As conscription is compulsory only for men, it is a gender issue and for this reason the Gender Equality Act protects against discrimination.
If men are only required to take up conscript service in an employment relationship, there may be direct discrimination against men. For example, if an employer thinks that because of conscript service, the employment relationship cannot last long and, therefore, does not recruit the young man, there is direct gender discrimination. While conscript service is a prerequisite for all candidates upon recruitment, this requirement would exclude most women and could constitute indirect discrimination against women.
It should be noted, however, that the imposition of compulsory conscript service on men alone does not constitute discrimination on grounds of gender.
If you did not find an answer to your concern, you may contact the Estonian Commissioner for Gender Equality and Equal Treatment in a free format by sending an email to avaldus@volinik.ee. When contacting the Commissioner, the identity of the person shall not be disclosed and, upon request, anonymity shall be guaranteed.
