Proud to adopt the Armed Forces Covenant

Balancetogether are proud to adopt the Armed Forces Covenant. We recognise the importance to support all personnel, and we believe it is critical to raise specific female gender-related challenges.

The Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) is a crucial commitment that ensures fair treatment for current and former military personnel, their families, and veterans. The significance for women in the armed forces is immense, especially considering their historically lesser representation and unique challenges.

Whilst many of the challenges related to transitioning from active duty to civilian life affect all veterans, there are many that are unique to women.

Here are just some of those unique challenges that all too often lead to depression, feelings of isolation and loss of purpose:

• A lack of a community of fellow female veterans.
• A lack of childcare assistance for single mothers.
• Financial instability, often the result of cultural stereotypes and the gender pay gap, More than 60% of women veterans experience a loss of income when they transition.
• Encountering hiring managers and other ‘civilians’ who fail to recognise women veterans as valued employees.
• Feeling pressure to change their communication style to a far less direct one, the societal penalty for directness is higher for women than men. Women get called aggressive when they are assertive and strong, the same behaviours in men are seen as leadership qualities.
• Women veterans have different social and psychological experiences than their civilian counterparts, these differences can upend the expectations people normally have about women.

The AFC helps women to transition by providing support for employment, education, and healthcare. It ensures that female veterans receive appropriate healthcare services, including mental health support, designed to address their specific needs.

As well as supporting veterans after service the Covenant aims to ensure gender equality within the armed forces, advocating for fair treatment, opportunities, and career progression for women in a traditionally male-dominated field.

By promoting an inclusive environment, the Covenant contributes to creating a culture where women feel supported, respected, and valued, fostering a more diverse and effective military. This is also our aim at balancetogether for the wider world of work.

So it's a big thumbs up for the AFC and our fingers are crossed that the government’s publication of the UK’s first women veterans’ strategy in 2024, lives up to the promise to address the specific challenges women Veterans face after leaving the Armed Forces.