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November 2025 - Central Government

Two-thirds of women in military have experienced sexualised behaviour, survey finds: A new survey has found that two-thirds (67%) of females serving in the regular military have experienced some form of sexualised behaviour in the last 12 months, while over half (55%) of female Reservists have experienced at least one sexualised behaviour over the same period. Of these women, nearly all (93%) said they believed the behaviour amounted to sexual harassment. 

The Armed Services, Sexualised Behaviours and Sexual Harassment Survey (SBSHS), commissioned by the MoD, analysed responses from 11,464 Regular personnel and 1,339 Reserves who were surveyed between May and July this year. It aimed to highlight experiences and awareness of different sexualised behaviours, and perceptions of sexual harassment within the armed forces. The survey defined 19 types of sexualised behaviour, divided into four main categories: verbal, non-verbal, physical, and cyber.

The survey found that while both female and male respondents reported instances of sexualised behaviours in the last 12 months, females were disproportionately more likely than their male counterparts to have experienced all four behaviours. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Regular female personnel who were surveyed had been subject to verbal sexualised behaviours (vs 32% of males), and half (50%) had experienced non-verbal harassment, including indecent exposure, or being unfavourably treated for refusing to engage in sexual activity. Additionally, nearly a quarter (23%) had experienced sexualised cyber behaviour and nearly a third (31%) had been subject to physical sexual harassment (vs. 5% of males).

The report also analysed the impact of experienced sexualised behaviours on Regular personnel and found that females were three times more likely than males to have experienced mental health problems as a result (19% cf.6%), while nearly a third (29%) reported that they think or have thought about leaving the Service as a result of their experiences.

Minister for Veterans and People, Louise Sandher-Jones, describes the survey results as "wholly unacceptable" and a "no holds barred baseline, to fully confront and address the root causes of this issue".

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