Female cadets feel unsafe at Breda military academy: report
Female cadets feel unsafe at the Royal Military Academy in Breda. The "macho culture" at the academy leads to transgressive behavior and socially unsafe situations, cadet Irina Tziamali said in her thesis, NRC reports.
Tziamali spoke to 12 fellow cadets, six male and six female, and participated in group discussions. The cadets anonymously described a toxic atmosphere at the academy, where male cadets are quick to think of women as "prey" or "slut" and are vocal about not wanting more women at the academy.
According to the thesis, female cadets are expected to be one of the guys. The women there don't dare to support each other, for fear of appearing out of place. If one of the women falters, stands out, dresses feminine, or sleeps with a man, it reflects on all the women in the academy, the cadets said.
The thesis is titled "I won't even recommend the Royal Military Academy to my future daughter". None of the interviewed cadets would want their daughter to attend the academy.
In a response to NRC, the Royal Military Academy said it is working on a social safety action plan. This thesis "underlines the purpose and intended effects of the action plan," the academy said.
In response to the thesis, women in the academy also set up a women-only WhatsApp group in which they can support each other, according to the newspaper.
