The role of Jordanian women in the country’s armed forces has gradually increased since Jordan became an independent state in 1946. Women first began serving in the Jordanian armed forces as teachers in 1950. Female participation increased in 1965 when a group of Jordanian women joined the military’s medical corps as nurses, according to a report from NATO.
Although Sabaa Thnaibat is not the first female pilot in the Jordanian military, the first Jordanian woman to ever fly an F-16 fighter jet, she’s been celebrated as a hero in the country.
Jordanians on social media embraced their latest “nashama” (a hero in Jordanian) and touted her achievement.
Thnaibat flew the American-made military aircraft from the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in eastern Jordan.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Muhammad Fathi Hiasat, during an interview with the state-owned media, disclosed that her achievement resulted from King Abdullah II’s support for female participation in the military.
The Jordanian military instituted a Gender Mainstreaming Strategy in 2021 to advance women in the armed forces. The strategy set a target of 3% female participation in field officer positions, i.e. infantry. However, various societal and logistical obstacles remain in place that deter Jordanian women from serving in more significant numbers, according to a 2022 report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
According to the Carnegie Endowment, women make up 17% of the military at present, though the majority are in non-combat roles.
Jordan is one of many countries in the region that use women in its air force. The following is a breakdown of some other notable female military pilots in the Middle East:
Israel
All Israeli Jewish women must serve in the Israel Defense Forces, as do Jewish and Druze Israeli men. As such, women have been operating in the air force for decades. Yael Rom became the first woman to graduate from the IDF’s pilot course back in 1951, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Turkey
Berna Sen Senol became the first Turkish woman to fly an F-16 for the Turkish air force in 2000. “It was a great experience since I felt as if I had wings just like a bird,” Senol, now a commercial pilot, told the Runway Girl Network in an interview last month.
UAE
In 2014, Maj. Mariam Al Mansouri became the first female fighter pilot in the United Arab Emirates to participate in a combat mission against the Islamic State. Mansouri likewise flew an F-16.
Lebanon
In 2019 it was reported that two Lebanese women, Lt. Chantal Kallas and Lt. Rita Zaher, became the first to qualify for the Lebanese air force pilot program. “A woman has to overcome all of the challenges with their family or society to realise her ambition,” Kallas told the outlet at the time.
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