The British Armed Forces have officially prohibited risque and sexual humour, with senior commanders declaring it a potential form of harassment that will not be tolerated.
New Disciplinary Measures Enforced
Service personnel who repeatedly tell dirty jokes or make sexualised comments now face formal disciplinary action or even a court-martial. This decisive move comes after military leaders identified such behaviour as potentially 'intimidatory and sexist'. The policy applies equally to all personnel, both men and women, across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and their reserves.
Survey Reveals Widespread Issue
The crackdown follows disturbing revelations from a Ministry of Defence survey, which found that more than 60% of female troops had been subjected to such jokes by male colleagues. The Armed Forces Sexualised Behaviours and Sexual Harassment Survey revealed that an overwhelming 98% of women surveyed believed this type of language constituted sexual harassment. Significantly, 58% of male personnel agreed with this assessment.
A senior military source explained that banning innuendo-laden humour was necessary because previous attempts to change the military culture had failed. The officer stated: 'This might seem like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but the world has moved on in terms of what is acceptable behaviour towards women. Unfortunately there are still plenty of dinosaurs still roaming the corridors of many military bases across the country.'
Impact on Recruitment and Culture
There are serious concerns that such behaviour is deterring female recruits, presenting a significant challenge to the Army's target of having 30% of new recruits be women by 2030. Currently, women represent just 11% of personnel across the entire armed forces.
One female officer, speaking anonymously, welcomed the change, revealing she had found herself on the receiving end of sexually-laden comments almost daily. She stated: 'I am glad the MoD has finally woken up to this. When someone tells you a sexualised joke, I believe it is a form of harassment. In this day and age that sort of behaviour is not acceptable.'
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that troops making such jokes will face discipline and that senior officers will actively 'root out sexist behaviour' as part of this comprehensive cultural overhaul.
