Australian Defence Force servicewomen with dependent
children who served in the Middle East Area of
Operations (MEAO) found their experience of deployment
positive and self-validating, according to research
released today by Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Stuart
Robert, and Assistant Minister for Defence, Darren
Chester.
Minister Robert said prior to the Mothers in
the MEAO research, very little was known about the
impact of deployment on servicewomen with dependent
children.
“The study found that while there are particular
challenges, mothers are at no greater risk of
psychological or physical disorders than those women
without dependent children,” Mr Robert said.
The University of Adelaide study, commissioned by the
Department of Veterans’ Affairs, followed the deployment
of around 3,000 women to the MEAO between 2001 and 2009.
Minister Chester said servicewomen in the study group
demonstrated a high level of resilience, enabling them
to successfully coordinate their roles as mothers with
their military careers.
“While the report was overall very positive, we will
use the findings of this research to look at ways we can
better support servicewomen to successfully combine
their military career with their family
responsibilities.”
Servicewomen considered several factors critical to
their success in managing the competing military
deployment and mother roles. These included:
