Women in the military

Women in the military serve in a country's armed forces, in roles shaped by national policy, historical period, and military organization.

Women in ancient warfare: Women who fought or held military authority in ancient societies. Ancient cases show that women's military participation predates modern armed forces.
Women in combat: Women's participation in direct combat roles within armed forces. Combat eligibility is a prominent and contested dimension of military service.
Deborah Sampson: An American woman who disguised herself as a man to serve in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Her concealed service exposes barriers to women's formal enlistment in early U.S. history.
Conscription: Compulsory enrollment of people into a state's armed forces. Conscription exposes differences in whether military obligations apply equally to women and men.
Women in World War I: Women's varied contributions to the First World War, including military service and wartime labor. The war expanded women's service in uniform and support roles across several nations.
Women in military medicine: Women's work as medical personnel in military organizations and conflicts. Medical service has offered routes into military institutions across eras.
Flora Sandes: A British woman who served as a soldier in the Serbian army during the First World War. Her career is a documented example of a woman serving in an allied army's combat ranks.
Military occupational specialty: A classification identifying a service member's job and qualifications in a military organization. Occupational classifications determine how formal role restrictions affect women's assignments.
Women in World War II: Women's military and civilian contributions to the Second World War. Mass mobilization brought women into formal military organizations on an unprecedented scale.
Women military pilots: Women who fly aircraft in military service, including combat and support missions. Aviation illustrates changing access to technically specialized and operational roles.

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Lyudmila PavlichenkoNarrower topic: Her fame made a female combatant visible beyond the Soviet Union.