Modern women are more active and confident than a couple of decades ago. They strive for equality and are increasingly occupying senior leadership positions. A woman politician, economist or analyst today comes as no surprise to anyone. Even in what seems to be a traditionally male task, such as valiant defense of the homeland, girls are increasingly occupying leading positions.
On the other hand, in wartime no one divided soldiers by gender, everyone fought shoulder to shoulder, and perhaps that is why the Soviet Union defended its rights and freedoms. Today, the share of women in the army, according to statistics, is about 10 percent of all military personnel. That is, more than 60 thousand representatives of the fair half of humanity serve under contract. Most of the ladies who defend the Motherland are in the Ground Forces and Air Force of the Russian Federation. Many women also serve in the Strategic Missile Forces.
It is in the army that women who want equal rights with men can feel their worth, because the procedure for recruiting women is in no way different from the same procedure for men. However, in addition to the generally accepted benefits of military personnel, women entering the service receive a package of social guarantees and compensation prescribed in social regulations.
Documents for women's entry into military service
In order for a woman to become a candidate for military service, she needs to write an application of the appropriate form and collect a package of documents. Basically, this includes documents proving identity and social status:
- passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation
- a form filled out according to the sample
- short autobiography
- certified photocopies of the work record book
- document confirming receipt of higher or secondary specialized education
- certified copies of documents confirming marital status and birth certificates of children, if any.
The selection of women into the army is carried out by the military commissariat. It is the commissariat commission that decides on the girl’s suitability for military service and sends her to a military unit to sign a contract. The procedure for considering a candidacy is based on applications from commanders of military units and instructions from district military headquarters. Moreover, the presence of preschool children or the fact that a girl is married are not restrictions on admission to the army.
But an outstanding or unexpunged criminal record will become a significant obstacle to entering military service. Convicted citizens are not accepted into the ranks of the Russian army.
Women are accepted into service only when they reach the age of twenty, while young people are drafted from the age of 18. A contract for military service can be concluded with a girl who has no medical contraindications to service until she turns 40 years old. The medical examination must be marked: “fit” or “fit with minor restrictions”
Contract duration and conditions of service for women
To determine the term of the contract, you need to take into account the woman’s age, as well as the position for which the girl is applying. On average, the duration of a contract for military service ranges from 3 to 10 years.
Those who enter the service for the first time and apply for lower positions, such as soldiers (sailors) or sergeants (foremen), are given a contract for three years, officers or warrant officers (midshipmen) - for 5 years. The contract with cadets of military educational institutions is concluded for the entire duration of training and plus 5 years of service, after receiving a document on education. In any case, for females who take up military duties for the first time, it is mandatory to take an oath.
In order to accept a woman into the army, there must be a vacant position in the military unit created for female military personnel. More often, women under contract serve for logistics or medical support, or are taken into office work, providing communications and information.
A girl serving can be recruited to carry out combat duty and take part in field exercises, but for guard, garrison and internal services, female military personnel are prohibited from being recruited.
The rights and responsibilities of women who hold military positions and those in civilian positions are practically the same. Any girl in uniform has the right to annual paid leave, as well as maternity leave and, of course, legal “vacations” to care for a newborn. Female military personnel who care for two children under 14 years of age or 1 disabled child under 16 years of age, or who have the status of a single mother, can take annual leave at any time convenient for them, with prior agreement with management.
Benefits and housing provided to women in military service
When women serve in the army, members of their families are provided with official housing for the first five years of service. If you have served for more than five years, you can receive real estate on a general basis. If it is impossible to provide a serviceman with living quarters, she is paid monetary compensation.
In addition, ladies in uniform have the right to free travel during business trips, transfer to another unit, place of rest or treatment. Upon dismissal from service, you can travel for free on all types of urban and suburban transport, as well as on local trains. In addition, the military personnel retain the right to transport personal property weighing up to 20 tons when moving to a new place of residence. The state will not charge a single ruble for this procedure.
Early dismissal A military person’s death can occur both due to objective reasons and at his own request.
Specifically, before the expiration of the contract, a girl may be fired due to personnel changes or changes in the staffing structure, for dishonest performance of military duties, in case of non-compliance with the requirements of the Law of the Russian Federation “On Military Duty and Military Service” and in connection with a change of residence of the spouse.
Resignation from service at one's own request occurs in connection with the recognition of a woman as unfit for military service by the conclusion of the Military Military Commission, the impossibility, for medical reasons, of living in the place of service of the woman or her family members, the presence of a family member who needs constant care and the absence of other relatives who could provide for the infirm maintenance, in the presence of two or more brothers or sisters and the absence of a breadwinner, and in connection with the birth of a child, if this fact prevents further proper performance of military service.
An interesting video interview with Defender of the Fatherland, Captain Turko Marina Stanislavovna about women’s service in the army:
And in conclusion I would like to say.
Dear women!
Thank you for not being inferior to men in the field of defending the Fatherland!
There is no conscript service for girls in the Russian army, however, there are more than 300 thousand representatives of the fair sex in military service.
It is impossible to imagine the Russian Army today without representatives of the fair sex. They perform military duty in special forces units, in the Marine Corps, in motorized rifle and Arctic brigades as soldiers, sailors, sergeants, foremen, warrant officers, midshipmen and officers. The law prohibits the involvement of women in guard, garrison and internal service. The participation of girls on the battlefield or sending them to hot spots is also not permitted. Today, many girls complain about the injustice of laws and inequality of opportunities for women in the Russian army. They say that girls go to serve to prove to themselves that they are no worse than men, but the main thing is that the girls are ready to give their debt to their native country.
Girls in the army can join the army in two ways. Firstly, by enrolling in a military school and receiving an officer rank after graduation. Education in military schools for girls is free. Secondly, girls can join the army under contract. According to the latest official data, there are 326 thousand women in the Russian Armed Forces. This figure consists of civilian personnel and those wearing shoulder straps. There are about 45 thousand women soldiers in the army.
According to statistics, today one thousand nine hundred and fifty women serve in officer positions in the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Of these, twelve were at the rank of colonel, two hundred and sixty lieutenant colonels, five hundred majors, five hundred and fifty two captains, six hundred lieutenants, and several senior lieutenants. The data is quickly becoming outdated as more and more women join the military.
Every year, girls' interest in military service increases, including an increase in the number of those who serve under contract. The fair sex is attracted to the service primarily by the high level of social security: a decent salary, social guarantees, the prospect of receiving official housing, good medical care.
There are female generals in the Russian army. In 2010, Army General Tatyana Shevtsova was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation by order of the Commander-in-Chief. 
Tatyana Shevtsova still serves in this position.
Elena Knyazeva – Deputy Head of the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for educational and scientific work since September 25, 2012. 
Elena Knyazeva acts as head of the Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Defense; she is a Doctor of Philology, professor, and major general.
Women today are ready to defend their Motherland on an equal basis with men. Defender's Day has become their holiday, and they receive congratulations along with the men. Girls in the service do not receive special concessions, but the girls themselves admit that they receive unofficial concessions in their service. And yet girls, even in the army, remain true to themselves, they are beautiful, responsible and faithful to duty. Girls bring new relationships to the army, where a purely male spirit has always reigned. They are changing the face of the Russian Armed Forces in the literal sense of the word. The army is becoming beautiful. 
A special selection contains photographs of female cadets of the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School named after Army General V.F. Margelov, one of the elite military higher educational institutions. The graduation of the first set of female military personnel took place in 2013. 
Women in military service are an unusual phenomenon even today. And even more so in the old days. For the first time, women were recruited to serve the Russian army under Peter the Great in military hospitals, and for economic and sanitary work. This was recorded in the Charter of 1716 (Chapter 34).
Since ancient times, women have joined the ranks of the defenders of their Fatherland, but for this they had to hide their gender, dress in men's clothing, be called by a man's name and be on an equal footing with men in battle. For example, during the Russo-Japanese War, the daughter of a soldier and the widow “Mikhail Nikolaevich,” who put on trousers and boots, a Circassian coat and a hat, became a volunteer in a Cossack detachment. Knowing Chinese perfectly, she was of great benefit in intelligence, during interrogations, and in negotiations with officials and suppliers. Three more women who served in the cavalry left their mark on history. These are the wives of the commander of the 22nd regiment Gromov, the officer of the horse-mountain battery Shchegolev, the caretaker of the divisional infirmary Makarov.
N. A. Durova.
The most famous female cavalryman is Nadezhda Andreevna Durova. The daughter of a hussar captain, she was born in 1783 on a campaign, grew up and was brought up in a regiment to the sound of trumpets and the clatter of horses. Nadezhda grew up in love with military affairs and despising the female gender. She couldn’t imagine life without a horse or a saber, and since childhood she dreamed of going into military service. One day, a Cossack regiment was passing through the city where Nadezhda lived, and Durova, having changed into men’s clothes and leaving her dress on the river bank (to create the appearance that she had drowned), left with the Cossacks as a young man who wanted to serve his Motherland in the military field.
In the 19th century, military service was very prestigious, and many young men dreamed of proving themselves in campaigns, battles, earning fame, honors, and achieving ranks. They were attracted by the brilliance and beauty of the uniform, the romance of camp life, and the dashing prowess of the hussars. Therefore, young hotheads sought to join the army.
Durova, having heard about the favorable attitude of army commanders towards those who entered the army without permission, even against the will of their parents, counted on a lenient attitude towards herself. Her hopes came true. She easily enough entered the Polish cavalry Uhlan regiment as a private, calling herself a man's name.
Although Nadezhda rode well, shot well, and had military skills, she had difficulty in fighting techniques, mastering a heavy pike and saber. Despite the hardships of life on the march, the young girl not only learned to hold a heavy weapon in her hands, calming the trembling from tension, but also skillfully mastered it, destroying enemies in battle with a saber, a spear, and even, boldly entering into battle with the enemy, saved the lives of her comrades. She became a model soldier who was held up as an example to others.
Durova received her baptism of fire in 1807 at the battle of Gutstadt, and participated in the battles of Heilsberg and Friedland, where, as at Gutstadt, she saved a wounded comrade. In all battles, the young cavalryman showed fearlessness and courage.
Suffering from the thought that the father, whom she dearly loved, considered her daughter drowned, Nadezhda wrote him a letter, begging him to forgive and bless her to serve the Fatherland. The father told a relative about this, and the rumor that the girl was serving in the cavalry reached the king. Alexander the First, surprised by such an unusual circumstance, demanded her to come to him. At the audience, Durova opened up to the sovereign and asked to be allowed to wear a uniform, have weapons and serve the Fatherland in this way. The Tsar left her in the army and, having awarded her the insignia of the Military Order, money, ordered her to be called by his name with the condition that Alexander Alexandrov would not tarnish his honor in any way.
Durova was transferred to the best Mariupol hussar regiment. After serving there for some time, she asked to join the lancers, citing the fact that life in a hussar regiment was beyond her means. According to another version, more romantic, the commander’s daughter fell in love with the brave cavalryman and demanded to marry her. Hussar Alexandrov, having no desire to reveal his gender, transferred to another regiment.
Durova took part in the Patriotic War of 1812 in the battles of Smolensk, the Kolotsky Monastery, and the Battle of Borodino. Here she was wounded in the leg, shell-shocked and went to Sarapul for treatment. After recovery in May 1813, she was again in the active army and was again stationed at the Modlin fortress and the cities of Harburg and Hamburg. In 1816, having risen to the rank of staff captain, Knight of St. George Nadezhda Andreevna Durova retired. Like all officers, she was given a pension. She most recently lived in Yelabuga, where she died in 1866.
It should be noted that Durova was not the first woman to devote her life to military affairs. In 1984, Nedelya wrote about Tatyana Markina, Durova’s predecessor. A 20-year-old Don Cossack woman from the village of Nagaevskaya, leaving her clothes on the river bank, dressed in a man’s dress, entered the infantry regiment in Novocherkassk as a soldier. Strong-willed, energetic, combative, she rose to the rank of captain. But her brilliant military career was hampered by one circumstance - following a complaint from a colleague, she was threatened with trial. Captain Kurtochkin (as she was called) was forced to turn to the empress. The amazed Catherine II demanded an investigation with the involvement of doctors. The captain of the women's regiment was acquitted, but military service came to an end. Having received her resignation and pension, Tatyana returned to her village. Unfortunately, she did not leave any notes about herself as Durova.
In a military uniform with a saber on horseback, another woman, Alexandra Tikhomirova, fought with enemies. Replacing her deceased brother, a guard officer very similar to her, she commanded a company. She served in the army for about 15 years. She died in 1807, only then did her comrades and commanders learn that she was a woman.
There were only a few female warriors who fought in the ranks of the Russian army. But the patriotic impulse and ardent heart called many of them, if not with arms in hand, then with the warmth of their souls and compassion, to participate in the defense of the Fatherland. As sisters of mercy, they arrived at the war and worked in hospitals.
For the first time, targeted training of women to care for the sick and wounded began to be carried out by the Holy Cross community of sisters caring for sick and wounded soldiers of Russia, established in September 1854 in St. Petersburg. Here, sisters of mercy were trained specifically to work in military hospitals both in peacetime and in wartime.
During the Crimean campaign of 1853 - 1856, 120 sisters of mercy of this community arrived at the theater of military operations in November 1854 (17 sisters died in the line of duty, 4 were injured). These were mainly representatives of higher circles and the intelligentsia. Among them are E. Khitrovo, E. Bakunina, M. Kutuzova, V. Shchedrin and many others. Well trained professionally, extremely conscientious, they worked under bullets and shelling, causing surprise and admiration among male doctors and defenders of Sevastopol. During the assault, the sisters did not rest for two or three days. Their endurance and dedication are worthy of worship. One of the best sisters of mercy, Bakunin, wrote to her sister: “If I told all the horrors, wounds and torments that I saw that night, you would not sleep for several nights.”
Women doctors mostly trained abroad. But in 1872, St. Petersburg women's medical courses were opened, where students received higher medical education. During the Serbian-Turkish War of 1867, they already served as doctors in hospitals and infirmaries. Among the women doctors were V.M. Dmitreeva, M.A. Siebold, R.S. Svyatlovskaya. Students of women's medical courses S.I. Balbot and V.P. Matveeva worked in the volunteer sanitary detachments of “private assistance” in Serbia. 36 sisters arrived from the Moscow Alexander community, led by Princess N.B. Shakhovskaya, awarded a medal on the St. George ribbon.
N.B. Shakhovskaya and E.G. Bushman. Token of the Holy Cross Community nurses of the Red Cross.
Officially, women received the right to be in the active army during the war only during the Russian-Turkish War of 1877–1878. Then about one and a half thousand sisters of mercy went to the front from the Red Cross communities and on their own.
Russian nurses at the front, photo from 1877.
Although in the middle of the 19th century there was an opinion that women’s presence in war was not only shameful and useless, but also dangerous, women gradually, through their selfless, ascetic labor, won the right to work as doctors on an equal basis with men. They operated on their own, in no way inferior to the men. This is evidenced by their activities, for example, in the 47th military temporary hospital. “The female doctors who were with him performed many operations, such as: Mrs. Bantle performed amputation of the thigh and disarticulation of all fingers, Solovyova - amputation of the thigh... Matveeva - resection of the elbow, amputation of the lower leg, shoulder, Lisfranc operation, Ostrogradskaya - amputation of the lower leg" , wrote P.A., a participant in those events. Glinsky.
At the end of the war, Alexander II recognized a woman’s right to the title of doctor and awarded a special silver medal “For Bravery” to six sisters of mercy who most distinguished themselves in helping the wounded on the battlefield: Boye, Dukhonina, Olkhina, Polozova, Endelgardt, Yukhantseva.
Recognition and rewards were given through inhuman labor, sometimes at the cost of life. V.S., a student at the St. Petersburg Women’s Medical Courses, died from a typhus epidemic. Nekrasova, sisters of mercy Baroness Yu.P. Vrevskaya, O.K. Myagkova, P.V. Mesterhazy-Selenkena, M. A. Yachevskaya.
In letters from the front, diaries, and memoirs, the sisters of mercy wrote about the situation on the battlefields, the atmosphere that reigned among the troops, their personal attitude to events, and their mood. The notes of nurse Petrichenko are interesting. She wrote: “The entire area of the hill is literally covered with the wounded, either lying motionless with faces distorted from agony, or writhing in death throes; I had to maneuver as I passed so as not to hit any of them; Heartbreaking groans were heard from everywhere.
... They worked all night, by the light of lanterns, moving from one wounded man to another, without stopping for a minute, but what could this mean with such a mass of wounded. There were three of us, and at night four more sisters of the Exaltation of the Cross community arrived, and only... and the wounded kept arriving... You wash and bandage some terrible wound, and here next to you, with sore lips, they either ask for something to drink, or suffer in agony... Your hands are shaking, your head dizzy, and then the consciousness of his powerlessness, from the impossibility of helping everyone, there is some kind of sharp pain in the heart... Many of the officers who came to us for half an hour found that they were on fire, i.e. in battle, incomparably easier..."
The difficulties and titanic workload of the sisters of mercy are evidenced by the numbers: in the battles on Shipka there were a huge number of wounded and sick, with only 4 sisters for every 3,000 wounded. There were not enough medicines and dressings. The sisters tore their dresses and underwear into bandages, gave away boots, remaining barefoot, food, and spared nothing for the recovery of the sick and wounded. One cannot remain indifferent, for example, to the act of sister Lebedeva, who voluntarily allowed 18 pieces of skin to be cut out from herself to heal the wounds of General Komarov.
Red Cross insignia of the first and second degree (female).
On February 19, 1878, the insignia of the Red Cross of the first and second degrees was established with the inscription “For the care of wounded and sick soldiers” on the ribbon of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. Its statute stated that persons granted the Red Cross insignia are allowed to depict it in coats of arms, if any, and in seals. Almost all the sisters who took part in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 were awarded this badge.
Based on materials from Yu.N. Ivanova.
Girls in the army are divided into two types: cadets - students entering military schools, and girls serving under contract, since there is no military service for girls in our country. However, women's service is not associated with military action, except perhaps in romantic fantasies. The participation of girls on the battlefield or sending them to hot spots is prohibited, which brings the fair half straight into the frames. While the modern mouthpiece of feminism - Wonderzine magazine - complains about the injustice of laws and opportunities for women in the Russian army, and also talks about how girls go to serve to prove to themselves that they are no worse than men, I began to wonder how everything this is actually the case. I was able to talk with a cadet from the Military University of the Russian Ministry of Defense and find out why girls join the military, whether they suffer from inequality, and who they should look up to.
Anastasia Polyakova, 23 years old
The first and last names were changed at the request of the heroine, all matches are random.
Why do girls go to serve?
First of all, girls go to serve because military education is always free. You study for free, they dress you, give you a uniform, feed you, and pay you money. A year and a half after the start of their studies, the girls will have to sign a contract for the duration of their studies and a further five years of compulsory service. Upon completion of training, girls receive the rank of lieutenant and go on to serve.
Where you will serve depends on your training profile. Among women's professions, such as military translation, economics, engineering, military medicine or logistics support are common. In the future, girls can provide linguistic activities, help men in the rear, participate in various army events, but mostly the work is “paperwork”, routine.
Military doctors can find themselves on the battlefield only in an extreme situation, during general mobilization, otherwise they will work in a unit or in a military hospital. It doesn’t sound as romantic as if women saved the wounded and dragged them under fire, but in fact the work is very responsible.
Let's say a girl serves as a company sanitary inspector, and she is responsible for ensuring that soldiers do not catch any dangerous diseases, for example, rotavirus infection, which appears simply because someone did not wash their hands, but is highly transmitted fast. As a result, there is an epidemic in the company.
Considering how unstable the situation with employment in the civilian sphere is today, one of the key reasons for girls to go into service is a stable job after graduation.
Inequality in the army
When people tell me that girls serve equally with men, I never agree. There is no equality in the army, but there is also no inequality - that’s the paradox. Girls would rather work than serve, but at the same time, I have never encountered women being treated unworthy. There is probably army harassment somewhere, and statistics show frequent violence in mixed units, this is scary, but I don’t know about any precedents.
They treat the girls very loyally, no one is rude to them, does not humiliate them, does not spank them on the ass, does not remind them of hazing, and what can I say, they don’t even raise their voices at the girls - neither colleagues nor higher ranks.
Cadets are prohibited from communicating with female cadets. Of course, within the university there is communication and even romantic relationships between classmates, but, according to the rules, a male cadet can stand next to a female cadet, talk to her, but under no circumstances touch her. And guys follow these rules because no one wants to be reprimanded. We have the opportunity to be friends and communicate with each other, but during some joint trips. For example, once we all went to a water park, and there we could talk and touch whoever we wanted.
No one is trying to show women their place in the army. “Go to the kitchen, cook borscht”, “Why did you forget here?” - there is simply no such thing! Firstly, because a military university is a difficult place. Not a single military man, regardless of his rank, will ever allow himself to ask a female cadet such a question, because there is an unspoken rule: any cadet goes to school for his own reasons. It’s the guys in conscript service who are forced to defend their homeland with a stick, and the attitude towards them is different, they are intimidated, simply because this is what is necessary in order to achieve at least some kind of discipline.
Cadets know their duty, therefore they are valued and treated as adults and independent, regardless of gender. Of course, if a female cadet or cadet does not complete the tasks assigned to them, they may be reprimanded and told something like:
- but, you must admit, in this case we are not talking about who is suitable for what based on gender. It's the same in civilian life. If a woman doesn't do the job, she will be fired, and feminists can cry about injustice, but they will be wrong.
Women in the service are asked less, no matter what anyone says. If a female cadet did not comply with an order, she will not be punished in the same way as a man would be punished, although there is still justice.
In terms of attitude, of course, equality of rights exists, but there is an important difference: women are not sent to hot spots, they are not subjected to any deliberate danger, it seems to me that we are rather protected than humiliated in our rights.
This problem is far-fetched. Women are rarely in truly “military conditions”, not because they are of little use on the battlefield or their place is in the kitchen, but because there are many times more male soldiers, so there is not enough personnel to conduct military operations.
I think both men and women know what they're getting into when they sign a contract. This is not a question of testing one's own endurance or a desire to prove that women are cooler than men. Those who join the army for this are fools. This is a service, this is a responsibility. Our situation is like this: women work in peaceful spheres, men do the rest, women are needed at their jobs, they have enough work.
In the Russian army, of course, there are women who know how to hold weapons, who are ready to fight on an equal basis with men, such fighting women, but even they do not go to fight.
Do women achieve high status in the military?
Of course, there are command positions for women in the army. There are specialized women's units where they are trained in relevant skills; girls there also undergo a young fighter course, where they are taught to shoot, dig, put on gas masks - the basic skills necessary to survive in war. I remember the first month at university we did just that. Again, women's units are commanded by women.
We have a leader - a fighting woman, with the rank of major, so strong-willed that even the male cadets are afraid of her. As far as I know, she rose to her rank. But this does not always happen. My mother, for example, graduated from college and is now a senior lieutenant in the reserve medical service. All she has to do is come to the military registration and enlistment office, and she can be mobilized, and she will serve according to her rank somewhere in a unit or in a military hospital.
In our country there is no specialized university that would train female commanders; on the contrary, there are male ones. For example, the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School is a rather tough place. They train guys there - the future command staff. Guys study there under very strict conditions, and women are not accepted there.
During their studies, the guys live in the barracks, some have a position outside the barracks, but in most cases they are all located on the territory of the barracks. This is where they wake up, go to school, then have free time, and where they spend the night.
We girls live only in dormitories. There are excellent conditions here, and no one bothers us. Guys can often be stopped and reprimanded even for sheer nonsense, like lint on their uniform. No one scolds the girls or burdens them with trivial tasks. It seems to me that they are giving us a discount, because it is more difficult for a woman to get along in the army than for a man. And this is normal practice, natural philosophy. If girls do not live according to the rules, then yes, no one will feel sorry for them, otherwise they always make “indulgences.” We wear a uniform, we salute, we dress up. Nothing special happens here, you just need to tidy up and that's it.
No one from my course went AWOL, again, because they treat us loyally, and if you ask for a val, they will give it without any problems. Guys have only 2 leaves of absence per month, and some privileges can only be provided in case of excellent studies; again, it depends on the educational institution.
Girls, in principle, always study better, so we have bonuses for “good behavior.”
Women commanders
A female commander and a male commander are two different things. The head of our course is a woman.
Typically, women boss women.
They are also quite soft and loyal, the major, whom I mentioned above, is rather an exception. There is no rudeness in command, neither on the part of women nor on the part of men. This is considered bad manners, and many male commanders even think that this is unmanly, so they do not allow themselves to do too much, and if it does happen, such people are severely punished.
A female commander almost never commands a male squad, because the guys need stricter discipline. There is a different psyche and a different upbringing here. This has been the case for centuries. Perhaps a woman commander will not be perceived the same as a man. In this matter, of course, there is inequality. And in general there are not enough female command personnel in the army. One female officer can supervise three courses.
Stories about women commanders are almost fabulous.
Of the really existing high ranks among women, there is the example of Elena Georgievna Knyazeva - the only woman with the rank of major general. She is now deputy head of the Military University of the Russian Ministry of Defense for educational and scientific work. The woman is very beautiful, talented, and is in charge of the academic part of the university. She has the authority to develop the curriculum, and for this she must be very educated and experienced. I admire her because she really knows what she's doing. In the army it is customary to be afraid of people with such a high rank, but Elena Georgievna is a surprisingly pleasant person and treats everyone very well.
Once she came to see us as a couple and so good-naturedly asked how we were doing, and whether we liked learning languages! We were shocked - she was a major general! Any cadet feels righteous awe at the sight of a general's shoulder straps. Getting caught by a general with some kind of violation is such a problem. When the general's inspection arrives, the cadets prefer to sit and keep a low profile, God forbid they get caught doing something stupid, and the generals have such a wealth of service experience that they will find something to ask you.
I also really admire Colonel Nina Vladimirovna Egorshina - also a very talented woman, smart and experienced, and a fierce feminist, it seems to me. This is another great example of a woman who has achieved high status in the military. She is the head of the department of linguistics and literature, so those who study poorly constantly have problems with her. You have to try really hard to pass her class because she is very strict and tough. Even many teachers are afraid of her, but she treats girls well and always protects them.
Attitude towards co-workers
I know that guys are treated more harshly, but you need to understand that there are cadets who approach this differently. During formation, the commander can jokingly throw his elbow into the kidney, but not out of malice, and no one considers this violence, there is no harm to health. And if the guy is reasonable, he will laugh at this situation, and the other will run to report every scratch to the colonel. Nobody likes such people in the team.
Among the girls there are also bitches or informers. This is a very rare case, but it still happens, you come across someone who runs to complain. We once had an incident during an exam when a girl was caught with an earpiece. When asked who dictated the answers to her, for a long time she did not want to confess and betray her classmate, because she knows that this will only harm her status in the team. However, when you are already caught red-handed, you have to give up. Both were punished: one was sent for a retake, and the attitude towards the other simply changed.
Contrary to the popular belief that defending the Motherland is an activity only for men, more and more representatives of the fair sex are joining the ranks of the Russian army. Many female soldiers are resilient, hardworking, and are not afraid to take up arms. They often take the commander’s assignments much more responsibly than their male colleagues.
Why do young girls agree and even strive to become military personnel? What educational institutions do they go to for this? Are there military specialties suitable for women? We will try to answer these questions in detail.
The state is interested in female military personnel
Currently, there are approximately 100,000 women in the Russian Army and Navy. Half of them are in military positions, half in civilian positions. In peacetime, girls are not subject to compulsory conscription into the army. They serve only of their own free will, on a contract basis.
One of the strategic goals of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation after 2010 is to arouse interest in military service among representatives of the fair sex. Due to the fact that many men do not want to join the army and try in various ways to avoid fulfilling their civic duty, many vacancies are created in the Russian armed forces. Women willing to serve help solve the problem of staffing the army. Thanks to the growing number of ladies in the ranks of the defenders of the Fatherland, the armed forces of the Russian Federation are becoming more progressive and diversified.
The State Duma is preparing a bill according to which girls over 18 years of age will be sent summonses from military registration and enlistment offices. However, women will decide whether to serve on their own.
Why do girls want to join the army?
It turns out that there are quite a lot of young women who are ready to become defenders of the Fatherland. In military educational institutions there is often a large competition for “ladies’” specialties: up to 10 applicants per place. What motives most often encourage representatives of the fairer sex to become military personnel?
1. Many girls want to join the army because they are true patriots of Russia. They want to defend their homeland and consider military affairs their calling.
2. Some women consider joining the armed forces as a way to move up the social ladder. This motive is especially common among women planning to build a political career.
3. Spouses of defenders of the Motherland, living in units and closed towns, often master military professions. For them, as a rule, there is no other opportunity to go to work.
4. Some young girls enter military universities at the insistence of parents who want to instill a high moral character in their daughters. Mothers and fathers rightly believe that by learning the art of the army, their daughters will acquire such valuable qualities as determination, willpower, and strictness towards themselves. As a rule, in this case, parents do not insist that girls remain in military service after graduation. Nevertheless, many young women “get involved” and continue to work in their profession on a voluntary basis.
5. For some girls, mastering military science becomes the only way to get a higher education if there are no universities of a different profile in the locality.
6. Many young women entering the service seek to increase their chances of marriage in this way. They work together with young men and are often surrounded by the attention of fans.
Some representatives of the fair sex on forums note that women, along with men, should be subject to compulsory conscription into the army. The ladies believe that this will help them gain the necessary self-defense skills, learn how to handle weapons and provide first aid. In addition, many young girls are ready to serve because, if necessary, the fair sex will also have to defend their Motherland.
What vacancies can women be hired for?
There is a list of military specialties for women approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The text of the document is classified. It is known, however, that representatives of the fairer sex cannot be involved in combat operations on the front line. Women soldiers participate in battles only when absolutely necessary. In the army they play the role of home front workers.
What military specialties are provided for the fairer sex?
- Medical: military doctor, paramedic, nurse, pharmacist, pharmacist.
- Technical: foreman, mechanic, machine operator.
- In the field of communications: telephone operator, telegraph operator, radio operator, radio mechanic, military signalman.
- In the field of terrain observation: cartographer, meteorologist, meteorological observer or hydrometeorological observer, surveyor, theodolite.
- In the field of photogrammetry: photogrammetrist, photo lab assistant.
- In the field of printing: engraver, master adjuster of printing machines, zincograph.
A promising specialty for a girl is a military signalman. Many women become indispensable in the military due to their ability to use various communications hardware. They transmit signals, most often encrypted, using telegraph, television, telephone, telecode and signal communications. It is thanks to the high-quality work of these specialists that military personnel receive orders from command centers and operational information in a timely manner.
Popular among women are military professions that can be considered relatively safe: translator, psychologist, teacher, lawyer, economist, researcher.
Military ranks of women
It is no secret that ranks in the Russian army are assigned in accordance with the level of qualifications and positions held. After graduating from a military university, the graduate becomes an officer. Theoretically, a woman can receive any rank, depending on her length of service and personal achievements.
But in practice, ladies working in units rarely receive high ranks in the Russian army. 25% of female military personnel are warrant officers and midshipmen. Ladies achieve higher status (up to the rank of general) in the police, prosecutor's office, tax service, and FSB.
Military educational institutions
Currently, only women who have a military registration specialty, that is, who have graduated from special educational institutions, are registered with the military. The Ministry of Defense, depending on the needs of the armed forces for personnel, annually regulates the number of places in universities and colleges for girls. Therefore, it is difficult for a representative of the fairer sex to plan a military career, because in the year of graduation from school, admission to the desired specialty may be closed.
Which educational institutions are willing to consider female applicants? The most famous are the following:
1. Military Medical Academy named after S. M. Kirov, St. Petersburg (there is a branch in Moscow). This university provides professional training for military paramedics and doctors. The academy has two areas of work:
- training medical specialists from scratch,
- advanced training of civilian doctors.
A girl can get an education in the specialties “general medicine”, “pharmacy”, “medical and preventive care”, “dentistry”.
The S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy offers full-time training programs for paramedics (3 years) and doctors (6 years). The university has scientific departments.
2. Military Academy of Communications named after Marshal of the Soviet Union S. M. Budyonny, St. Petersburg. The university provides (military technician) and higher (military engineer) education. From its walls emerge specialists in the field of communication systems, switching, and software for the armed forces.
The duration of full-time education at the academy is 5 years. Upon graduation, the girl receives the rank of lieutenant. The secondary education program is designed for a period of 2 years 10 months. The graduate is awarded the rank of warrant officer.
3. Academy of Civil Defense of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, Moscow - excellent Representatives of the fair sex can study here as a military psychologist, translator, lawyer, teacher, economist, personnel officer. There are full-time and part-time forms of study.
4. The Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (Moscow) trains specialists to work in “hot spots”. After graduating from high school, you can become a criminologist, military journalist, translator, or orchestra musician. According to the documentation, the university accepts girls. However, in practice, according to management, female recruitment has not been carried out for a long time, since the 90s.
5. The Academy of Management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (Moscow) trains specialists for service in the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The university is also engaged in improving the skills of existing personnel.
6. The Air Force Academy named after Professor N. E. Zhukovsky and Yu. A. Gagarin (Voronezh) trains meteorologists, radio technicians, security specialists in automated and information systems, air traffic controllers, and logistics workers for weapons provision. Upon graduation from the university, you are awarded the qualification “engineer”.
7. Volsk Military Institute of Material Support (Volsk, Saratov region). The university trains logistics specialists to support troops. There are quite a few female students here.
In general, there are about 20 military universities in Russia that are ready to accept girls for training. There are specialized educational institutions in Rostov, Penza, and Stavropol. Cadets studying at universities reporting to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation receive a monthly allowance in the amount of 10 to 25 thousand rubles.
Military institutes do not accept women for training:
- previously convicted;
- not having the right to perform military service by law before the expiration of any period;
- registered in psychoneurological dispensaries;
- having medical contraindications to military service.
Legal rights of women in the army
Women military personnel are generally entitled to the same rights as men. However, their legal status has its own characteristics. In particular, women in military units should be provided with separate rooms from men for sleeping, resting, and changing their wardrobe. Ladies in the service are not subject to such a form of punishment as disciplinary arrest: they do not sit in the guardhouse.
The main document that fully defines the rights and responsibilities of the military, including women, is the 1998 Federal Law on the Status of Military Personnel. In it, representatives of the fair sex are not singled out as a separate category. All provisions that apply to men are equally valid for women.
According to this document, representatives of the fair sex receive the benefits provided to military personnel, including:
- treatment, receiving medications for free or at a reduced cost;
- extended vacations (up to a maximum of 45 days per year);
- housing subsidies;
- education benefits for children, priority admission to educational institutions;
- military pensions.
Rights of a military woman related to pregnancy and childbirth
Pregnant military women are completely exempt from physical activity. They also have the right to free medical care in specialized institutions. When the pregnancy is up to 20 weeks, if there are no complications, the female military personnel visits the gynecologist once a month at the place of registration. For a period of 20 to 30 weeks, the frequency of visits to the antenatal clinic is at least once every 2 weeks. For periods over 30 weeks, the frequency of visits to the gynecologist is at least once a week. A female military personnel of the Russian Federation receives a birth certificate and child care benefits. For two months before and after childbirth, they are also given additional cash allowance. Pregnant female military personnel have the right to maternity leave for up to 3 years.
At what age can a woman serve?
Representatives of the fairer sex “work” in the ranks of the armed forces on the basis of fixed-term contracts. A woman can enter into her first “agreement” with a military unit at the age of no less than 20 and no more than 40 years. The contract service period is 3.5 or 10 years, depending on the position and rank. Further, if the lady duly fulfills the terms of the contract and wishes to continue serving, the “agreement” is renewed. The age limit for female military personnel until which they can continue to serve the Fatherland is 50 years.
Physical training
The physical fitness of female military personnel is supported by the command of the units at a high level. Ladies serving in the army train daily. Female contract soldiers must be compatible with their “job” in terms of health and fitness level. Ladies pass the PHYS standards:
- upon admission to universities of a special profile;
- during training, quarterly;
- when concluding a fixed-term contract;
- during service - quarterly.
Mandatory standards for female military personnel are approved by the Order of the Ministry of Defense. Ladies, to confirm their compliance with the army requirements, perform 3 blocks of exercises.
One of two options is performed:
- for women under 25 years of age at least 12 times,
- for women over 25 years of age, at least 10 times.
2. Bend the torso forward:
- for women under 25 years of age at least 25 times,
- for women over 25 years of age, at least 20 times.
For speed.
One of three options is performed:
1. 60m sprint:
- for women under 25 years of age, the standard time to cover the distance is 12.9 s;
- for women over 25 years of age, the standard time to cover the distance is 13.9.
2. 100m sprint:
- for women under 25 years of age, the standard time to cover the distance is 19.5 s;
- for women over 25 years of age, the standard time to cover the distance is 20.5 s.
3. Shuttle run 10*10 m:
- for women under 25 years of age, the minimum standard is to run the distance in 38 seconds;
- for women over 25 years of age, the minimum standard is to run the distance in 39 seconds.
For endurance.
Exercise - 1 km run:
- for women under 25 years of age, the standard time to cover the distance is 5 minutes. 20 sec,
- for women over 25 years of age, the standard time to cover the distance is 5 minutes. 46 sec.
Women over 40 years old are not invited to take physical tests.
Dress
For women in the service, just like for men, wearing a uniform is mandatory. You can wear other types of clothing only during rest, on weekends, during vacation and outside the military unit, if the exit is not related to the performance of an official task.
The uniform of female military personnel is approved by order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and is sewn by authorized factories. It can be given to the lady free of charge by the military unit or purchased by her independently in a specialized store.
Cannot be worn by an unauthorized civilian. It is also prohibited to wear uniforms and insignia that do not correspond to the rank and position.
The style of women's workwear was developed by Russian fashion designer V. Yudashkin.
Field uniforms are sewn from membrane fabrics using nanotechnology. Military overalls fit neatly on a woman’s figure and do not restrict movement.
Successful careers of military women
The most ambitious career of a military woman that the whole world remembers is the professional path of Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, who alone completed a three-day space flight on the Vostok-5 spacecraft. Tereshkova reached the highest rank of major general, starting her career as a bracelet holder at the Yaroslavl tire plant.
Currently, many successful female military personnel work in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Among them: Deputy Minister of Defense Tatyana Shevtsova (in charge of the economic block), Chief of Staff of the Minister of Defense Elena Kalnaya, press secretary of the Minister of Defense - Lieutenant Colonel Irina Kovalchuk, head of the military education system - Ekaterina Priezzheva.
Conclusion
Now you know how female military personnel build their careers. Currently, the work of most of them is considered not very prestigious. All privileges, such as high ranks, interesting assignments, status positions, are predominantly given to men in the armed forces. However, now the number of women in the Russian army is increasing, and gradually their legal status is changing for the better.