More than 90% of students selected for the next army reserve officer training course say they’re willing to take part in an experiment that sees men and women sharing the same accommodation.
It’s the first trial of same-sex barracks in the Finnish military, for a course that begins this week in Hamina.
There are 600 students selected for the course and about 7% of them - or 42 students - are women.
“It would seem that young people have a very positive attitude towards the experiment” says Lieutenant Colonel Tommi Sikanen who is head of the reserve officer training course.
“This is great, because the idea for this experiment originally came from the conscripts themselves. With so many volunteers, the experimental arrangements are also relatively easy to implement” he adds.
During the experiment an equal number of men and women will be accommodated in the dormitories where they will sleep. Other facilities like toilets and showers will remain separate for men and women.
Participation in the experiment is voluntary and students can change their minds at any time.
“The experiment, which is starting now, will gather experiences and information about co-accommodation, especially in barracks, because in field exercises co-accommodation has been used as long as women have had the opportunity to perform military service” explains Lt Col Sikanen.
The mixed-sex accommodation experiment will be trialed across all five units of the next reserve officer course, and students will be instructed about the new rules for barracks life during their first lessons.
