The government’s bill proposes clearer rules for assigning people to wartime roles in civilian defence and clearer requirements for certain organisations to plan and staff a wartime organisation. It would expand the Swedish Agency for Conscription and Assessment’s ability to request information about people’s education and skills to identify those suited to civilian or military service.
The bill also proposes changes to security screening for people assigned to civil service, intended to ensure civilian defence has security-screened personnel. The legal changes would take effect on 1 January 2027, according to the bill.
If you live in Sweden and have daughters or are a girl approaching military age, it might be good to know what applies to women.
What about women military service in the Nordic countries?
Women made up 16 percent of those selected for Swedish military service in 2026, according to figures from the conscription agency reported by SVT in July 2026.
Norway marked 10 years of gender-neutral conscription in 2025, its OSCE delegation said in 2026.
Denmark requires women who turn 18 after 1 July 2025 to attend a military service assessment, according to its official citizen information portal.
Finnish women have been able to volunteer for military service since 1995. They can leave in the first 30 days, then face the same obligations as male conscripts, Yle reported in July 2026.
Iceland has no army and relies on NATO and a bilateral defence agreement with the US, AP reported in 2026.
What do you think?