Why More Women Are Taking Combat Roles Worldwide
The Danish Government announced earlier this year that it will now conscript women for military service, becoming the third nation in Europe to do so, following in the footsteps of Norway and Sweden, which enacted similar measures in 2015 and 2017, respectively.
"More robust conscription, including full gender equality, must contribute to solving defense challenges, national mobilization and manning our armed forces," Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said at a press conference announcing the change.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen added that, as part of the country's military revamp, the obligatory serving time for both men and women will be extended from four to eleven months. Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen also emphasized that these actions were taken as a means of deterrence so that "Russia does not pose a threat to Denmark."
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine has raised alarms in the Baltics and surrounding areas, which has led to increasing mobilization. Military and wartime needs often lead to changes in personnel policies," Kara Dixon Vuic, the LCpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt, a professor of war, conflict, and society in 20th-century America at Texas Christian University, told me. "And, with Norway and Sweden already conscripting women and men on an equal basis, in some ways, it is unsurprising that Denmark would conscript both men and women."
Women in Denmark are already permitted to join the Armed Forces voluntarily and comprise around one-quarter of the 7000 to 9000 professional troops, excluding the male conscripts undertaking basic training. Military service is obligatory for males aged 18 and above. Nonetheless, due to an adequate number of volunteers, not all young men are drafted. Instead, a lottery system is utilized.
However, Denmark is hardly alone in its recent emphasis on women preparing for combat.
According to the CIA World Factbook, 13 countries (excluding Denmark) legislate military service for both men and women. These are Benin, Cape Verde, Chad, Eritrea, Israel, Mali, Morrocco, Mozambique, Niger, North Korea, Norway, Sudan and Sweden.
In numerous nations where both genders undergo conscription, sustaining the personnel of the armed forces aids in maintaining readiness in the event of a conflict. In many of these countries, conscription is selective, which means not everyone is called upon, and the terms and times of service differ between men and women. In some cases, women can take on civil or healthcare roles instead of military service.
But not all countries are for it. Notably, Seoul last year ruled out the prospect of drafting women into its mandatory service, which had long been a sensitive issue among the leadership.
COUNTRIES THAT ALLOW WOMEN TO SERVE
Nonetheless, many more countries allow women to serve but do not make it obligatory. These countries include U.S. foes such as Russia, as well as allies including Germany, Australia, New Zealand, France, Canada, Finland, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
In a nation at war, taking up arms has emerged as a powerful calling for many women—many of whom serve on the frontline.
UKRAINE
Approximately 65,000 women serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, marking a 30 percent increase since the onset of the war. Of these, around 45,000 are in military roles, with the remainder occupying civilian positions, as reported by the Defense Ministry. Combat roles were off-limits to women until 2018, but restrictions have since eased following Russia's invasion. The enlistment of thousands of additional female personnel is widely viewed as a positive development for Ukraine, as it seeks NATO and EU membership.
The challenge remains that Ukrainian forces have struggled to adjust to women's needs, leading to shortages of attire, body armor, and hygiene products. Nevertheless, Ukrainian society is gradually accepting women in the military, with the new generation poised to combat discrimination and harassment.
For Tatiana Vagridstsk, who I met as a 39-year-old soldier on the frontline in Eastern Ukraine in early 2022, the decision to serve was not a choice but a duty.
"I was a kindergarten teacher in 2014, working with children, and one day I just looked into their eyes," Vagridstsk explained. "I realized I needed to fight for the sake of our children, for their future, for their freedom."
Shortly after Ukraine's Maidan Revolution ousted pro-Putin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in early 2014, conflict broke out in the industrial region bordering Russia. In response to Yanukovych's removal, Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine, while pro-Russian separatists invaded and occupied parts of the Donbas.
Shortly after the initial invasion, Vagridstsk traded books for bullets, undergoing three training programs over nine months to become an officer commanding a Brigade in the frontline city.
"First, I trained as a rank-and-file soldier, then as a Sergeant, and then as an Officer," she continued.
Despite facing heavy combat, Vagridstsk described her primary role as the "bridge between military and the public," working as a communications officer in charge of public messaging, and stressed that there was "no difference between women and men."
"We work together but, of course, live separately," Vagridstsk said. "We get our roles and responsibilities based on capabilities, regardless of whether we are men or women."
THE CONSCRIPTION ISSUE IN THE UNITED STATES
In the United States, the conscription issue remains a heated one that often flares politically. While women have been serving for generations, including commanding warships, flying fighter jets and fighting in frontline combat in more recent times, registration for a military draft has never been a requirement. The United States is among 23 countries where the military draft is legally permitted but is not presently enforced.
However, four years ago, a national commission recommended to Congress that all Americans aged 18 to 25 register for a potential military draft, calling it a "necessary and fair step." Politicians have also tried—without success—to slip provisions into the annual National Defense Authorization Act that would obligate women to sign up for the draft.
Vuic explained that after the military removed combat restrictions on women in 2015, various groups and members of Congress have made attempts to require women to register for Selective Service.
"The Congressionally created National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service recommended in 2020 that women should register. The Department of Defense has called for women to register since the removal of combat restrictions," she continued. "In 2021, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System, which united the NCM with the ACLU and other organizations, all of which argued that male-only registration constitutes sex discrimination. It seems that in most years, the NDAA includes a provision to require women to register, but it is usually traded away in a partisan deal at the eleventh hour."
While no Americans have been compelled into service in over four decades, failing to register comes with many punishments, such as being disqualified from working for the federal government and an inability to secure student loans. The issue of integrating women into a potential draft has gained urgency in recent years, particularly following the Pentagon's 2015 decision to allow women access to all combat roles. Since then, over 2,000 women have served in combat positions within the Army, with a current active-duty female population exceeding 224,000.
According to Laura L. Miller, a senior social scientist at the RAND Corporation, the more important national security question for Washington to ponder is whether the compelling people to serve who don't want to serve or what specific skills those drafted would bring – if any.
"Do you want to have people at a highly professional and technological force, and what would be the impact of having people there who don't want to be there; is that more of a negative impact than a contribution that it makes?" she said.
Based on a 2021 Ipsos survey, there has been a decline in general approval for drafting women in recent years. In 2016, 63 percent of Americans backed the idea of drafting women if Congress reinstated conscription. However, this figure dropped to 45 percent five years later, with over half of men and about a third of women supporting the notion.
Nonetheless, numerous experts and female veterans commend efforts toward achieving gender equity within the military. The likes of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) refer to male-only registration as "one of the last examples of overt sex discrimination written into our federal law."
So, what do women bring militarily to the table that differs from their male counterparts?
"Each individual brings a unique set of skills and perspectives to their jobs in the military, some of which may be shaped by sex and some of which may not be," Vuic noted.
Miller pointed out that rather than framing it in terms of women being like this and men being like that, she would frame it in terms of "wanting to draw from the full talent pool."
"The people that you need, the skills, the interest, the commitment, and not cutting off a portion of the population," Miller said. "Particularly when you do have some very specialized skill sets."
THE FUTURE
Yet according to the experts, this isn't likely to change soon.
"I think a return to conscription would happen only in the most extreme of circumstances," Vuic said. "But, if the United States did require conscription to mobilize a military force, I cannot imagine that male-only registration would stand legally."
Miller pointed out that two decades ago, much of the argument centered on the horror of seeing women coming home in body bags and how that would be too much for the American public. However, many women paid the ultimate price serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the once-expected shock-and-awe has not eventuated. Still, Miller concurred that even a military recruitment shortage wouldn't likely lead to women being forced to sign up to serve.
"That wouldn't be the most practical solution," she added. "The military uses other types of bonuses and incentives and has other ways to adjust its needs and cycles."
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