The Lived Experience of Women Veterans of the Canadian Forces by Sarah Louise Buydens B.A., University of Victoria, 2002 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTERS OF ARTS in the Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies © Sarah Louise Buydens, 2009 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopying or other means, without the permission of the author. Women Veterans of the Canadian Forces i i Supervisory Committee The Lived Experience of Women Veterans of the Canadian Forces by Sarah Louise Buydens B.A., University of Victoria, 2002 Supervisory Committee Dr. Timothy Black, Supervisor (Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies) Dr. David de Rosenroll, Departmental Member (Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies) Women Veterans of the Canadian Forces i i i Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Timothy Black, Supervisor (Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies) Dr. David de Rosenroll, Departmental Member (Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies) Abstract Research was conducted using hermeneutic-phenomenology and semi-structure interviews to explore and understand the lived experience of women veterans of the Canadian Forces. Women recently entered Canadian military combat positions, taking on a profession historically exclusively occupied by men. Due to the lack of research on women veterans of the Canadian Forces, knowledge was drawn from research about women in nontraditional work, American paramilitary and military occupations, as well as an historical review of women‟s involvement in the Canadian Forces, to provide context to the research themes. Participants comprised of 6 women veterans who described 11 essential and 4 significant themes. Unique contributions to literature include essential themes such as, Slut or a lesbian, take your pick, Proving I’m good enough, Trying to be treated better, Got some support, Visible and singled out, Perpetual outsider, Given gender based tasks or opportunities, and Women demeaned. Suggestions for future studies and implications for counselling practice are discussed. Women Veterans of the Canadian Forces i v Table of Contents Supervisory Committee ………………………………………………………….. ii Abstract ……..……………………………………………………………………. iii Table of Contents ……...…………………………………………………………. iv Acknowledgments ………………………………………………………………... vii CHAPTER I: Widespread Experiences Women Veterans Had While in the Canadian Forces Introduction ………………………………………………………………………. 1 The Research Problem ……...……………………………………………………. 2 The Purpose of the Study …...……………………………………………………. 3 Background to the Study …………………………………………………………. 3 CHAPTER II: Historical Context of Women of the Canadian Military Women in the Canadian Military: A Brief Historical Perspective ………………. 5 The First Step into the Canadian Military ……………………………….. 7 Women and the Modern Canadian Military …...………………………… 8 World War I ……………………………………………………………… 9 World War II ..…………………………………………………………… 11 Societal Perceptions of Women‟s Roles in the Canadian Military .…….. 14 Korean War Era ……..…………………………………………………… 18 Post-Korea …..…………………………………………………………… 21 Manpower Study – A New Era for Women in the Canadian Forces ...…. 23 Human Rights Act – Equity in the Eyes of the Law ….…………………. 30 New Roles for Women in the Canadian Forces ……..…………………... 33 The Recent Past – A New Era of War and Special Duty Areas …...……. 35 CHAPTER III: Literature Review Introduction to Review of Relevant Literature …….……………………………. 39 Occupational Gender Segregation and Stereotyping Defined ……..……………. 39 Gender Roles and Work Consequences …………………………………………. 41 Research on Women in North American Paramilitary Careers …………………. 46 Research on Women in North American Military Careers ..……………………. 48 The Military as a Unique Job Environment .……………………………………. 51 The Canadian Military as a Unique Job Environment …….……………………. 52 Women in the Military and Women in Combat: A Distinction …………………. 53 Gender Roles and Women‟s Transition in the Military …………………………. 53 Canadian Women in Combat Roles – Research to Date ………………………… 56 Literature Review, Qualitative and Quantitative Research on Women in the Canadian Forces …………………………………………………………. 56 Phenomenological Studies of Women in the Canadian Forces …….……………. 58 Purpose Statement and Research Question ………………………………………. 58 CHAPTER IV: Research Methodology Qualitative Research ..……………………………………………………………. 60 Research Design Hermeneutic – Phenomenology ….……………………………. 63 Women Veterans of the Canadian Forces v Limitations to Methodology ..…………………………………………………… 66 Entering Assumptions ……...…………………………………………………… 67 Researchers Role …..……………………………………………………………. 69 Background Information ………………………………………………... 69 Analysing Interviews …………………………………………………… 70 Creating and Revising Protocols ……………………………………….. 70 Participant Selection, Demographics and Sampling Strategy ………………….. 71 Interview Questions ...………………………………………………………….. 73 Ethical Considerations ……..……………….………………………………….. 74 Quality of Phenomenological Research …….………………………………….. 76 Credibility …..………………………………………………………….. 76 Authenticity …………………………………………………………….. 76 Criticality ……………………………………………………………….. 77 Integrity ……..………………………………………………………….. 77 Self Monitoring ……..………………………………………………………….. 77 Approach to Data Analysis …………………………………………………….. 78 Organise Data ………………………………………………………….. 78 Generate Themes ……………………………………………………….. 78 Code Data ………………………………………………………………. 78 Test Emergent Understandings ..……………………………………….. 79 Search for Alternative Explanations ………………………………….. 79 Validate Data ………………………………………………………….. 79 Write Report ………………………………………………………….. 80 Research Site .………………………………………………………………….. 80 CHAPTER V: Results Results ……..…………………………………………………………………... 81 Essential Themes ….…………………………………………………… 81 Significant Themes ...…………………………………………………… 95 CHAPTER VI: Discussion Discussion …..…………………………………………………………………… 101 Unique Contributions to Literature ……………………………………………… 107 Strength of the Study .…………………………………………………………… 116 Limitations of the Research .…………………………………………………… 118 Implications for Future Research …………..…………………………………… 120 Implications for Counselling Practice ..………………………………………… 122 Personal Researcher Experience ………………………………………………… 124 Reflections on Alterations to the Study …….…………………………………… 125 APPENDICES Appendix A: Canadian Military Rank Structure …...…………………………… 128 Appendix B: Interview Location Information Given to Participants for University of Victoria ………………………………………….…………………… 130 Appendix C: Interview Form …………………………………………………… 131 Appendix D: Consent Form ...…………………………………………………… 134 Women Veterans of the Canadian Forces v i Appendix E: Participant Recruitment Poster …………………………………… 139 Appendix F: Application for Ethics Approval for Human Participant Research …………………………………………………………………………… 140 Appendix G: Human Research Ethics Board – Certificate of Approval …..…… 144 REFERENCES …………………………………………………………… 145 Women Veterans of the Canadian Forces v i i Acknowledgements I am eternally grateful to my Nare (Phyllis Peverett) and my Macher (Clarisse Buydens). Both knew the value of education and passed this on to their children, who in turn passed it on to me. My reality has been radically shaped by your unprecedented hope for better and valuing of education. This thesis would not have been possible without your influence. Corey Bingham for the beautifully imperfect everything. Jean Buydens thank you for being my thesaurus, APA advisor, weekly stew maker, and for keeping laughter in my life. Thanks for showing up with encouragement when I was down, for celebrating when I was up, and for supporting me in between. Gerry Buydens thank you for being there every step of the way. No matter what I needed you consistently dropped everything to help. Thanks for being level headed, reliable, dependable, and always available. Master Warrant Officer Patrick Stringfellow your friendship and countless hours of supportive phone calls and emails helped this thesis go from a dream to a reality. In arduis fidelis. Patrick Coble who made things clear in many ways. I have come to realise sometimes in life it is not about how capable or competent you are that counts, but the ability to be seen and heard that makes all the difference. You were there are the beginning with lights and camera; you were there at the end with microphones and recordings. For this I am very grateful. Riley, Kovo, Sybble, Tessa and Abbey provided constant companionship and delightful distraction, but I was able to complete my thesis anyway. Thanks for keeping me real and reminding me there is nothing more important than unconditional love and time spent with loved ones. Tim Black, thank you for believing in me. David de Rosenroll, thank you for your encouragement and support. Thank you to my participants who took a risk and let me into their private world. You have truly inspired me. This thesis honours you, your stories, and experiences. Thank you to the Department of National Defence for the scholarship to assist with making this research possible. In particular, thank you Corey Dvorkin for your time and support. Women Veterans of the Canadian Forces 1 Chapter I: Widespread Experiences Women Veterans Had While in the Canadian Forces Introduction Recently women in the Canadian Forces have entered integrated positions including combat positions in the military. There is a lack of research and knowledge governing and supporting women in these roles. The existing research discusses harassment, sub-group cohesion, improving gender integration, and leadership development of women. Women in the military are looking to professionals to provide support and resources. Without appropriate research, services may not target the actual needs of women. What is the experience of being a woman in the Canadian Forces? What are the common experiences they face? In order to optimise support available to these women, research is required to examine their experiences in the military. Research on women in nontraditional occupations, paramilitary work, and the American military highlight women face discrimination, sexual assault and harassment, multiple barriers, and gender related stress in these roles (J. M. Brown, 1998; J. Brown, Campbell, & Fife-Schaw, 1995; Lafontaine & Tredeau, 1986; Rosell, Miller, & Barber, 1995). Historically women have struggled to achieve pay and status equity and integration within the Canadian Forces (Dundas, 2000). Their triumphs have been echoed by multiple setbacks and barriers, culminating in the Canadian government forcing gender integration upon the military (Dundas). Entering these roles, women continued to face stereotypes, sexist attitudes, and lack of infrastructure to support them. I conducted research that builds an understanding of the current lived experience of women veterans of the Canadian Forces to provide a foundation into understanding and developing knowledge to assist women in the Canadian Forces. Through Women Veterans of the Canadian Forces 2 phenomenological research I assisted women in speaking for themselves, highlighting what they have been trying to say for over a century – what it is like to be a woman in the Canadian Forces. The Research Problem There is a lack of research, insight, and knowledge about women in the Canadian Forces. The majority of recent research and literature reviews have focused on harassment, sub-group cohesion, bettering integration, and leadership development (Ahronson & Cameron, 2007; Korabik, 2002; Loughlin & Arnold, 2003; Stinson, Day, Cameron, & Catano, 2002). These studies have examined sub-group concerns in programs, barriers to women, training women for leadership positions (Loughlin & Arnold, 2003), diversity issues on leadership effectiveness, successful group cohesion with diverse sub-groups (Stinson et al., 2002), sub-group issues with occupational segregation, prejudice, and discrimination, organizational cultures and cultural adaptation, enhanced diversity integration (Korabik, 2002), and how group cohesion relates to job performance, job satisfaction, and psychological distress (Ahronson & Cameron). These studies have been funded by the Canadian Forces. To my knowledge, no independent research regarding women in the Canadian Forces exists. Women have been involved in the Canadian Forces since 1885, having integrated into combat positions since 1989. Although limited research exists, no research addresses the current needs, issues, desires, and experiences of women in the Canadian Forces, or qualitatively explores the experience of being a woman veteran of the Canadian Forces. Women Veterans of the Canadian Forces 3 The Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to explore the essence of the lived experience of women veterans of the Canadian Forces using a hermeneutic-phenomenological design. Interviews were conducted with women veterans who served in the regular Canadian Forces since 1989 to generate emerging data and themes until data saturation was achieved. The research question is what is the core essence of being a woman in the Canadian Forces? The study of women in the Canadian Forces is timely and significant today with increased use of women in combat positions and increased number of women entering the military. Women in the military are looking to professionals to provide support, understanding, and beneficial resources to assist them in these roles. A goal of this research is to develop knowledge to inform theory and recommendations regarding enhanced professional support for these women. Background to the Study I was a civilian employee in the Canadian Forces. My position was to assist military members and families to cope with challenges due to the military lifestyle, such as multiple family moves and adjustment problems, stress due to long-term deployments, and familial occupation-related stress. The typical family I encountered had the characteristics of the man being the husband and military member, the women being a wife, mother, civilian with part-time employment, and having two, or more children. The husband was out of town equal to the time he was in town. In my work I occasionally encountered women who did not adhere to the above described typical family constellation. There was a lack of knowledge and support