Woman denied conscription despite passing tests

Elsa Hagman passed all conscription assessments but was still turned away from Sweden’s mandatory military service, she told public broadcaster SVT.

Hagman, who dreamed of serving in an amphibious unit and operating combat boats, scored above average for women in every test. Yet she was told she could only compete for one training position out of 80 possible roles.

She received a preliminary placement in Halmstad but ultimately ended up in the training reserve. “It felt odd, given that they say they want more women in conscription and are unhappy that only 16 percent are women,” Hagman said.

The Armed Forces and the Swedish Enlistment Agency told SVT that women often compete against each other during conscription, as many score lower on strength tests than men, limiting their eligibility for certain roles. Despite efforts to increase female participation, the proportion continues to decline.

Hagman believes more could be done to support women. “They could have said, ‘If you train for this and show interest, you’ll get a place,’” she said.

Though her own dream of serving on a combat boat remains unfulfilled, she hopes other young women will get the chance. “There are surely many more women who want to give back to Sweden and serve in our defence forces,” she said.