Introduction
One of the main facets of Singapore is its National Service Program. The National Service (Amendment) Bill was passed on 14 March 1967, making NS compulsory for all males aged 18 and above .
Building up Singapore’s armed forced was a core tenent to Singapore’s Nation building efforts, being a majority Chinese State amongst its South East Asian Neighbors.
Overtime, National Service has evolved to include other roles such as counter terrorism, natural disaster relief, humanitarian aid, and health epidemic response unit.
Within modern Singapore, National Service has been a core structure of Singaporean society with basic civil services and other administrative task being relied upon conscripts.
Which now leads me to the question. Should women serve national service?
The debate on debate on enlisting women into the armed forces is not new.
On 9 May 2022, Member of Parliament Ms Poh Li San (PAP) enquired about the role of women in the armed forces and whether National Service for women was needed.
Compulsory NS comes with significant costs on enlistees and the society, and can only be justified, if it serves the critical need of national security and defence.
This is the basis of the social compact and individual responsibility for NS, and those who do not comply are dealt with harshly.
Historically, the SAF started the conscription of males that is able to defend Singapore today against potential aggressors and provide adequate deterrence.
Likewise, the enlistment of males into the SPF and SCDF is sufficient for homeland security needs. There is currently no need for us to enlist women for NS.
We should not enlist women for NS to perform roles outside the SAF, SPF or SCDF even if that achieves some social good.
The cost on women themselves, their families and society does not justify enlisting women into NS for those reasons.
Women are already contributing to nation building as regulars and volunteers. The SAF and Home Team welcome more women to pursue full-time careers or join their volunteer units. – Minister for Defense Mr Ng Eng Hen to Parliamentary Questions on Enlisting Women for National Service and Servicewomen in the Singapore Armed Force
Norway and Sweden are the only countries that have a gender-neutral conscription system, where both men and women are conscripted on equal terms.
While in Israel, Israeli law subjects all male and female Israeli citizens and residents to a military draft. Mandatory military service is generally 24 to 32 months, with this period varying depending on the recruit’s gender, age or professional training in medicine or dentistry.
Other countries included in this list are North Korea, Chad and Eritrea.
Recently, on my Instagram, I asked my fellow followers about their opinion on this topic. The responses are varied but there is a disparity between the genders.
| Male Respondents | Female Respondents |
| 1) Women should serve national service its only fair if they did, we give up almost 2 years of our lives and some more for out national service 2) It would be good if they served, builds character and anyways what would they lose? It only makes things fairer. 3) I don’t think they should serve, women would be a liability in the armed forces and should stay at home to raise children (Author finds this response misogynistic) 4) If there was national service for women, they can probably place them in the Healthcare sector and administrative sector, gives a good manpower boost and alleviates the manpower crunch. 5) No one should go through this 6) Yes, its only fair that women pull their weight in the defence of the nation 7) No, women are not that capable of being combat effective, maybe conscription into becoming nurses would be good. | 1) No, it would limit economic growth and delay women from attaining education to enter the workforce 2) Yes, only if the country requires more manpower 3) No, women should have the right to choose whether they want to serve. The current system is fine. 4) No, I don’t want to serve national service 5) I’m too weak, where would they even place me? I would not survive a day inside. 6) Just leave it to the boys, its their right of passage to become a man. I don’t need national service to become a mature women. 7) No, women already suffer enough having to give birth to children |
Sample size : 21 (Take with a grain of salt, results not indicative of whole population)
Looking at the different responses from both men and women. It is observed that male respondents look at the practical overall aspects, looking for ways women can contribute to society, more of civilian conscription into key sectors such as healthcare and administration. Male respondents generally talk of fairness and how 2 years of national service take away time from education and career, with the financial compensation to lost time not being sufficient.
Female respondents commented on the need of women being in the armed forces, citing physical differences and general negative attitude towards NS as they would lose time towards education and career. Most see it as a male job or right of passage to defend the nation.
Arguments for Women Serving National Service
1) Promoting Gender Equality
- Reducing gender disparities in national contributions.
- Potential shift in societal perceptions of women’s capabilities.
2) Enhancing National Preparedness
- Increased manpower for defense and non-military roles.
- Broader talent pool for diverse functions (e.g., healthcare, education, technology).
3) Strengthening Social Cohesion
- Shared experiences fostering unity across genders.
- Opportunity to build mutual respect and understanding.
Arguments Against Women Serving NS
1) Biological and Practical Concerns
- Physical demands and potential impacts on health.
- Adjustments required in training, infrastructure, and logistics.
- Army facilities would need to double in order to cater to influx of female conscripts.
2) Economic and Career Implications
- Disruption to studies or careers for both men and women.
- Potential negative effects on Singapore’s workforce and productivity.
3) Family and Social Dynamics
- Balancing NS with caregiving roles traditionally associated with women.
- Societal readiness for such a significant policy change.
Reality of the Situation
Declining Birth Rate
As of 2023, Singapore Total Fertility rate hit an all time low of 0.97. Since the 1960s, it has fallen rapidly from 5.76 children per female to 1.2 children per female in 2016 to 2023’s 0.97.
With each passing generation, our total population will start to decline further and further.
It stands to reason that our manpower pool of males for national service will also decline. Necessitating the need for females to eventually be conscripted into the army.
4 Choices the Government could make right now
1) Get Rid of National Service
- National Service becomes a thing of the past
- The SAF becomes a regular only army
- Manpower situation worsens
- Male and Females both have equal opportunity with guys gaining back 2 years they lost
2) Status Quo
- Current system remains in place
- Men are conscripted while women can volunteer or sign up to be regulars
- Manpower situation remains precarious
3) Conscript Women into Civilian Work
- Men are conscripted into Armed forces
- New Service branch made for women conscripting abled body females into the healthcare sector for (“X” number of years, probably 2 years to keep things fair)
- Improved manpower situation for hospitals, additional manpower reduces reliance on foreign labor
- Quality of additional manpower would be questionable as nursing profession is complicated requiring both medical knowledge and people skills which usually takes 3 years to acquire proper training from a diploma.
4) Full National Service for Women
- National Service becomes gender neutral with full integration of males and females into the Armed forces
- SAF infrastructure and budget needs to double to accommodate female recruits
- Economic loss due to women entering the workforce 2 years late.
- Achieves “Fairness” between genders
Conclusion
The topic of National service is quite contentious for Singaporeans. On one hand you have state narrative stating that NS is an obligation or transition into manhood. Women on the other hand are quite comfortable with the position they are in, with the SAF being an option for them as a career.
As the years go by, Singapore’s manpower would only get worst if not addressed. At the core of this argument, it’s the intertwined issue of an aging population with declining birth rates.
For now things will remain as it is.
For Women, National Service is an option while for men its an obligation.
