"Women Veterans Experience a Different Reality than Their Brothers in Arms"

[The Bread Guy]

This from the Library of Parliament ...

Statistics

As of February 2019, 15.7% of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members were women. The CAF’s objective is that, by 2026, one in four of its members will be women. To succeed, it is focusing on two key areas: recruitment and retention.

According to the most recent data available, approximately 12% of releasing Regular Force members are women. If CAF’s recruitment strategy works, the proportion of veterans who are women is likely to gradually increase over time.

Gender-based Analysis Plus

For now, women veterans are a small minority. Without an analysis that takes gender into account, it is likely that their experience and their needs will go unnoticed.

In June 2017, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) implemented a gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) policy “to ensure broad analysis of population groups is included in the development, implementation and evaluation of the department’s research, legislation, policies, programs and services.” In fact, the Department is one of the last to implement a GBA+ strategy, more than 20 years after the federal government first committed to having all federal departments and agencies implement this kind of approach in their analysis in 1995.

Transition to Civilian Life

This does not mean that VAC was not already taking steps to understand the differences between men and women veterans. For example, the Department’s research team published an article in 2016* on the differences in adjustment to civilian life between male and female CAF veterans.

It explains that women were more likely than men to report a difficult adjustment to civilian life. Female veterans had higher odds of living with a disability, reported a lower quality of life than males, and had a higher prevalence of mental health conditions. According to the researchers, the higher proportion of women who reported a difficult transition to civilian life could be partly explained by the differences between male and female veterans as regards physical and mental health conditions, life stress, mastery, and dissatisfaction with aspects of life or social relationships. The Department’s researchers concluded that further research on the differences between male and female veterans was needed, a view that is shared by many researchers in the field ...

More @ link

* - 2016 article attached

 

[brihard]

From what I have seen and read and continue to encounter in the peer support world, absolutely. There are a whole host of issues that women experience differently, uniquely, or more severely and that have a long way to go. This is something I have made a point of spending more time listening to when they're speaking on it.

 

[AirDet]

I feel this article is accurate. The question is what modifications will it take to ensure that everyone that stood shoulder to shoulder is taken care of. In my OSI group we have a couple of female ex-Mounties. When we have open discussion time their POV are often quite different.

 

[Strike]

In other news, water was determined to be wet.

 

[Jarnhamar]

In other news, water was determined to be wet.

Fake news. Water isn't wet.

;D

 

[Remius]

Fake news. Water isn't wet.

Correct.  Supported by science.

 

[AbdullahD]

Correct.  Supported by science.

Okay, I'll be back after I have my morning coffee..  was not ready for this lol.

 

[The Bread Guy]

In other news, water was determined to be wet.

Sadly, sometimes, you need a footnote from a paper to convince people.  One hopes this closes the door to at least some saying, "how do you KNOW women are being treated differently?"    Yeah, I know, far from perfect, but small steps, right?

 

[AbdullahD]

Sadly, sometimes, you need a footnote from a paper to convince people.  One hopes this closes the door to at least some saying, "how do you KNOW women are being treated differently?"    Yeah, I know, far from perfect, but small steps, right?

To be honest, I was completely ignorant of this. I somehow had this wrong idea in my head, I thought for some reason female veterans had it better then their Male counterparts.

It is suprising and saddening that they seem to suffer more. I have the utmost respect for female vets I just did not realize the depth of the struggles they endure. I hope more light gets shed on this topic, we already have a serious issue with supporting our vets.. if our female vets suffer worse.. we need to act and now before female intake gets to be more significant.

Yes, water is wet. But sometimes, people like me do need to be told this. Not that I think any less or well I do not at least consciously, but my preconceived beliefs on the topic made me think otherwise.

So yes, it is wet.
Abdullah