How does it sound like to go to the military as a volunteer? In Finland, every man has to do military or civil service, but it’s not an obligation for women. In the last few years, going to the military in Finland has become more and more popular for women. But the question is, why do people want to spend a whole year with a strict schedule, hard physical exercise and after that maybe even ready to defend their own country? 

Worldwide, the first thought about the military is not always the nicest one. It’s related to nationality and history with blood and death. After a lot of discussions about going voluntarily to the military as a woman and how unusual it is, I wanted to spread knowledge and reduce prejudices. 

How did people actually get the idea to go to the military? In Finland, every man between 18-30 has to go to the military or do some other civil service, and usually, it takes half a year to one year. Performing military service, which included all the men, is pretty unusual in Europe, but the same system is still used for example in Turkiye and Greece. For Sara Virtanen, 20 years-old woman from Finland who’s performing military service at this moment, inequality was one of the main reasons to be part of the Finnish Defence Force. Since for women being part of the military is not an obligation, Sara wanted to support the people who have been forced to go there, but also receive new experiences and challenge herself. 

And challenging indeed it is! Even though the Finnish Defence Forces offer over 500 different tasks for different levels, it will test everyone both physically and mentally. Shared accommodation, a strict time schedule and a lot of physical tasks may not sound like the greatest adventure but a lot of people still see something good about it. There has been a discussion that being part of conscripts can improve your leadership skills. For Sara, the most important lesson in the military is ‘never leave your friend behind’. Whatever the situation is, there always has been someone who is helping and supporting. “They will even carry you if they must!” Sara told. 

Being in the military as a woman is not always easy. These days there are still some people who think women should not be part of conscripts. Sara faced doubts as well, and not only for the older generation. People wonder why going to the army as a woman, is there only nationalistic reasons or something else? Also inside the military, sometimes women can face some problems with the men, but only a small part of them. There are still thoughts that women are not strong enough for the task or that they will get an easier one. Also maintaining authority as a woman and leading the groups are sometimes harder. Still, Sara thinks that in general, being in the military is the same for men and women. 

As we can see, going to the military isn’t always about the desire to defend your own country, it can also be challenging yourself, finding new friends and experience or even better, make this world a little bit more equal! Still a lot of women are struggling with the fact that sometimes they have to prove themselves and show that they are capable enough to be part of the army. Punctionally, trust to others and a positive attitude are the key points to survive one year in different conditions that you are used to, and it doesn’t matter what genre you have been born to. 

Katariina Weijo

Sources: 

Intti.fi – Conscript service and training

Maavoimat.fi – Voluntary military service for women

Itasanomat – Mitä intistä jäi käteen?