11,000 women to join India’s combat forces. Other countries that allow women on the warfront will surprise you

The Indian government has finally decided to enhance representation of women in central police forces. In an unprecedented move, over 11, 000 women will be recruited for combat duties in paramilitary forces such as CRPF, BSF, ITBP and CISF.

According to news reports, the government has already planned to hired 8, 533 women constables.

Is India marching towards a change?

Earlier this year on Republic Day,  India witnessed a shining moment when Wing Commander Pooja Thakur lead US President Barack Obama’s Guard of Honour. This was the first Republic Day  in independent India that has seen an all-women contingent from the Army, the Navy and  the Air Force march alongside the men in uniform at the annual parade.

The Indian Army first allowed women to join as officers in 1992. In 2014, the NDA government cleared the Indian Army’s proposal to offer permanent commissions to women officers. This move is expected to trigger a larger role for women in the defence forces in units like the Intelligence Corps, Signals Corps, Ordinance Corps, Army Service Corps and Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps.

However, women in the country’s armed forces were not allowed into any active combat roles, until now.

Even progressive countries like the US and Australia allowed women into combat roles only as recently as 2013 and 2011 respectively. However, many others like Russia and Israel have allowed it for a few decades now.

Here is a list of countries that permit women to take up active combat. Some of them might surprise you!

Pakistan

Women have been part of the Pakistani military since the establishment of Pakistan in 1947. In 2013, Ayesha Farooq shot to fame for being Pakistan’s only female war-ready fighter pilot, one who bombed Taliban hideouts in North Waziristan for the Zarb-e-Azb mission. Many other women have also been were trained as fighter pilots.

Pakistan appoints women to high ranking assignments, hostile military duties and combat military operations. Women in the Pakistani army have been trained in sniper, airborne and infantry warfare.

Eritrea

This country, which has reported alarming levels of hunger and malnutrition, does not forbid its women to fight alongside men. Eritrean women have fought in the 30-year war for independence from Ethiopia as well as in the Eritrean-Ethiopian war. The BBC reports that in the war fought between 1998 and 2000,  women constituted a quarter of Eritrean army personnel.

Turkey

In the city of Erzurum in eastern Turkey, a monument to a local woman, Nene Hatun, pays homage her courage  during the Ottoman Russian war. The country is also home to the first female combat pilot in the world: Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. She has flown more than 8,000 hours, including 32 hours of active combat and bombardment missions. When the US published the ‘Greatest Aviators in History’ poster in1996, she was the only woman on the list. Today, women officers work in combat roles such as artillery, aviation and engineering, as well as in branches such as ordnance, transportation, personnel, air traffic control and intelligence.

Argentina

In 2014, women accounted for nearly 14 per cent of the Argentine Armed forces. The Argentine Army first authorized women to enter the ranks in 1997. This move was followed by the Air Force and the Navy in 2001 and 2002 respectively. Women have since been deployed as members of peacekeeping missions in Cyprus and Haiti.

New Zealand

Through a special subordinate legislation in 2001, New Zealand permitted its women to serve in the Special Air Service, Infantry, Armour and Artillery. A 2014 report entitled ‘Maximising Opportunities for Military Women in the New Zealand Defence Force’ claimed that the country had higher female representation in the regular forces than the US, Australia, Canada or the UK. The defence ministry said that 15% of the regular forces were women.

Singapore

According to 2013 statistics, about 1,500 women in this city state hold combat roles, serving in capacities such as artillery gunners, pilots and intelligence analysts. Their number accounted for 7.5 per cent of the Singapore Armed Forces pool of regulars. The SAF recruited its first female combatants in 1986. The country’s defence website announces, “Defending our nation is never just a man’s job.” It also has testimonials and stories about women who have made their mark in the defence forces.

Switzerland

The country does not have full-time active combat units but can mobilize them within 72 hours on a need basis. Women are allowed to join all units including combat troops. Women constitute half of Switzerland’s well-regulated militia army, serving mostly as instructors, staff officers and facility guards.

Other countries

The list includes France, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Finland, Germany, Romania and Norway.