Women in the IDF

Women in the Israel Defense Forces

One of the unique aspects of Israeli society is the fact that most women serve in the military. Female conscription is the law in Israel for all women aged 18 – 26. Married women are exempt from service.

You could be out on the town on a Saturday night and you will see beautiful young women hanging out, with M-16 rifles slung over their shoulders. They are home from the army for the weekend.

Women have been part of the Israeli military since before the founding of the State. In the Warsaw ghetto, in the partisan units fighting the Nazis and in the pre-State underground freedom fighting units, women were active members. Many proved themselves under fire.

Women were active participants in Israel's 1948 war for independence. At some point during the war it was decided that women would no longer participate in battle but would fulfill other roles.

Women no longer participate in front line combat, but they train for it, and teach it to recruits.

The Women's Corps was founded on May 16, 1948. Within a year it was decided that they would serve for the most part within male units but would still be part of the Women's Corps which would act as a professional support system for women in al branches of the IDF.

Women serve in support and combat support roles in the IDF, recently they have been allowed additional options but they still do not serve in active combat.

For political reasons women's groups have tried to break down barriers but the simple fact is that physically women are not capable of doing the job men do. There was an attempt to integrate women in the search and rescue units but it was discovered that a great deal of physical damage was caused to them as a result of the increased effort. Even the girls who were integrated into the anti aircraft unit suffered great physical damage during the long hikes. They suffered more than 30% more stress factors than the boys.

Women serve in many capacities in the IDF such as intelligence, the Border Police, maintenance, supplies, secretarial duties as well as serving in a variety of technical and administrative support roles. Over the course of the years, the number of military occupational specialties open to women in the IDF has expanded and today most jobs are open to women. Women have long served in technological positions, intelligence, operations and training. Likewise, women can be found servicing IDF computerized systems, working as computer programmers, smart weapons systems operators and electronics technicians. The is also a women's soldiers-teachers unit, which teaches new immigrants and kids in developing regions.

In the 1990's the role of the Women Corps began to change. By 2001 the IDF abolished the Women' s Corps. Pressures from feminist lobbies caused the army to appoint an "adviser for women's affairs". This was actually the former commander of the Women's Corps.

Women currently perform compulsory military service in the IDF for a period of one year and nine months as compared with the three years required of male conscripts.

All women have the opportunity to participate in an officer's course, assuming they have met all the required criteria. Becoming an officer is voluntary, and those who successfully complete the officer's course must sign up for an additional nine months of career service.

Women soldiers praying.

Religious women have a choice of doing national service or military service. National service includes a wide range of volunteer activities such as working in hospitals or helping disadvantaged kids. Some women feel a calling to serve Israel through military service while others answer the call by the myriad of volunteer opportunities. Either way the years 18 - 20, and possibly longer, are devoted to serving the nation.

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