ABSTRACT

The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 stated its commitment to "freedom, justice and peace" and to "complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants, irrespective of religion, race or sex". In Israel, women's conscription in the military, like men's, is mandated by statute. Women's shorter term of service is often invoked to justify their exclusion from occupations requiring fairly long training periods. The leadership and vocational opportunities available to male soldiers are not available to women, and exclusion from combat creates a glass ceiling that obstructs the advancement of women who choose a military career. Voluntary childlessness is virtually nonexistent in Israeli society, which boasts the highest per capita consumption of reproductive technology. In Israel, demographic concerns related to the collective trauma of the Holocaust connect with a Jewish tradition of strong family ties.