Gender Differences in Veterans’ Perceptions of Harassment on Veterans Health Administration Grounds

Abstract

Stranger harassment at Veterans Health Administration (VA) facilities is prevalent, affecting one in four women veteran VA primary care users. Harassment interferes with health care quality and may result in veterans forgoing or delaying needed care. To better understand this phenomenon, gender-stratified discussion groups were held with men and women veterans. This article examines gender differences in veterans' perceptions and experiences of harassment on VA grounds. Methods: We conducted a total of 15 discussion groups at four VA medical centers, eight with men (n ¼ 57) and seven with women (n ¼ 38). Transcripts were coded using the constant comparative method and analyzed for overarching themes. Results: Awareness of harassment was not uniformly high among participants. Although women voiced clear understandings and experiences of specific behaviors constituting harassment (e.g., cat-calls, sexual comments), many men expressed confusion about how to differentiate between harassment, "harmless flirting," and general friendliness; they were unsure which behaviors "cross a line." Furthermore, men placed the onus on women for setting boundaries, whereas women indicated it was not their responsibility to "train" men about acceptable behavior. Men and women agreed that VA staff hold primary responsibility for preventing and managing harassment. Conclusions: Substantive gender differences in understandings of harassment exist among veteran VA users. To minimize harassment, veterans recommend education of men veteran VA users, and staff-oriented trainings. Privacy, safety, dignity, and security are the cornerstones of women veterans' health care, per VA policy. Harassment undermines these standards, impeding women's access to VA care and compromising both their health outcomes and health care experiences. Understanding harassment through a gendered lens is a critical step in designing comprehensive initiatives that respond to diverse viewpoints and experiences. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Jacobs Institute of Women's Health.

Perception, Experiences, Risks, and Effects of Sexual Harassment Among Women Working in Hospitality Workplaces of Bahir Dar City, Northwest Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study

“…Consistent with previous research [45], some participants in this study had a fair idea and concept of sexual harassment. However, the majority of the respondents were unaware of SH and failed to differentiate SH, harmless irting, and general friendliness.…”

Perception and Experiences of Sexual Harassment among Women Working in Hospitality Workplaces of Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia: A qualitative study

“…Some participants had a fair idea about the sexual harassment concept, consistent with previous research [45]. However, most of the respondents had inadequate awareness or training about WSH before or during their employment process, confused about how to differentiate WSH, ambient harassment, and violence.…”

The Focus They Deserve: Improving Women Veterans’ Health Care Access

“…Participants' perspectives reinforced findings describing women veterans' preferences about care environments and perceptions about VHA facilities associated with VHA use and attrition (Evans, Tennenbaum, Washington, & Hamilton, 2019;Hamilton, Frayne, Cordasco, & Washington, 2013;Kehle-Forbes et al, 2017;Klap et al, 2019;Mengeling, Sadler, Torner, & Booth, 2011). Participants perceived that some VHA facilities were unwelcoming, hostile, or unsafe for women veterans, as reported in other studies (Dyer et al, 2019;Evans et al, 2019;Kehle-Forbes et al, 2017;Klap et al, 2019;Washington, Yano, & Simon, 2006). Our evaluation highlights staff and providers' efforts to address access barriers, including increasing provider training in gender-sensitive care, developing more private clinic spaces for on-site care, and by offering alternative options to receive care (e.g., telehealth, community care).…”