Should women serve in the military? Estonian parties disagree

According to head of the Defence Resources Agency Anu Rannaveski, mandatory military service for women in Estonia is merely a matter of time. Scandinavian countries, Norway, Sweden, and now Denmark, have already made military service compulsory for women. Estonian political parties hold differing views on the issue.

Estonia's birth rate is declining and demographic forecasts suggest that in the near future there may not be enough men to conscript for military service. This raises an increasingly pressing question: should women also be obliged to participate in national defence?

Agency head: it's only a matter of time

Anu Rannaveski, head of the Defence Resources Agency, has expressed a clear position that mandatory military service for women in Estonia is only a matter of time. Scandinavia has already taken this step: Norway introduced mandatory military service for women in 2016, Sweden followed suit in 2018, and recently Denmark joined, deciding to include women in conscription.

Parties divided on the issue

Estonian political parties view the matter differently. Some politicians emphasize that national defence cannot be built on only half the population, and greater inclusion of women would be both demographically and militarily sensible. "We cannot exclude half of society based on gender" is one common argument among supporters of women's military service.

Other politicians hold more conservative views, arguing that women's primary role in society should remain the home and family, and extending compulsory military service to women is neither necessary nor practical.

Demographics driving the decision

Estonia's population decline and falling birth rates make resolving this question unavoidable. If current trends continue, a situation could emerge where a conscript base relying solely on men would fail to meet the country's security needs. Scandinavian experience shows that including women is feasible and has not created insurmountable problems; rather, it has enhanced military professionalism and readiness.