Women in combat

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Women in military world (2020)
  Women not permitted in a country's military.
  Women permitted in the military, no further information acquired.
  Women permitted in the military, but treated unequally. This may indicate a restriction to certain assignments, a restriction to non-combat situations/medical corps or wide-spread general discrimination.
  Women permitted in the military and generally treated as equals with regards to deployment and assignments.
  Obligatory conscription for women exists. A wide range of policies can be observed with regards to registration, objection or alternative services.
  No data, no armed forces, no stable form of government or ongoing/recent policy changes.

Women in combat refers to female military personnel assigned to combat positions. The role of women in the military has varied across the world’s major countries throughout history with several views for and against women in combat. Over time countries have generally become more accepting of women fulfilling combat roles.

History

Women have fought in combat roles in different societies throughout history.

In

Sarmatian societies participated in combat, potentially serving as a source of inspiration for Ancient Greek myths of the Amazons.[1][2] In Ancient Greece, several women were said to have participated in the Trojan War, including Epipole of Carystus and Penthesilea. The Greek work Tractatus de mulieribus told the stories of 14 women distinguished in war. In Ancient Macedonia, Cynane, half-sister to Alexander the Great, earned recognition for her victories on the battlefield. In Ancient Britain, several women were said to have ruled after prevailing in combat by Geoffrey of Monmouth, such as Cordelia of Britain and Queen Gwendolen. Queen Boudica has been a famous cultural symbol in Britain for her fight against the Romans. In Ancient Persia, Pantea Arteshbod served as Lieutenant Commander in the army of Cyrus the Great and Mania was said to have never been defeated in battle. In Ancient China, Fu Hao was one of the most powerful generals during the Shang dynasty.[3] In Ancient Vietnam, the Trưng sisters became regarded as national heroes after rebelling against Chinese rule, with women also leading later rebellions against Chinese rule, such as Lady Triệu
.

In the Medieval era,

Lady Six Sky launched a number of successful military campaigns.[5] Toltec queen Xochitl led a battalion of women in a civil war.[6] Yennenga founded the Mossi Kingdoms
.

In the era of colonialism, Queen of Jhansi,

Rani Lakshmi Bai, famously led an entire army against the British invaders and fought bravely as per historical texts.[7]

During the First World War,

khorunzha of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen.[8] After the February Revolution, Russia used one all-female combat unit. Thousands of women fought in combat and rearguard roles in the Spanish Civil War.[9][10] In the Second World War, hundreds of thousands of British and German women fought in combat roles in anti-aircraft units, where they fired guns and shot down thousands of enemy airplanes.[11] In the Soviet Union, there was large-scale use of women near the front as medical staff and political officers. The Soviets also set up all-female sniper units and combat fighter planes.[12][13] Women also played combat roles in resistance movements in the Soviet Union, Spain and Yugoslavia.[14]

Battling Hamas on October 7, 2023, a group of young Israeli women became "the first female armored crews in Israel, and perhaps the world, to participate in active battle."[15]

Specific countries

Australia

Female Australian soldiers in Afghanistan

The Australian military began a five-year plan to open combat roles to women in 2011. Front line combat roles opened in January 2013.[16] The positions women will now be able to fill are: Navy Ordnance disposal divers, airfield and ground defense guards, infantry, artillery and armored units.[17] Australia is one of nineteen countries which includes women in its direct combat forces.[18] During Australia's participation in World War II, the Australian military created a sub-branch of each of its armed forces specifically for females.[19] In 1977, the Royal Australian Air Force was the first Australian service to fully integrate women. The Australian Army was next, in 1979, followed by the Royal Australian Navy in 1985.[20] Servicewomen's combat restrictions were eased beginning in 1990. In 2011, Defence Minister Stephen Smith announced that the Australian Cabinet had lifted all gender-based restrictions for women in combat.[21]

Canada

Women have been an important component of the

submarines, it was eventually lifted by the Royal Canadian Navy on March 8, 2000 and roles opened in 2001.[22]

In 1998,

the Canadian Forces embarked on a series of initiatives aimed at recruiting more women into the combat trades. While attrition and abuse remains an issue,[23] with significantly higher rates of women leaving their military careers than men, the introduction of women into the combat arms has increased the potential recruiting pool by about 100%.[24]

general. In June 2016, she was promoted to the highest rank achieved by a Canadian woman from the combat-arms trades.[25] Although there were other Canadian female generals in the past, their roles were limited to non-combat disciplines such as intelligence, medicine, combat support or administration. Combat roles have been open to women and female representation in the CAF has increased from 1.4 percent in 1965 to 15.3 percent as of January 2018. Numerically, this represents 14,434 women out of a total combined CAF membership of 93,578. As of February 2018, the total representation of women who served in combat arms (crewman, artillery, artilleryman, infantryman, infantry, engineer, combat engineer, and armoured) was 4.3%.[26] Jennie Carignan has since made it her goal to encourage the recruitment of more women into combat roles and to foster a better environment for women to pursue their careers in the military.[citation needed
]

Denmark

In 1988, Denmark created a policy of "total inclusion" following combat trials which they explored how women fight on the front lines. All positions in military are open to women, although as yet no women have fulfilled the physical requirements of the Special Operations Forces.[27]

Finland

Men are required to enlist whereas for women it is voluntary. If women do choose to enlist they are allowed to train for combat roles.[28] There are no restrictions for women in the Finnish combat.[29]

France

Women comprise nearly one-fifth of the military in France. Women can serve in all areas of the military.[30] They have been allowed in submarines, including nuclear submarines, since 2014.[31]

Germany

A German military dog handler in Afghanistan during 2009

In 2001, Germany opened all combat units to women. This greatly increased recruitment for female soldiers. Since 2001, the number of women in the German Armed Forces has tripled. By 2009, 800 female soldiers were serving in combat units.[32]

India

India began recruiting women to non-medical positions in the armed forces in 1992.

In 2007 on 19 January, the United Nations first all female peacekeeping force made up of 105 Indian policewomen was deployed to Liberia.[33]

In 2014, India's army had 3 % women, the Navy 2.8 % and the Air Force performed best with 8.5 % women among their officers.[34]

In 2015 India opened new combat air force roles for women as fighter pilots, adding to their role as helicopter pilots in the Indian Air Force.[35]

In 2020, the Supreme Court of India has ordered the Centre to ensure that women officers are given a permanent commission (PC) in the Army while adding that the officers will now be eligible for command posting. The court stated that all terms of appointments of women officers shall be the same as their male counterparts.[36]

Israel

According to the Israel Defense Forces, 535 female Israeli soldiers had been killed in combat operations between the period 1962–2016 (this figure does not include the dozens of female soldiers killed in Israeli service prior to 1962).[37] In 2014, the IDF said that fewer than 4 percent of women are in combat positions such as infantry, artillery units, fighter pilots, etc. Rather, they are concentrated in "combat-support".[38]

In spite of this, women in ground combat positions are typically only deployed to guard duties in relatively quiet areas. Women are excluded from frontline infantry brigades which are actively deployed into combat zones.

Combat Intelligence Collection Corps, and the Search and Rescue Unit of the Home Front Command. Although they are expected to respond if a combat situation breaks out during operational activity, female infantry soldiers are not actively deployed into war zones. They are also subjected to lighter physical training standards than male soldiers.[40] Female tank crews are limited to the Border Defense Array, in tanks guarding the borders with Egypt and Jordan, and are not part of regular armored units that are deployed into war zones. Their sole expectation as combatants is to return fire from a stationary position if engaged.[41][42][43]
During the events of 7.10.2023, a female tank crew engaged in combat against dozens of Hamas terrorists, stopping further infiltration to southern villages.[44]

The Israeli Air Force allows women to serve as pilots alongside men in all roles since the ban on women serving as pilots was lifted in 1995, though the IAF's combat pilots are still overwhelmingly male. By 2014, 38 women had been accepted as pilots into the Israeli Air Force since 1995, including 3 combat pilots and 16 combat navigators.[45]

Kurdistan

YPG
counterparts

Kurdish women have played a major role in militias fighting

Rojava is a pre-eminent example, constituting an estimated 40% of fighting forces. The YPJ operates as an autonomous organisation for co-ordinating women's defense in north-eastern Syria.[46]

In Iraqi Kurdistan, many women serve in the Peshmerga and are seen as equal to their male counterparts.[original research?]

New Zealand

New Zealand has no restrictions on roles for women in its defence force. They are able to serve in the Special Air Service, infantry, armour and artillery. This came into effect in 2001 by subordinate legislation.[citation needed]

Norway

In 1985, Norway became the first country to allow women to serve on its submarines. The first female commander of a Norwegian submarine was Solveig Krey in 1995.[47][48] Norway was, along with Israel, first to allow women to serve in all combat roles in the military in 1988.[49] In 2015, Norway made women eligible for compulsory military service.

Pakistan

Women in the Pakistan Armed Forces are the female soldiers who serve in the Pakistan Armed Forces. Women have been taking part in Pakistani military since 1947 after the establishment of Pakistan. There are currently around 4,000 women who are serving in the Pakistan Armed Forces. In 2006, the first women fighter pilots batch joined the combat aerial mission command of PAF.[citation needed]

Sri Lanka

Female personnel of all three services play an active part in ongoing operations. However, there are certain limitations in 'direct combat' duties such as special forces, pilot branch, naval fast attack squadrons.[citation needed]

Sweden

Women have been able to serve in most military positions, including combat since 1983. The exception was tactical air service (pilot) and various submarine positions, which opened up in 1989. Since 2018, Sweden also conscripts women on the same (mandatory) terms as men. As of 2018, women constituted 15% of the selected conscripts and 7% of the professional military officers (however numbers were much higher on temporary positions).[50]

Turkey