Gender Harassment in the Military: Implications for Women and Unit Cohesion

The number of women in the military has increased considerably over the past several decades. Reintegration and readjustment concerns predominate their experience post deployment. This qualitative study sought to understand women’s readjustment and reintegration experience, their sense of social support and identities at three phases while in the military, pre deployment, while deployed, and post deployment.

PROBLEM:  Integrating women in the military has been plagued by the serious issues of sexual assault and sexual harassment. Although no less serious, gender harassment remains an understudied issue facing women in the military which has negative implications on psychosocial readjustment and reintegration, unit cohesion and mission success.

METHOD: This qualitative study was nested within the Women Veterans Cohort Study (WVCS), funded through a Health Services Research and Development merit award DHI 07-065-2 (Mattocks, et al. 2011; 2012). For this qualitative sub-study, a convenience sample of Veterans living in New England and Indiana was recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 OIF/OEF female veterans.

Transcribed interviews were analyzed according to the constant comparative method of grounded theory. Atlas ti qualitative software was utilized (Muhr, 1991). Analysis of the transcribed interviews began with open coding where each transcript was reviewed line by line.  Initial code definitions were developed and then systematically compared and cross-referenced with each consecutive review of the transcripts until saturation. The initial codes were categorized into a final coding structure. Axial coding sorted and organized the codes, resulting in categories or code families based on the themes that emerged from the data.

 RESULTS: Gender harassment emerged as a dominate theme. Most women experienced some form of gender harassment throughout their military experience. Prior to deployment many participants who were National Guard and reservists reported their ability to return home after training weekends, buffered their negative experiences of gender harassment. Unfortunately active duty participants did not have a buffering opportunity. While deployed many participants reported feeling isolated, unprotected, and unable to trust their male troops. Many reported the stress of having two different enemies, “an enemy inside the lines and the other outside”, caused considerable stress and psychological fatigue. Insubordination and counterproductive work behaviors were frequently identified as gender harassment. Post deployment found many women reported a difficult time accessing social supports. Several participants, left the military prematurely due to both gender and sexual harassment. Several other participants who had similar negative experiences expressed the need to “bear it” because they had invested too much and were too far along in their careers to leave.

Women experience the military differently from men. Gender harassment in the military appears to be a systemic issue that compromises not only female service member’s health and wellbeing, but also the integrity of the military mission and unit cohesion. While the military may offer security in its benefits and structure, this system also failed many female service members and veterans. This study highlights the gaps in our understanding of women’s unique experience during three phases of the deployment cycle and identifies areas for future research and program development.