Block Leave Musings 3: NS for Girls?

There isn't much to muse about these days. It's not that life's a bore, but I don't ponder too much about life and philosophy. I'm so totally left-brained. Which would make me a good engineer, I hope.

Anyway I'm really enjoying civilian life, and in the comforts of home, can't help thinking girls should be sent for NS as well. They won't have to chiong sua, don't worry. Just let them experience the regimentation, the enforced discipline, the yucky food and everything and I bet they will grow up "from girls to women". Which is a great thing, isn't it, as they always seem to like to say how much they think the guys (their sons, brothers, boyfriends, friends) have grown and matured after NS.

For one, my sister would certainly benefit. Just because we're reasonably well-to-do, she takes things for granted, can't be bothered to help with chores, and thinks she deserves better when life has been so inifinitely kind, in so many ways. I have no right to criticise her, of course, because I was and probably still am like that. And I think lots of girls are just as spoilt. But the thing is, NS does open your eyes to a lot of things.

Some people have gone through enough hardships, some are mature enough to reflect on their own, but others might just need a little bit of help to be jolted out of their comfort zones and idealistic mindset. NS will certainly tell you "life can be such a total bitch", if you need telling, that is.

And I can't help sensing that a lot of girls think it's the guys' duty to serve NS, and it's no big deal that we are wasting (in the individual sense) two years of our time letting our brain rot away. A bit sympathetic, maybe, a bit "heng ah, we don't need to serve", but I don't think guilt, or an acute sense of injustice comes into play. The "spectator mentality", as I see it. Just like guys will think it's no big deal for their female counterparts to have their career advancement impeded by pregnancy - "it's ok lah, they need to give birth what, family more important, after baby born come back still can work".

But as we endeavour to do away with discrimination in the workplace, and in all other aspects of society to achieve true gender equality, military conscription seems to have escaped scrutiny. Guys probably think that girls are too weak, and the girls are probably happy not to contest this "myth" for once, and to discard the "chauvinist" word as well, as it works in their favour.

But the point is, physical strength is not a prerequisite for NS. If medically unfit guys can spare two years of their time to serve as clerks or in other support vocations, so can the girls. And girls in Israel serve NS as well, sometimes even in combat (i.e. chiong-sua) vocations!

The day the so-called feminists are willing to stand up and proclaim that all women should serve NS is the day I will respect them as true feminists. In the meantime, I will try to overlook this hypocrisy, and fully support their cause for women to be given an equal footing in society, as I believe they surely deserve.