Nurfika Osman – Eastern Indonesia marked Kartini Day on Wednesday with the appointment of its first female military sub-district commander.

Kartini Day, celebrated nationwide, celebrates the Indonesian heroine who led the struggle for women's equality.

Wirabuana Military Commander Maj. Gen. Hari Krisnomo appointed Nurrahmi to the post of Mamajang Sub-District Commander in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The appointment is some feat, with Nurrahmi being only the second woman in the history of the Indonesian military to hold such a position. Lili Febriyanti last year was appointed to the post of sub-district commander in Java.

Born in 1980, Nurrahmi is the eighth of nine children and single. She was a karate gold medalist at the 2006 SEA Games. She will have 14 male military officers working under her command in her new post.

"Nurrahmi was appointed to the post fair and square," military spokesman Air Vice Marshall Sagom Tamboen told the Jakarta Globe.

Sagom said only 5,000 of the 415,000 members of the military were women and they were hampered when it came to scaling the ranks. "Women cannot go to the most dangerous places and they cannot separate themselves from families when they get married," he said. "Women are not set to go to war. Men are more ready than they are."

But he said the military was giving women the same chances to develop their careers. "Most women who join the military work in administrative posts as they are more diligent, detail-oriented and meticulous," he said. "And they tend to obey regulations. Working with women is easier than men."

Sagom said that only five women held high-ranking positions – three brigadier generals in the army, a vice marshal in the air force and a navy admiral.

"It is a problem when a female military officer gets pregnant," he said. "They become unable to fully concentrate on their jobs when having a baby. It is tough for women to be in the military. They are not allowed to become pregnant during their studies and then they cannot have more than two children."

Sagom said another problem with female military officers was the family. "When they get married their work concentration is often disturbed," he said.

But Andy Yentriyani, who heads the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), said the country should not see women as a burden. "Unfortunately, the state does not understand and fulfill women's rights in the military," she said.

Andy also said putting women in administrative posts was a backward step. "When they are working in administrative posts, they do not have the power to make decisions to defend their country. It means that it is hard for them to gain high rank positions," she said.

Women should go to conflict zones as most of the victims were women and children, she said. "Put women in war or conflict zones and they can make better decisions for women victims of violence as women understand each other," Andy claimed.