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In 2007, the Verde Group, a Toronto consulting firm, and researchers at Wharton University of Pennsylvania produced a study titled, “Men Buy, Women Shop.”

The study determined that women are more inclined than men to want personal interaction with sales associates during shopping. Men just wanted to go, buy a specific product, and get out of the store. Women were more invested in the experience of shopping.

Fast forward a decade to Australia. The Daily Telegraph newspaper in that country is reporting today that Australia’s Chief of Army told recruiters last year to study the shopping habits of women to better understand how to attract them to frontline combat roles. Lieutenant General Angus Campbell told recruiters they could learn from the study Men Buy, Women Shop, the newspaper reported. (the newspaper described it as a “Canadian” study). “The report found clear gender differences in approach,” Campbell told the gathering of recruiters. “Men: ‘Want to go to the shop, buy the thing, and get out.’ ”

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Lt.- Gen. Campbell, according to the newspaper, noted that such attitudes have clear implications for recruiting women into the ranks. “I think we can reasonably extrapolate these ‘sales’ issues to our ‘sales’ of Army careers,” he noted.

Whether this works or not remains to be seen.

Lt.- Gen. Campbell has said he wants to double the number of females in the ranks to 25 per cent by 2025.

The issue of recruiting females in currently in the headlines in Australia after media reports that male recruits were being shunned in favour of bringing women in the ranks.