Imagining Gender Equitable Cultures
This project was undertaken by Dr Hannah West in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Equity in the Uniformed Public Services at ARU. The UK Armed Forces are facing…
View ProjectAbout the CMWR
In June 2021, as part of the Women and Equalities Workstream of the Veterans and Families Institute for Military Social Research (VFI), Anglia Ruskin University published the nationally recognised ‘We Also Served’ Report, bringing together everything that was known in the UK about the health and well-being of women veterans. This report identified numerous gaps in our understanding of women’s experiences in the military community and the impact of these experiences on their civilian lives. The report acted as a catalyst for the development of the NHS England Serving and Ex-Service Women’s Health Improvement Group, as well as the commissioning of various research projects nationally, focused on the experiences of women who have served in the UK Armed Forces.
Subsequently, the Centre for Military Women’s Research (CMWR) was launched by the VFI in August 2022, led by Dr Lauren Godier-McBard and Professor Matt Fossey. This was followed by further funding from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and military charities to undertake work focused on the experiences and distinct needs of military-affiliated women.
CMWR mission statement
To improve the lives of women in the military and veteran community (military-affiliated women) through world-leading international collaborative research and evaluation.
What do we mean by ‘military-affilated women’?
The CMWR takes a broad approach to the communities of women included in our mission statement. The term ‘military-affiliated women’ is inclusive of all those that identify as women and are connected to the military and veteran community, including:
- service and ex-service women (both regular and reservist)
- women who are partners/spouses/family members of service personnel and veterans
- women in the civil service
- women employed by defence contractors
Engaging with military-affiliated women and stakeholders
We recognise the value and importance of involving appropriate members of the military and veteran community in each stage of the research project, from design to dissemination. People with lived experience are brought in to work within the project team to facilitate understanding of what this group needs and wants, and to inform the direction and outputs of research.
Values and principles of the CMWR
Our principles and values serve as the foundation for our research and engagement activities, and our collaborations with partners and stakeholders. We are committed to our values, which are:
Making a difference
Producing meaningful, interdisciplinary research that informs policy, practice, and real-world change, to improve the lives of military-affiliated women.
Building trust
Building trust through open, transparent research practices, meaningful engagement with military-affiliated women and stakeholders, and sharing findings with those who contribute to our work.
Independent yet connected
Academic independence, authenticity, and challenging power and inequity, whilst remaining connected with key stakeholders.
Transforming our practice
Reflecting on and transforming the inclusivity of our practice to benefit the communities we serve in recognition of the vital importance of anti-oppression, intersectionality, and trauma-informed principles.
CMWR Projects
Sounding Peace
Sounding Peace is a digital artwork by Dr Joseph Young that re-imagines memorialisation. It centres around conversations with military veterans and their experiences of peacekeeping/peace enforcement missions, and how this has affected their…
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#Women&Families UNTOLD: Stories of the Irish in the British Army
UNTOLD Stories of the Irish in the British Army will consolidate seven at-risk regimental collections in Northern Ireland, producing a dynamic visitor experience in the heart of Belfast and Enniskillen…
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‘The tip of the iceberg’: a PhD project
‘The tip of the iceberg’: a collective case study of male military sexual violence in the UK Armed Forces, from policy to the perspectives of male veterans and professionals in…
View ProjectExistence by resistance: a PhD project
Existence by resistance: a UK case study exploring the lived experiences of ex-servicewomen navigating a man-dominated subculture in the criminal justice system and social care Criminalised ex-servicewomen in the UK…
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Community of Practice for Military Sexual Trauma
In 2026 the CMWR established a UK community of practice (CoP) for military sexual trauma. The CoP brings together scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and lived-experience experts working to improve the prevention…
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Hidden voices: training for ISVAs in the military community
This project evaluated a bespoke Military Sexual Trauma (MST) training package, co-developed by the CMWR with LimeCulture CIC and ex-servicewomen, designed to upskill Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) to better…
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Female Veterans Transformation Project
The Female Veterans Transformation Project (FVTP) seeks to transform service provision for female veterans through the production of a toolkit for use by the statutory, charity and commercial sector. It…
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Female veterans’ physical healthcare needs and support preferences
Little is known about UK female veterans’ physical healthcare needs and support preferences. To address this gap, CMWR led a collaborative research project with four partner organisations, King’s Centre for…
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Lived experience of female veterans in criminal justice & prison systems
There is insufficient UK data available about female veteran offenders (FVO) within the criminal and justice system (CJS) and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), and no current records…
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We Also Served: The Health and Well-Being of Female Veterans in the UK
The Cobseo Female Veteran Cluster Group, supported by NHS England, commissioned this scoping study to map the existing evidence base, identify critical research gaps, and set out a framework for…
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Service justice system experiences of female ex-service personnel who are victims of military sexual violence
Much research has identified servicewomen’s disproportionate risk of experiencing sexual violence in the military; however, there remains very little research looking at the service justice response when women report these…
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Military Wives Choirs: Access, incentives, and barriers to recruitment
In collaboration with the Military Wives Choirs (MWC) and the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research (CIMTR) at Anglia Ruskin University, this project seeks to identify barriers and incentives to…
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Public attitudes towards women in the military community
In 2022, an Ipsos Mori household survey was commissioned by the CMWR to explore public perceptions and attitudes towards servicewomen and women veterans in the UK. This survey was commissioned…
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Female veterans’ experience of government and charities
This project set out to build an in-depth understanding of how women veterans experience government and charity provision, alongside their broader experiences in military and civilian life. Funded by the…
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Meeting the needs of women veterans in mental health services
This project set out to understand women veterans’ mental health needs and their experiences of care, in order to co-design practical guidance for the professionals supporting them. Funded by the…
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