Review into the treatment of women at the Australian Defence Force ...

Chapter 10: Minimising Risk, Managing Incidents and Ensuring the Safety of the Workplace – Recommendations 22-31got to work hard. That’s where a lot of the stigma comes from. If I’m not on a chit and they arethen I’ve got to run fifteen k’s and they just get to tread water in the pool or do something prettyeasy then it’s a bit hard not to be a little bit angry with them and resent them a little bit. So I thinkhaving the management of the restrictions and those that are injured probably helps their causea lot more as well. 35While these actions will have a bearing on stigma, it was apparent from consultations withundergraduates that this is an enduring issue and one which will not change quickly. This is of particularimportance because injury rates are proportionately higher for female undergraduates and therefore theproblem weighs more heavily on them.Undergraduates responded to questions on whether female undergraduates were involved in moreincidents of ‘non-genuine’ injuries by commenting that there was ‘no difference between guys andgirls.’ However, during consultations the use of examples of ‘faked’ injuries most often involved femaleundergraduates, not males. For example, the Audit heard:It’s when you get the girls that play ping pong and they’ve got chronic shin splints, you just go,no! 36It’s the instances where people turn up with a chit to not participate in PT and that night will goplay netball. 37The persistent use of examples with female subjects, suggests that perceptions of females being morelikely to ‘play the system’ and fake injuries has endured. 38 This was recognised in the YOFT femaleHealthy Lifestyles (Gender) brief. Female undergraduates were informed that if they were genuinelysick or injured they should seek help. However, using sickness or injury as an excuse to avoid trainingwould be inappropriate and would result in loss of respect. 39 This focus was not a feature of the YOFTmale Healthy Lifestyles (Gender) brief. 40 The Audit does not take exception to the fact that these issuesare treated differently in the male and female briefs, but rather notes that these gendered differences inperceptions continue to endure.On the whole, the response to eliminating stigma has been comprehensive and the intention of theRecommendation has been met by the actions undertaken. It does appear however that stigmacontinues to exist. The Audit recognises that this type of cultural change will take time. ADFA shouldensure that the new measures are accompanied by ongoing education which continues to address thiscultural shortcoming.Suicide at ADFADuring the 2013 staff induction 41 and YOFT presentations, 42 sessions were held on suicide awarenessat ADFA. The underlying context of the presentation is an attempt to remove the stigma associated withmental health, and encourage undergraduates to seek assistance and support if required. The sessionsdiscussed signs of suicidal behaviour and outlined strategies and supports available.The session was presented by the senior ADFA psychologist who commented that ADFA was one ofthe rare environments where female suicide and attempted suicide rates are higher than for males. 43ADFA’s records indicate that women have been involved in about half of all suicide attempts thatrequired medical intervention over the past four years. 44 Given that women constitute about one-fifth ofthe undergraduate population, this figure indicates that proportionally, women are much more likely thanmen to be involved in a suicide incident at ADFA.122