Two-thirds of military women experienced sexualised behaviour, survey says

Two-thirds of women serving full-time in the UK's armed forces reported experiencing sexualised behaviour over the past year, according to a survey.

This included comments about their appearance, harassment, leering and groping.

Women were twice as likely to experience the behaviours as men, the survey said.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD), which commissioned the report, called the findings "wholly unacceptable" and said it had launched a prevention programme to address unacceptable behaviour.

The survey was part of an effort to get to grips with the deeply troubling experiences of many women in the armed forces – who make up about 12% of the force.

In 2021, 19-year-old gunner Jaysley Beck took her own life after being sexually harassed and assaulted. Warrant Officer Michael Webber, 43, had pinned down Beck and tried to kiss her. He was jailed for sexual assault last month.

The survey of more than 90,000 military personnel - including full-time personnel referred to as regulars, and part-time reservists - highlights a wide spectrum of harassment – from verbal to physical.

Sixty-seven percent of female full-time personnel had encountered some kind of sexualised behaviour in the last year – such as inappropriate jokes, pornography, or comments about their appearance. Among male regulars it was 34%.

Of these women, 93% said they believed the behaviour amounted to sexual harassment.

Some 42% of female regulars said they had been stared or leered at. A third said they had been touched in a way that made them feel uncomfortable.

Sexualised behaviour was most common in an open workplace at the military home or training unit.

The MoD said it was addressing what it called inappropriate behaviours by educating recruits about consent, misogyny and harmful online influences.

Minister for Veterans and People, Louise Sandher-Jones, said the survey results were "wholly unacceptable", describing it as a "no holds barred baseline, to fully confront and address the root causes of this issue".

"New standards in transparency and accountability are being set across our Armed Forces," she added.

The survey comes a year after a separate Royal Navy investigation found women in the Submarine Service had suffered misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours.

The behaviour was seen "amongst all ranks" but was "not pervasive" across the service, the report said, after a two-year long investigation.