Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Equality, diversity and inclusionMilitaryLatest NewsRace discriminationSex discrimination

Spokesman for the British Army Rumour Service website admits racism and sexism are still big problems in the Armed Forces

by Greg Pitcher 14 Mar 2007
by Greg Pitcher 14 Mar 2007

Sexism and racism remain “significant issues” in the Armed Forces, according to a representative of the website responsible for hosting lewd online discussions.

A spokesman for the British Army Rumour Service (ARRSE) website said the problems stemmed from the recruitment of Forces members from deprived areas.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) last week distanced itself from graphic discussions on the website about how to treat women at training barracks. It said ARRSE was an independent website and was not exclusively used by services personnel.

But in an e-mail to Personnel Today on behalf of the website, someone calling themselves ‘Bad Commanding Officer’ conceded that discrimination was a major problem in the Armed Forces.

“The Army is an organisation that recruits from some of the most deprived areas of our society,” he said. “The young people who come from these backgrounds have often been failed by their parents, the educational system and society. I have no doubt that both sexism and racism remain significant issues, both in deprived areas of the country and in our Armed Forces.”

The Commons defence committee warned in December last year that sexual harassment had reached “alarming levels” in military ranks. And the MoD presented findings to the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) last month as part of a three-year plan to combat the problem.

However, the EOC said that it would not be commenting on the ministry’s progress until June 2008.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Last week, Conservative Party leader David Cameron sacked homeland security spokesman Patrick Mercer after he said that some ethnic minority soldiers used racism as a “cover” for idleness.




 

Greg Pitcher

previous post
Employers spending money on recruitment without measuring return on investment
next post
Lack of women in top roles will continue to limit female career choices

You may also like

MPs demand Home Office tighten visas to protect...

4 Jul 2025

100% success for latest large-scale four-day week trial

3 Jul 2025

NHS 10-year Health Plan sets out vision for...

3 Jul 2025

Microsoft to cut 9,000 jobs globally as role...

3 Jul 2025

Decline in workplace deaths: falls from height remain...

3 Jul 2025

How can HR prepare for changes to the...

3 Jul 2025

Data skills gap getting in way of AI...

3 Jul 2025

Top 10 HR questions June 2025: Redundancy consultation

2 Jul 2025

Aircrew with cancer pursuing MoD for compensation –...

2 Jul 2025

Living wage pushes up spring pay settlements

2 Jul 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+