“Women have fought long and hard to be treated as equals when it comes to the workplace, and it makes your heart sink when something like this happens.”
It was a big step forward when this first female boss of a navy warship was appointed.
Forty-one-year-old Sarah West was hailed as a trailblazer and woman who would make those stuffy critics who said females weren’t up to the job eat their words.
Sadly her appointment has ended in an embarrassing fiasco, and we are told she has been sacked after allegations of an affair with a married fellow officer.
I don’t know what went on between these two members of the senior service, and nor do I wish to know any details, but I find the whole sorry tale extremely sad.
Commander West was the first woman captain in 500 years of Royal Navy history and it was seen as a massive leap forward for females in all walks of the armed service.
She should have been the most incredible role model for young women wanting a career in the Navy, Army or Air Force.
Commander West managed to blast her way through the glass ceiling and it looked like other females would soon be able to follow her lead.
I sincerely hope that hasn’t been completely wrecked by these allegations of a relationship with one of her officers.
Commander West was removed from her job as Captain of HMS Portland, a Type 23 Frigate, and she has apparently been told she will never be the boss of a Navy warship again, although she won’t be demoted and will be found another job.
No one apart from those directly concerned knows whether or not Commander West breached the strict code of conduct rules, but it is believed one of the crew complained about the “relationship” and this led to her losing command.
Women have fought long and hard to be treated as equals when it comes to the workplace, and it makes your heart sink when something like this happens.
It gives all the old guard the excuse to say “we told you so” and might make the bigwigs think twice about appointing another woman into such a responsible and important position.
For Sarah West it will be devastating to have been named and shamed, and to have her command taken away from her.
She is obviously a very talented and competent women or she would never have been appointed in the first place.
The best thing she can do is knuckle down and prove her critics wrong. But it’s a real shame that it happened in the first place.
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