“A Woman in A Man’s World”: A Pilot Qualitative Study of Challenges Faced by Women Veterans During and After Deployment

ABSTRACT

Women Veterans face gender-specific challenges to military life and post-deployment readjustment, including gender-based discrimination and military sexual trauma. Despite recent military initiatives to address these issues, women still experience unique challenges during military service. This study examines spontaneous comments about gender-specific challenges to military life that were made by participants in a qualitative study of women’s transitions to civilian life after deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. Methods: Women Veterans who were enrolled at a New England VA hospital and who had deployed to the U.S. conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan participated in this qualitative study (N = 22). Interview queries and initial coding structure were developed through an extensive literature review. An iterative coding process generated additional themes identified in the data. For this project, codes regarding self-initiated reports of gender-specific challenges that fell outside the scope of the study’s initial interview agenda were reviewed for thematic analysis. Results: The following three self-initiated themes emerged among 12 respondents: 1) gender-based scrutiny and discrimination; 2) the military’s inadequate position and response to military sexual trauma; and 3) disadvantages to women service members living in a male-dominated environment. Across all three themes emerged a sub-theme in which women perceived their unique needs to be inconvenient and/or disregarded. Respondents described how these challenges disrupted their lives during and after military service. Conclusion: Results imply gender-specific challenges and military sexual trauma remain critical concerns for women Veterans well after deployment had ended, and that improved policy may have long-term health implications.

KEYWORDS:

• Military sexual trauma
• gender-based discrimination
• women Veterans
• transition

Acknowledgments

Elaine K. Brown had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and accuracy of the data analysis.

Conflicts of interest

None to report.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs [grant number V1CDA2011- 11]; and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [grant number K24HD062645-04]