{"id":4522,"date":"2016-08-08T12:05:56","date_gmt":"2016-08-08T12:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=4522"},"modified":"2016-08-08T12:09:12","modified_gmt":"2016-08-08T12:09:12","slug":"women-in-the-military-dutch-dienstplicht","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/women-in-the-military-dutch-dienstplicht\/","title":{"rendered":"Women in the Military – Dutch Dienstplicht"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Dutch system, every boy receives a letter at the age of 17 that tells him that he is enrolled in the military\u00a0dienstplicht<\/em> (conscription), though this is not compulsory. Only in case of war, they will be drafted. So the boy does not have to follow actual military training. However, so far only boys received this letter. What about girls? Is that discrimination? The Dutch have made their decision.<\/p>\n

\"Could<\/a>

Could this be a woman in the future?<\/p><\/div>\n

In the 1996, when the\u00a0dienstplicht\u00a0<\/em>was not removed, but\u00a0opgeschort\u00a0<\/em>(suspended), there was also a debate about introducing the\u00a0dienstplicht voor vrouwen\u00a0<\/em>(conscription for women). In the end, it was not introduced, as women could take care of the children when the men were fighting in the war.<\/p>\n

Feminists claimed that women should also receive such letters. The argument that women are not\u00a0physically strong enough can be dismissed, because the\u00a0leger\u00a0<\/em>(army) has enough positions that require rather brains than muscles. And even so, since the\u00a0dienstplicht\u00a0<\/em>is not compulsory, including women in the\u00a0dienstplicht\u00a0<\/em>would be rather symbolic anyways.<\/p>\n

And so\u00a0minister van defensie\u00a0<\/em>(Minister of Defense)\u00a0Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said she will change the law on\u00a0dienstplicht\u00a0<\/em>to also include women. So now, girls will also receive a letter at the age of 17, calling them to the cause!<\/p>\n

With that decision, the Netherlands became the first country in the European Union to introduce the\u00a0dienstplicht voor vrouwen<\/em>. Other than the symbolism, though, is it really necessary?<\/p>\n

The Dutch military counts nearly 40,000 men, and merely 4,000 women. So there is still quite a difference. Furthermore,\u00a0geavanceerde wapensystemen\u00a0<\/em>(advanced weapon systems) require less manpower, and so fewer\u00a0soldaten\u00a0<\/em>(soldiers) are required in the army. Also, most of the work of\u00a0the military nowadays consists of specialized military tasks, which can be conducted best by\u00a0beroepssoldaten\u00a0<\/em>(professional soldier).<\/p>\n

What do you think about the\u00a0dienstplicht<\/em>? Should women also be drafted? Should it be abandoned altogether? Leave a comment below. It would be super cool if you could make a comment in Dutch. To help you, here is a list of some useful vocabulary!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
de dienstplicht<\/em><\/td>\nconscription, drafting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
de militair<\/em><\/td>\nsoldier<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
de soldaat<\/em><\/td>\nsoldier<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
vechten<\/em><\/td>\nto fight<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ontduiken<\/em><\/td>\nto evade<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
verplicht<\/em><\/td>\ncompulsory, mandatory<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
opschorten<\/em><\/td>\nto suspend<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
afschaffen<\/em><\/td>\nto abolish<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Defensie<\/em><\/td>\nDefense (the common term for the military as a whole)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
De Koninklijke Landmacht<\/em><\/td>\nThe Royal Netherlands Army<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
De Marine<\/em><\/td>\nThe Royal Netherlands Navy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
De Luchtmacht<\/em><\/td>\nThe Royal Netherlands Airforce<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
De Marechaussee<\/em><\/td>\nThe Royal Netherlands Marechaussee<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
democratisch<\/em><\/td>\ndemocratic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

In the Dutch system, every boy receives a letter at the age of 17 that tells him that he is enrolled in the military\u00a0dienstplicht (conscription), though this is not compulsory. Only in case of war, they will be drafted. So the boy does not have to follow actual military training. However, so far only boys…<\/p>\n

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