An intersectional approach to military sexual violence

Abstract

Despite over 15 years of targeted prevention efforts in the U.S. military, incidence and prevalence rates of sexual violence have remained consistently high. While there has been an abundance of research on military sexual abuse, most studies have explored the issue through reporting isolated demographic variables that correlate with sexual violence vulnerability. However, intersecting oppressions based on race, gender, immigration status, class, sexuality, and other social locations produce diverse risks, experiences, and responses to sexual abuse. In the military context, factors such as branch, rank, unit, deployment status, and combat experience also shape experiences with and responses to sexual harassment and assault. This article argues for an intersectional approach to understand military sexual violence to better unpack the immensely varied sexual abuse experiences that service members may have. Additionally, prior research on the relationship between the military, masculinity, and sexual violence has often ignored the fluidity of masculinity and the myriad of ways in which gender, violence, and victimization are related. In advocating for an intersectional approach to research on military sexual violence, this article also challenges assumptions of a static military masculinity.Finally, an intersectional perspective can reveal the inadequacy of policies, practices, and research that assume a uniform victim experience.

Gender Microaggressions That Target Women in the U.S. Military: Examining Links with Depression and the Moderating Role of Rank and Coping

“…We used multiple linear regression analysis to test the first hypothesis if gender microaggressions predict depressive symptoms. Because the literature suggests the importance of rank in the context of military sexual harassment (Bonnes, 2021), we included rank as a covariate. The model was significant, R 2 = .19, F (2, 679) = 76.810, p < .001, indicating that gender microaggressions explained a significant proportion of the variance in depressive symptoms.…”

“…Military rank refers to a command hierarchy of enlisted and officer categories with increasing levels of authority, power, and responsibility for personnel, equipment, and mission (DOD, n.d.-b; Department of Veterans Affairs, 2021; Mattila et al, 2017). Bonnes (2021) highlighted the role of rank as a “military specific factor [that shapes] sexual violence vulnerability and experiences” (p. 7). Prior research has found enlisted women (i.e., women in lower military ranks) were more likely to experience sexual harassment and abuse (Antecol & Cobb-Clark, 2001; DOD, 2019) and related mental health concerns (Buchanan et al, 2008) than officers (i.e., women in higher military ranks).…”

Military sexual trauma-related posttraumatic stress disorder service-connection: Characteristics of claimants and award denial across gender, race, and compared to combat trauma

“…Scholars have noted how the centering of White women within narratives around sexual assault, including military sexual assault, silences and deprioritizes sexual assault against men and Black individuals [ 25 ]. Further, Black women’s sexual victimization is often dismissed through harmful racialized tropes around an assumed hypersexuality [ 25 ].…”

“…Prior work has found that sexual and gender minority veterans endorse higher rates of MST and associated PTSD symptoms compared to heterosexual and cisgender veterans [ 30 ], speaking to the importance of examining MST-related disability claims across sexual orientation and gender identity. An intersectional approach to conceptualizing MST, including the filing, processing, and awarding of MST-related claims, is warranted, wherein race, gender, age, sexuality, and other variables are considered in tandem rather than separately [ 25 ]. Lastly, future research should include interviews with veterans who file MST-related claims, which is crucial to better identifying areas of improvement in the processing of MST-related claims.…”

Military sexual trauma in context: Ethnoracial differences in ecological resources among treatment‐seeking veterans

“…This, alongside the oversexualization and subsequent discrediting of both Black women and Black men who have experienced sexual assault (Curry, 2019;Meyers, 2004) can lead to understandably high levels of institutional distrust, which translates into low levels of reporting and treatment initiation (Slatton & Richard, 2020). Veterans seeking treatment for psychiatric distress related to MST are not removed from this sociohistorical context; in fact, these factors intersect with the veteran identity and military culture to create unique and persistent barriers to sexual assault disclosure and treatment-seeking (Bonnes, 2021).…”