A changing IDF for women?
Ynet interviews female officers who believe military environment slowly becoming more open and accepting to women
Israel is celebrating International Women's Day along with the rest of the world… even in the army. Several female officers interviewed by Ynet Sunday said they feel that they are taking part in a gender revolution in the IDF.
Granted, they know that sometimes they have to work harder than the boys to make it to the same positions, but they believe that there's no reason why more and more women can't make it to the upper echelons of the military, even at the rank of general as evidenced by Lt. Gen (res) Miri Regev, now a newly sworn-in Knesset member.
Seven women officers, ranked lieutenant to lieutenant colonel, talked to Ynet about women's place in the IDF in 2009. Several belong to the Technological and Logistical Division, in which women constitute 41% of the personnel, including 39% of the junior officer corps.
Standing (R to L): Lt. Bieta Mumblatt, Capt. Amit Kaufman, Lt. Col. Orli Stern/ Sitting (R to L): Lt. Tamar Shoshan, Maj. Rachel Kadosh, Maj. Mor On, Lt. Dana Swissa (Photo: Dudu Azulai)
The conversation actually opened on a negative note, after a publication last week reported that 44% of eligible women did not enlist in 2008, most because of religious reasons. Head of the IDF Personnel Directorate Major-General Avi Zamir said that many claim religion in order to draft dodge.
"Of course it's frustrating," said Maj. Rachel Kadosh, in charge of the northern unit of vehicle acquisition. "It's too bad there are young women that don't understand that they could contribute to the IDF."
"It's a social issue," added Capt. Amit Kaufman, who serves in the headquarters of a paratroopers' brigade. "Society has to deal with it in order to cause those girls to serve." But it is also a military issue. She noted that some commanders had expressed concern over women serving in sensitive positions. But, she says, they can be convinced.
It's also changing, put in Maj. Mor On, a logistics officer for a reserves division. "Once upon a time, they worried about it a lot more. Today it's different. Today it's clear that female officers get the same benefits as males."
There's no place for gender discrimination in officer placement, said Dana Swissa, a commander in an officers' specialization course. "We check people's attributes and that's how we decide," she said.
Lt. Tamar Shoshan, a logistics officer for an armored battalion, went even further, saying that women can fill certain roles better than men. "It's easier for women to give instructions, to talk to soldiers and civilians. The feminine approach, the niceness, gets the job done," she said.
Female officers at course graduation (Photo: Amir Cohen)
And what about the problem of sexual harassment? The female officers all stated that, in 2009, the IDF is no longer an environment where women need to be scared to be around men. "There's a lot more awareness of the issue," Kadosh said. "The men know what's allowed and what's forbidden."
The older officers admitted that motherhood does complicate the issue. Not only is it difficult juggling a military position with home life once one has children, but the army can even affect the decision to have a child at all, based on the position one holds.
"A lot of the burden falls on my husband. He was required to make sacrifices and, if he hadn't, I wouldn't be able to continue in the army," said Kadosh, who is a mother of three.
Despite such difficulties, the representation of women among the officer corps is encouraging. There are 16 women serving at the rank of colonel with two more about to be promoted. The number of women lieutenant colonels has increased by 10 percent (to 24%) in the past eight years. Women constitute 37% of combat support officer positions, up from 28% in 2000.
There's no doubt that a woman would be able to head a military branch, the women agreed. "Maybe she won't be the head of the air force, but there are plenty of key positions she can fill," one of them said.
