Australian Women Veterans’ Experiences of Gendered Disempowerment and Abuse Within Military Service and Transition

Sharon Lawn (), Elaine Waddell, Louise Roberts, Pilar Rioseco, Tiffany Beks, Liz McNeill, David Everitt, Tiffany Sharp, Dylan Mordaunt, Amanda Tarrant, Miranda Van Hooff, Jon Lane and Ben Wadham
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Sharon Lawn: College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
Elaine Waddell: College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
Louise Roberts: College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
Pilar Rioseco: School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Tiffany Beks: Open Door Initiative, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
Liz McNeill: College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
David Everitt: Open Door Initiative, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
Tiffany Sharp: Open Door Initiative, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
Dylan Mordaunt: College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
Amanda Tarrant: Open Door Initiative, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
Miranda Van Hooff: Gallipoli Medical Research, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Jon Lane: School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
Ben Wadham: College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 4, 1-24

Abstract: Disempowering experiences of military service and transition for women veterans exist within an established, dominant, masculinised culture, in which their presence is highly visible, challenged, and often subject to institutional prejudice. Sexual abuse of women in the military, in particular, is a persistent finding in contemporary international research and national inquiries into military culture in countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), and Canada. This study sought to understand military service, transition to civilian life, and post-military experiences of Australian women veterans, specifically their experiences of discrimination, military sexual harassment and assault, and consequent military sexual trauma (MST). In-depth qualitative interviews were undertaken with 22 Australian women veterans that examined how women veterans manage their identity as women in the military. Issues included gender-based challenges in conforming to a masculinised culture, experiences of misogyny, sexual harassment and assault, systemic failures to recognize women’s specific health needs, and experiences of separation from the military and transition, including help-seeking and engagement with services to address their experiences of MST. Women veterans’ adverse experiences largely stemmed from an entrenched masculinised military culture, in which military sexual assault was enabled, ignored, and condoned. Military and veteran support services have been slow to recognize, acknowledge, and address this significant issue.

Keywords: women; veterans; gender; military sexual trauma; abuse; transition; identity; culture; systems; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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