taken prisoners during combat, ability to cope with frontline deployments.
