Women in uniform serve with strength and resilience — but they also face unique risks that too often go unseen. If we are serious about honoring women who serve, we must be equally serious about protecting their lives.
Every March, Women’s History Month invites us to honor the strength, leadership, and impact of women across every sector of society. That includes the millions of women who have served — and continue to serve — in the United States military.
Women in uniform are leaders, innovators, caregivers, and warriors. They serve with courage and commitment. And yet, there is a sobering truth we cannot ignore: women veterans are nearly twice as likely to die by suicide as civilian women.
This reality does not reflect a lack of strength. It reflects a lack of understanding — and a need for better, more intentional support. “The disparity in suicide rates for women veterans compared to civilian veterans does not exist in a vacuum,” said Sonja Batten, Ph.D., Chief Clinical Officer. “It reflects cumulative exposure to stressful life events, military sexual trauma, reintegration challenges, and gaps in gender-responsive care. These heightened suicide rates are not inevitable - they are preventable, but only if we invest in addressing the structural conditions that shape risk long before a crisis emerges.”
Military service fundamentally alters a person’s life. For women, that transformation often comes with unique and compounding stressors. Exposure to trauma, chronic stress, moral injury, and the pressure to perform in male-dominated environments can leave lasting psychological impacts.
Even when women are not in traditional combat roles, the weight of service is real — and too often minimized or misunderstood. The cumulative effect of these experiences increases suicide risk long after a uniform comes off.
One of the most significant contributors to suicide risk among women veterans is military sexual trauma (MST). Women in the military experience sexual harassment and assault at disproportionately high rates compared to civilian women.
MST is strongly linked to post-traumatic stress, depression, substance use, and suicidal thoughts. The most recent National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report stated that, “Suicide risks were elevated among Veterans in [Veterans Health Administration] care who reported experiences of MST.”
For many women, reporting these experiences leads to disbelief, retaliation, or further harm — eroding trust in systems meant to protect them.
When trauma is layered with silence, the risk deepens.
Historically, suicide prevention efforts within the military and veteran communities have been designed around men’s experiences. As a result, warning signs in women are more likely to be overlooked.
Women may express distress differently. They may internalize pain, delay asking for help, or be dismissed as “stressed” or “burned out” rather than recognized as at risk. When prevention models fail to adapt, women fall through the cracks.
Leaving military service can be isolating for any veteran — but many women report feeling especially invisible afterward. Their identity as veterans is often questioned or minimized, and access to gender-responsive, suicide-specific care can be limited. This is one reason why our team at ROGER Wellness is intentional about ensuring our military-competent care supports individuals with varied lived experiences, to include gender.
Isolation, loss of community, and unresolved trauma create a dangerous combination — one that too many women are navigating alone.
Women veterans are resilient. They are resourceful. And they are deserving of care that meets them where they are.
If we are serious about honoring women who serve, we must also be serious about protecting their lives. That means investing in suicide-specific, evidence-based care. It means recognizing unique risk factors. And it means refusing to accept preventable loss as inevitable.
At Stop Soldier Suicide, we believe every life is worth fighting for — and that includes women who have given so much in service to our country.
“Honoring women who serve requires more than simple recognition - it requires leaders who are willing to confront the policy, access, and systemic failures that compound risk for women veterans long before they get to the point of suicidal thoughts,” emphasized Dr. Batten.
This Women’s History Month, we stand firm in the belief that honoring women who serve means building systems that save their lives.