Women connected to the military community, including serving personnel, veterans, and partners of those who serve, experience unique health challenges shaped by military life. Despite increasing recognition of women’s roles within the Armed Forces, important gaps remain in our understanding of their health and wellbeing across the life course.
Research has traditionally focused on operational and mental health outcomes, with less attention given to areas such as reproductive and maternal health, menopause, gynaecological health, long-term physical wellbeing, and the experiences of military families. The health needs of women veterans and military partners are also underrepresented in current evidence and healthcare provision.
The projects showcased below highlight our ongoing work to improve health outcomes across the lifespan and ensure women’s experiences are reflected in future research and services.
We reviewed more than three decades of research on the health of UK Armed Forces service women to understand what is known, where evidence is lacking, and how future research…
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This project explores maternal and neonatal outcomes among women serving in the armed forces, examining what is known about pregnancy outcomes, where evidence gaps remain, and how military working environments,…
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“Pregnancy and Military Service: Understanding the Experiences of British Army Servicewomen” is a PhD project by Kirsten Morris exploring how pregnancy is experienced by women serving in the British Army…
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This PhD project led by Madeline Kuiper explores Canadian Armed Forces Servicewomen’s experiences with assisted reproductive care. Madeline’s project uses Institutional Ethnography to understand how ruling relations (i.e. policy, chain…
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This MD project is titled Facing Lived Operational Obstacles: Exploring the Bi-Directional Impact of Menstruation on Women in the UK Armed Forces (FLOOD-UKAF), and is being undertaken by Ruth Guest.…
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Military-connected families often face additional challenges during pregnancy and early parenthood. This study examines the experiences, awareness, and support provided by NHS maternity staff in a military-dense region of the…
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This UK-Canada collaboration is exploring the reproductive and mental health needs of women military veterans and former police officers through an online survey (target n=400). The study is currently open…
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Military-connected families often face additional challenges during pregnancy and early parenthood. This study examines the experiences and support needs of military connected women (non-serving partners) during the perinatal period. This…
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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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UK evidence focused on the needs and experiences of women veterans, with the aim of helping UK veteran support services to better tailor their support to this group.
Our ongoing work to improve health outcomes across the lifespan and ensure women’s experiences are reflected in future research and services.
Our research examines the experiences of military and ex-military women who have encountered sexual and domestic violence and abuse.
Our research on how women’s roles in military and uniformed public services have been overlooked by traditional, male-dominated histories.