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January 15, 2010
Nontraditional roles inspire
Women are joining combat units in increasing numbers.
MICHELLE DODEK
In Israel, the national service that sees both young men and women conscripted, most often at the age of 18, is a formative force in society. Not only does the majority of the population have to go through this experience but it also gives Israelis another significant identity in their society.
Israel is the only country in the world that by law requires women to serve in the armed forces. It would seem that Israel is a terrifically progressive society in the area of gender equity on the battlefield. That is not entirely the case. It is, however, changing dramatically. In 1995, the Supreme Court of Israel ruled that female air force engineer Alice Miller could enter the pilot training course. It was also in 1995 that certain combat units opened up for women.
Women are making inroads into many traditionally male sectors of the IDF. While in Israel in November, I was treated to the experiences of seven young women currently serving in the IDF as officers or in combat roles. Officers are required to do at least one extra year of service and women in combat units also serve an extra year because of the training they receive and the nature of their units. For regular IDF service, men serve for three years and women for two.
One of the officers on the panel, introduced as Rotem, chose a very nontraditional route. She enlisted for seven years because of her interest in the navy. As a naval officer, she specializes in electronic surveillance and lives much of her life as the only female on a ship with 65 male sailors, 14 of whom are under her command. She shares her quarters with three male officers.
“There is nowhere to be alone but I like the female touch that I bring to our ship. The guys ask me what they should buy for their girlfriends and tell me about their problems,” she said. “They say I also bring a good smell in the morning.”
When asked whether she ever had trouble with sailors listening to her orders, Rotem shook her head vigorously and said, “They know that they cannot say no to their mothers, they cannot say no to their girlfriends and they certainly would never say no to me.”
In combat units, women have experiences that are shaped heavily by their gender. A soldier named Grace, who spoke about serving in an unconventional warfare unit, mentioned that, at first, the men didn’t know what to do with her, but fairly quickly she became “Dude” and “Bro” just like the rest.
There is one other woman in her unit of 30 soldiers. Grace said that she has always had male friends and felt that it was natural to fight in the army like the majority of her friends.
Other women I met who serve in combat units expressed similar sentiments, as well as the desire to serve their country in an active way.
Search and rescue, anti-aircraft and light infantry are some other areas women serve in combat roles.
One woman who serves in infantry shared her most memorable experience so far in the IDF. It involved a successful mission to intercept drug smugglers from the Egyptian border. She was very proud to have had an active role in helping her country and said, “There is no difference between men and women in my unit.... We all operate like normal soldiers.”
Another woman who serves in the air force, as a technician installing bombs on F-16s, shared the sense of accomplishment she gets from her physical work and her unconventional choice in the army.
As more women choose to serve in traditionally male roles, opportunities in the public sphere after the army open up to these women in new ways as well. After the army, women who have served in unconventional units may have an edge over others for certain jobs because they stand out as exceptional. There are certain assumptions made in Israeli society about IDF service and women who have been officers tend to later find themselves in leadership positions in the workforce.
Israel still has a way to go on the route to gender parity, but the IDF is trying to lead the way. Having women in more positions of authority and hands-on responsibility can be a powerful agent of social change.
Michelle Dodek is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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