The Armenian Human Rights Defender’s Office has summarized the findings of a study tasked with protecting and promoting the rights of women serving in the Armenian armed forces.

A passage of the summary reads:

"First, legislation is mainly gender neutral, but the lack of clear guarantees (also their absence) leads to the fact that in practice, gender specifics are not always considered in the Armed Forces. This often puts obstacles in the way of female servicemen. The law should provide additional safeguards for women serving in the military.”

The study revealed that while units of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff have taken some steps to ensure the rights of women servicemen, there are still legislative obstacles that lead to violations of women's rights in the Armed Forces

“In Armenia, women are not inferior to men in education. The percentage of women in the Armed Forces compared to men is quite low. This is evidenced by the data of the Ministry of Defense. Given their absence of experience in the armed forces, women are less likely to express their views on security issues.”

The study also concludes that female servicemen are mostly deprived of the opportunity to advance. Women are mostly represented in the ranks of senior non-commissioned officers, while the proportion of female servicemen in the officer corps is quite low.

The study shows that pregnant women or those with children in the armed forces also face challenges.