the nittygritty of women at war
Monday 17 February 2025
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

The Nitty-Gritty of Women at War

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice The Nitty-Gritty of Women at War

Washington - Arabstoday

What are the experiences of women at war, and what to tell clinicians about how to help? I have been asked to write a textbook on this subject, so have done another canvass of the literature. What is striking is how little hard data there are about the experiences of female Soldiers and other service members from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are lots of articles published by Department of Veterans Affairs authors about the experience of female veterans from earlier conflicts. These normally focus on PTSD and sexual assault. There are some very poignant newspaper articles about the struggles and triumphs of individual female service members and recent veterans. But the scientific literature is sparse when it comes to the experiences of women who are still serving in the military. The research in the Army has focused on combat teams, who, by definition, are male. A few exceptions: the second Mental Health Advisory Team (MHAT-II) did survey enough women in 2005 to draw some conclusions. Its authors found that the rate of PTSD and related symptoms was very close to, and slightly less than, those of men (12% vs. 13%). MHAT VI had similar findings. But that’s about it for scientific research, despite the fact that the military has been about 15% female for many years. The public conversation about women in the military has all been about sexual assault and whether they should be in combat. These are important issues, but the predominant challenges that female service members face are trying to balance deployment with gynecological, reproductive, and family issues. I published on this very topic in 2001 in Military Medicine. Unfortunately not enough has changed. It makes the men uncomfortable when I say this: how do you change your tampons while driving across the desert in a tank? If on a convoy, women tend to not drink water, as they have no safe place to pee on the side of the road. This often leads to urinary tract infections. Often there are only a couple of porta-potties for women. During my time in Somalia, if the “local” female toilet was being cleaned (eg contents of the oil barrel being burned), I had to walk 20 minutes to another female latrine. Porta-potties have improved over time, as the infrastructure has improved. Except in remote outposts. More dispiriting is this comment, from Dr. Remington Nevin, a military preventive medicine physician who served for a year at headquarters level in Afghanistan: My experience in Afghanistan was that pregnant females were disproportionately the targets of punishment from no-sex policies. There were widespread anecdotal reports of medically unsupervised abortifacient use. Plan B was not routinely made available as an Over The Counter medication, and there was a grave reluctance to seek care for sexually transmitted infections (STI) and military sexual trauma (MST). Our Preventive Medicine section was chastised for distributing condoms. It was all very Victorian and quite unhealthful and very disheartening. For women who have given birth, another major concern is how to maintain breast-feeding in unsanitary places, such as field exercises. The Canadian military allows women a year after birth before deploying. In the U.S. Army, the deployment-free period has gone from four to six months. Not much more has changed in the last eleven years. Balancing family and work while on exercises or deployment is a huge issue. Of course this includes raising children, but it also involves caring for elderly parents and other family members. Almost all of my female contemporaries in military medicine who had children got out of the service shortly afterwards. There have been advances. The public conversation is no longer whether women should be in the military at all. There is widespread recognition that women are in combat, whether or not they are in a combat job. For better or worse, when a woman is wounded or killed, there is not a public outcry. The military could do far more, and it is trying. There is a task force on woman’s health issues. But I have observed many times, both during my time on active duty, and since retirement, that the military changes when the media, the Congress and the American people, push them. So, it’s up to you, Jane and Joe American Public: push the military to be more accommodating for your daughters, wives, sisters and aunts who are heading off to war. After all, just like their brothers in arms, they are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us.  

GMT 14:53 2017 Monday ,06 March

5 tips for maintaining fresh

GMT 15:14 2017 Wednesday ,22 February

Skin care for your wedding day

GMT 11:25 2017 Thursday ,16 February

Don’t lose yourself in a happy relationship

GMT 07:56 2017 Thursday ,09 February

Get glowing skin at home

GMT 09:02 2017 Wednesday ,08 February

Could going meat-free help you lose weight?
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

the nittygritty of women at war the nittygritty of women at war

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

the nittygritty of women at war the nittygritty of women at war

 



GMT 19:57 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Farm-fresh from Kerala to the UAE, in just one day

GMT 10:08 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Microsoft to open 4 data centres

GMT 01:17 2017 Friday ,06 October

Saudis 'flexible' on Russia's oil cut idea

GMT 22:32 2014 Saturday ,26 July

Brittany Martinez evicted from 'Big Brother' house

GMT 06:31 2017 Sunday ,13 August

SEDD, SBA explore partnership

GMT 07:01 2017 Tuesday ,07 November

Toyota says upgrades full-year net profit forecast

GMT 07:00 2017 Sunday ,03 December

Safia Al Emari denies writing her memories

GMT 11:16 2017 Saturday ,13 May

Bahrain weather forecast

GMT 10:12 2017 Thursday ,09 November

Israel OKs 240 East Jerusalem settler homes

GMT 02:04 2016 Friday ,30 September

Study: Sugar gives bees a happy buzz
 
 Emirates Voice Facebook,emirates voice facebook  Emirates Voice Twitter,emirates voice twitter Emirates Voice Rss,emirates voice rss  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

emiratesvoieen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen
emiratesvoice emiratesvoice emiratesvoice
emiratesvoice
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice