ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how Israeli women located at relatively powerful intersectional positions of ethnicity, class and nationality might, in fact, actually capitalize on their positionality to gain power in the military and political arenas. In Israel's case, relations of women to security are also quite dynamic and change over time. The chapter focuses on these changes in gender–security relations. It elaborates on the conventional argument that militarization hinders women's social status. The chapter presents the opposite argument, showing how militarism can incorporate and even empower some groups of women. It deals with theoretical questions that emerge from the intersection of these contradictory arguments. The modifying argument is that distinct groups of women are positioned differently vis-a-vis the military complex. Once citizenship is identified with military service, it is constructed according to the life-cycle of men, thereby creating a gendered hierarchical citizenship. Women's military service then becomes a form of volunteering.
