In traditional Chile, meet the soldiers with pearl earrings

It's a right unique within Latin America. Even in Argentina, where women entered the armed forces earlier, such ranks are off-limits. "Today, we have the same rights as our male counterparts in the Army," says Lieut. Viviana Chamorro, who entered Chile's military college nine years ago. She says she's watched the recent changes with great satisfaction: "We now have no disadvantages at any level."

Such efforts are part of a broader Chilean effort to makeover the military's image - one which became synonymous with human rights abuses during its 17-year dictatorship. Since Chile's return to democracy in 1990, left-wing governments have been trying to modernize the military.

Shortly after becoming Chile's first female defense minister, Socialist Party leader Michelle Bachelet spearheaded efforts to upgrade the defense sector. Those efforts culminated in March of this year, when Chile made women's inclusion in the military a national policy, spelling out their equality of opportunity in the official white paper known as "National Defense Book.

The efforts have earned Chile international recognition. Last month, in a competition looking at gender equity and development policies among 29 nations, the InterAmerican Development Bank gave Chile a special mention. Last year, Chile's female officers served in an armed international peacemaking mission for the first time - the UN mission to Haiti.

Chile has been actively internationalizing its experience, with female officers training militaries in Ecuador and Paraguay on how to incorporate women.

Still, University of Chile researcher Carolina Sancho cautions that women have not made big inroads in the Navy. They still can't serve on ships - although that will change by 2007.

But beyond how many women are included, or what they are allowed to do, their treatment is key, says Marta Maurás, secretary of the UN's Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

"In the US, there have been problems with discrimination and abuse of women in the armed forces, where they've advanced considerably in terms of numbers but not necessarily conduct," she says. "I don't know of any studies, but in Chile we don't seem to have abuses of that nature. It seems that ... there's a serious effort to create a force that is disciplined and human."

Ms. Maurás says Chile's advances reflect a consolidation of democracy. They're also part of a PR effort to put a kinder, gentler face on the military's outdated image.

"We're an example to other countries," says Claudia Bahamundo, one of the first three women in Chile to be accepted as a special Army reserve officer last year.

"The idea is to change the image of our soldiers as terrorists and assassins. I think, with more women inside, the military will change for the better, because you'll see a more human side ... a feminine touch."

Percentage of total forces

• Chile: 15.0
• US: 14.5
• NATO: 12.6
• Canada: 12.5
• France: 12.5
• Britain: 9.0
• Germany: 5.5

Sources: NATO; Women in Western Armed Forces by Katia Sorin; Chile Ministry of Defense.

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