Department of Politics and International Relations

Servicewomen’s Experiences of the Aftermath of Sexual Assault in the British Military

Posted on 28 November 2023

First peer-reviewed, empirical academic study that explores servicewomen’s lived experiences of sexual assault

Harriet Gray image

Dr Harriet Gray's new article "Servicewomen’s Experiences of the Aftermath of Sexual Assault in the British Military" published in The RUSI Journal on 26 November 2023 was the subject of an article in The Guardian on Sunday.

The article shows that research proves women in the British military who report sexual assaults are being ostracised and punished for breaching minor rules.

Abstract

Harriet Gray, Nicola Lester and Emma Norton present the first peer-reviewed, empirical academic study that explores servicewomen’s lived experiences of sexual assault, and its aftermath, in the British military. They argue that responses to sexual violence within the military space are often shaped by gendered military culture and by the prioritisation of institutional needs over individual wellbeing and, moreover, that this can be experienced as a form of institutional betrayal. In response to these findings, the authors call for a much broader reckoning with the British military’s problem with sexual violence that goes far beyond present reforms to its criminal justice system.