You must have noticed that generally, female candidates get recommended more in the SSB as compared to male ones. Ever wondered why this happens or if SSB prefers females over males? We remove the females vs males in SSB debate with this blog today.
Do Females Really Get More Recommendations?
Yes, it is true that female candidates get recommended more than males in SSB. The average number of recommendations in a women’s batch is about 10, whereas that in a men’s batch is 2 or 3.
We can also back this idea with the fact that despite having just 3 SSB batches for women in CDS 2 2025 (OTA entry), 28 women got recommended. That averages out to 10 candidates per batch! Such things give rise to the debate of females vs males in SSB.
Females vs Males in SSB: Does SSB Prefer One Group?
Due to the stark difference in the recommendation ratio, candidates fall prey to ideas like females being preferred over males. However, let us be clear that there is no such preference in SSB.
The assessors evaluate each candidate based on their innate personality and the 15 Officer Like Qualities about which you can read here. So, why do women get recommended more? Here is why:
Clear communication
The first distinction in the females vs males in SSB comes from clarity of communication. We all agree that females are naturally more expressive since childhood, which helps them in the interview as well.
By communication we do not mean impressive vocabulary, but sharing your ideas logically and confidently. This helps you communicate things effectively in the GD or personal interview, and others can understand you as well.
Cooperation
Group dynamics are an essential part of SSB, and females gel with each other faster than males. While this may not be true always, but women easily strike conversations, which helps in cooperation on-ground.
Remember that effective teamwork is something that will always help you sail through in SSB or life. It also welcomes empathy towards others, which translates into a leader-like persona easily.
Optimism with a smile
One of the best qualities in female candidates is that they exude optimism with a smile on their face. When you smile, the other person perceives it as confidence in yourself, which goes down well with others.
Therefore, candidates are often advised to smile during tasks and even generally. But this does not mean smiling unnecessarily. Keep it natural and not forced, and you are good to go!
Active listening
Another quality that we must highlight in the females vs males in SSB debate is active listening. A candidate who listens carefully to others can understand different perspectives and respond properly.
For example, when you are in the middle of a GD, you should not just speak actively but listen too. This can help you build on other’s points if you know nothing about the topic too. Women understand this easily, and hence, add valuable points during discussions.
Self-awareness
The personal interview is a very important part of SSB interview. Here, each candidate must know themselves inside out. This is self-awareness, that is, knowing your strengths, weaknesses, areas of improvement, and incidents that have shaped you.
Females take out great time in noting these down and acknowledge the same. Furthermore, they also elaborate on how they are improving on these using structured answers. Anyone who follows suit benefits too.
Females vs Males in SSB: Who is Better?
To be sure, neither is better than the other. The traits we have mentioned are not strictly present in women, it is just that they reflect them naturally. Male candidates have to work harder when it comes to communication or keeping a smile on their face because they have grown up doing the opposite. However, once they learn to do so, they get recommended and make it to the academy too.
