COVID-19: A New Battle for Our Women Veterans
At GenderAvenger, our quest for gender parity is ongoing. Too often, women find themselves outnumbered, or out-talked, by men. Unfortunately, one area women are leading in is the effects of COVID-19 on their lives, finances, and jobs. In this week’s post, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for the Advancement of Women at Mount Saint Mary’s University, Emerald Archer, puts the spotlight on a specific group who is suffering in silence, women who are veterans.
Senator Tammy Duckworth and Post 1284 at the City of Chicago's Veterans Day ceremony at Soldier Field, 2019 (via Wikimedia Commons)
It's been more than a month of lockdown for many of us. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all 40 million residents to stay at home starting March 19, 2020 in a proactive attempt to flatten the curve. The public health rationale is obvious. Unfortunately, so are the economic ripple effects.
And those economic burdens aren't equally shared. It's been widely and accurately reported that women and girls will feel the effects of this pandemic in ways their male counterparts will not. One of the most vulnerable communities of women, however, remains invisible to most of us: women veterans.
How do pandemics uniquely affect women?
Women, both at home and abroad, face disproportionate risk during pandemics. Women are often on the front lines in public-facing roles. The Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California shows that women make up 77% of healthcare support positions in that state. They care for our neighbors, ring up our groceries, and clean our public transit systems.
The UN Population Fund has shown that health care systems, during pandemics, tend to redirect resources that would have gone towards family planning, menstrual health supplies and education, and maternal health care. These are essential services for women and girls across the globe. Violence against women also rises during pandemics. Historically, Ebola and Zika outbreaks were met with increased levels of domestic and sexual violence. “Stay at Home” mandates in the United States and across the globe tend to increase the three major triggers for violence: stress, alcohol consumption, and financial distress.
It should not surprise us that unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted women of color. Too often, they occupy lower-wage jobs and have fewer benefits that would allow them to manage care responsibilities and build a safety net. Undocumented immigrants may put their lives at risk for fear of deportation if they seek care. Women veterans are another vulnerable group, but one that garners little attention from media outlets and policymakers.
Col. DeAnna Burt, 50th Space Wing commander, leads Airmen during the Colorado Springs Veteran’s Day Parade (via Wikimedia Commons)
COVID-19 and female veterans
Over the last three decades, more women have chosen to serve in uniform. Today, they represent 10% of the U.S. veteran population. By 2040, that share is expected to almost double, but the more than two million women veterans in the United States today confront some serious challenges.
Women veterans are the fastest growing segment of homeless veterans, they are 1.8 times more likely to commit suicide than women who haven’t served, and they have experienced sexual harassment and housing instability at alarmingly high rates — 73% and 60%, respectively. Women veterans also have a higher unemployment rate, have a lower median income, and are more likely to live below the poverty threshold compared to their male counterparts. With statistics like these, it’s clear that the livelihoods of women veterans were at risk prior to the pandemic. The risk is exacerbated by the current economic crisis.
The economic well-being of women veterans has been a topic of critical discussion on a national level. In July 2019, Foundation for Women Warriors (FFWW) CEO Jodie M. Grenier testified in front of the House Veterans Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity on the economic well-being of women veterans. Of the women veterans FFWW serves, over 70% of them are single mothers. In a pandemic, their entire families are at increased risk. Grenier stated that “many FFWW clients have reported a job loss or reduction of hours in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. With loss of wages, school and childcare facility closures, many women veterans are now experiencing economic instability more than ever before.”
Women veterans have shared their anxieties with FFWW, as the organization provides them with emergency financial assistance, childcare stipends, and women-focused professional development. One woman veteran said: “I can’t go into work or work from home. My children are now home for the rest of the school year and, if I am ever able to return to work, I won’t be able to since my kids would need childcare full time. I have no clue how I am going to make ends meet.” Another veteran worries that “aside from being laid off, my son’s autoimmune disease makes me fear going out to buy groceries and potentially infecting him.” The kind of anxieties that women veterans are living with during this pandemic, compounded with the post-traumatic stress that nearly 1 in 5 of them confront daily, is debilitating.
A pandemic like COVID-19 casts the vulnerabilities of women veterans in sharp relief. Organizations like the FFWW provide much-needed support and resources, but this demographic is often forgotten. Women go from being the most visible service member in uniform, as they make up a small share of their units, to the least visible veterans. Since women don’t fit the “veteran” archetype, many experience bias and misogyny in their pursuit of veteran benefits. As a result, some simply stop seeking VA benefits. Grenier is clear about what keeps her up at night: “Women who have long been economically disadvantaged will further feel the repercussions of the pandemic. Even women we’ve helped who have gone on to achieve success are now in financially worse off situations than before.”
How can we help?
Pandemics can feel paralyzing, but there are measures we can take to support female veterans.
First, find a local organization that serves women veterans specifically.
In southern California, where I live, this is the Foundation for Women Warriors. You can make a charitable donation that funds programs to ensure safe and affordable housing for women and their families.
Second, volunteer your time.
Second, volunteer your time or sign up to be an online mentor. You can connect women veterans in your community to your own professional and supportive networks, which is invaluable for veterans navigating the civilian world.
Third, use your research skills.
Finally, if you have research skills, put them to use by investigating the reintegration experiences of women veterans to better understand barriers to employment, equal pay, and civilian transition assistance. We know disturbingly little about the experiences of women veterans, and, as this public health crisis has reminded us, that ignorance can leave some of our nation’s most vulnerable heroes at risk.
Emerald Archer, PhD is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for the Advancement of Women at Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Women Warriors.