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Major General Cheryl Pearce is the highest-ranking uniformed woman in the United Nations. She currently serves as the acting United Nations Military Adviser in the Department of Peace Operations, where she ensures that peace operations get the military support they need.
From 2019 to 2021, Major General Pearce served as the Force Commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). Then she became Deputy Chief of Army in the Australian Defence Force, making her one of the most senior military leaders in the country.
Negative experiences can often be a key driver pushing women out of national security institutions. For uniformed women, these experiences can include implicit or explicit discrimination from peers, and even sexual harassment and assault. In over 40 years in the military, Major General Pearce has successfully navigated the military’s traditionally ‘hypermasculine’ space and emerged as a dynamic and authentic leader.
Upon entering the military, she explains, “It was the first time I was exposed to the idea that my gender was different in a negative sense – female soldiers were perceived to be holding the men back, or that we would never be as good as them.”
However, her solution was to develop a pragmatic approach: going around – not through – the wall.
As Commandant of Australia’s Defence Academy, where she oversaw the training of future leaders, Major General Pearce was able to use her leadership to transform some of the toxic and discriminatory ideas and attitudes that she had faced in her career.
“Becoming Commandant of our Defence Academy was a cathartic moment for me,” she shared. “Being responsible for developing and guiding the character of the next generation coming through was my chance to ensure they didn’t experience the same things my generation did. I set out to create resilience in the individual, with a sense of belonging to the Academy as a whole. I also held individuals accountable for negative behaviours.”
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