To commemorate Israel's 66th birthday, Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, published a feature on 66 Israeli Women You Should Know: http://www.haaretz.com/news/independence-day
All of the women listed have accomplished some incredible things, but one in particular stood out to me. Oshrat Bachar will soon become the first woman to lead a combat battalion in the IDF. She will be the head of Field Intelligence Battalion 727, which is stationed on the Egyptian border in the Negev to deal with the rising terrorist activity over the past few years since President Mubarak was overthrown. Bachar is married with a seven year old daughter.
This is highly significant as all Israeli women serve in the army, but only 3% of the IDF's combat soldiers are women. Israel is one of a very few countries who has mandatory army service for women, so the IDF is pretty forward when it comes to gender equality in the army. However, women often occupy very different jobs from men in the army. Ever since The High Court of Justice ruled in 1996 that Alice Miller could take the exams to become a pilot, and a law was passed in 2000 saying women could volunteer for any position in the IDF, women have been filling new roles in the IDF. Women are now filling roles of high ranking officers that had previously only been filled by men, and now there is even a military battalion made up of both men and women. Recently, women have been changing others'  opinions on what they are expected to do for the Israeli army, and showing that they are just as capable as men to fight alongside them in defending their country. Oshrat Bachar is an excellent example of this happening. She is one of many firsts in the past few years, including the first female combat doctor in an elite anti-terror unit, called the Duvduvan. Bachar is just one of many showing that women are just as willing and able as men are to serve in demanding roles in the IDF.