Israel is one of three countries in the world where military service is compulsory for women. Since 2000, the women were given equal rights to serve in the military alongside men. Now they make up 33% of IDF ranks, and 51% of its officers.
All Israeli women must undertake 24 months of military service, and afterwards remain reservists until they are 38: terms which are identical for men.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesWomen have formed part of Israel's military since the state was founded in 1948.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesBefore Israel was founded, women made up 20% of the militias which went on to form the Israeli Defence Forces.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesWhen the IDF was founded in 1948, female troops were taken off the front line, due to fears of sexual assault.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesDuring the Yom Kippur War, women returned to the frontlines due to a shortage of troops, but most remained secretarial and support roles.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesFrom the late 1970s, women began to able to take on more roles, and higher ranks. By 1986 Amira Dotan became the IDF's first female brigadier-general.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesIn 1996 Alice Miller took the IDF to court, when she was barred from taking the Israeli Air Force entrance exams on the grounds of her sex. Miller won the case, which led to the 2000 Equality act, but failed the entrance exams.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesIn 2001 Roni Zuckerman became the first female fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force. Afterwards hundreds more women took on combat roles.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesAs with men, women can refuse conscription for religious reasons, including being a conscientious objector, or if she strictly adheres to Jewish dietary laws and travel bans during the sabbath.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesDespite the promise of equality, female soldiers face regular sexual harassment. In 1999, complaints of harassment averaged one a day.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesFemale and male Haredi - orthodox Jews - have formed a growing number of IDF personnel. However, most request deferments or to be excused from military service, so they may pursue religious studies.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesIn 2013, the IDF announced that transgender woman would be allowed to serve in the army as a female soldier.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesIn 2007, the move to equality in the IDF led to changes in laws and policies which made it harder for women to be excused from conscription, or to falsely claim exemptions for religious reasons.Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesIn 2014 a 29 year-old medic, only known as 'Dr. Shani', became the first female combat doctor in an IDF elite counterterror unit. Her unit's commander warned, 'Don't mess with her.'Uriel Sinai/Getty ImagesDespite the problems women in the IDF still face - 1-in-5 are still victims of sexual harassment or assault - they are acknowledged worldwide as the equals to the men of the Israeli military.Uriel Sinai/Getty Images
