Women in the military in Europe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
European countries have had varying policies that confine women and military service or the extent of their participation in the national armed services of their respective countries, especially combatant roles in armed conflicts or hostile environments. While most of the countries have always allowed women to participate in military activities involving no direct aggression with the enemy, most began seeing the value of servicewomen in the armed services during the First World War when they began losing unprecedented numbers of servicemen. In the modern era, many of the European countries allow women to voluntarily pursue a career path or profession in the national armed services of their country as well as permit conscription equality, with minimal or no restrictions at all.
In 2015, Norway introduced female conscription, making it the first country in Europe as well as the first NATO member to have a legally compulsory national service for both men and women. In 2017, Sweden followed suit.[1]