Gendering Military Service in the Israel Defense Forces

The extensive literature on the Israeli military only occasionally acknowledges women’s presence with a passing reference to the exceptional fact that women are conscripted. ¹ Women, however, constitute approximately a third of the conscripts and close to 20 percent of the standing army. ² In 1999, the military conscripted 80 percent of the cohort of 18-year-old men and 62 percent of the cohort of 18-year-old-women (Harel 1999a). Studies of the military in other countries have revealed that gender dynamics are a major force constructing the military, both in the historical creation of military structures and in contemporary policies and practices (see Elshtain 1995; Enloe 1983; Yuval-Davis 1997). This chapter analyzes the gender dynamics that shape contemporary policies and practices of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).