The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust has awarded eight projects a share of over £650,000 under its Service Women: Seen & Heard programme, focusing on the specific needs of women in our armed forces.
As of April 2025, women represented 11.9% of the UK regular armed forces; however, many still describe it as a ‘man’s world’.
From ill-fitting uniform to availability of sanitary products; a lack of recognition of the role many servicewomen play as main caregiver to their family, to a lack of understanding of the symptoms of menopause. Applications to the Trust’s servicewomen-focused programme made it clear that change is needed.
Body talk
Working across the UK, the Defence General Practice Women’s Health Special Interest Group: Academic Department of Military General Practice, will create a series of short, animated educational clips on servicewomen’s health.
The clips will be designed for use in facilitated discussions across recruitment, training, service and leadership, covering topics such as menstruation, vulval health, urination, menopause, reproductive health and more. This work will support awareness and wellbeing, as well as contribute towards gender-informed leadership in military settings – a key theme of the Atherton inquiry.
Surg Lt Cdr Ruth Guest explains: “Servicewomen tell us about struggling to manage periods on deployment, facing stigma around menopause, or not knowing where to seek support for female specific conditions. With this funding, we can turn lived experience into lasting educational tools that will improve confidence and wellbeing for serving women but also create meaningful discussions and culture change across Defence as a whole.”
Menopause support
