Women are being encouraged to consider a career in the Defence Forces.

Female members of the Army, Navy and Air Corps have visited schools around the country in an effort to boost the number signing up.

According to the Irish Examiner, policies are also being examined that would help women balance the time demands of the job with family life.

Some full-time career courses can last up to nine months, and the Irish Examiner says the Defence Forces are proposing to split them up into a number of short modules to make life easier for mothers.

Senior officers are also using social media as part of the campaign.

The Army has the highest percentage of women at 6.3%, followed by the Naval Service with 6.1%, and the Air Corps at 4.7%.

But women have a stronger representation in the Reserve Defence Forces, where women make up 15.4% of the total.