2021 Employment Situation of Women Veterans (VIDEO)
DOL Veterans’ Employment & Training Service, 2021

“I’d like to show you some comparisons by gender and veteran status, using the Current Population Survey, Annual Averages. I use annual averages because the monthly sample size of women veterans is small and volatile. We’ll start out looking at demographics and why I think these are so important to understand, and then we’ll go into some comparisons of labor force participation, unemployment, and a few other things in both 2019 and 2020.”

Key points include:

  • Among Gulf War II veterans, 47% of women and 39% of men are under 35 years old.
  • Among Blacks or African Americans, veterans have lower unemployment rates than nonveterans
  • Slack work or business conditions increased significantly in 2020 as the reason cited for working less than 35 hours a week among women veterans, male veterans, women nonveterans, and male nonveterans

 

2019 Gender and Veteran Demographics (VIDEO) | PPTX | PDF Transcript
DOL Veterans’ Employment & Training Service, 2020

“There are nearly 2 million living women veterans in the United States… Women currently make up approximately 10% of the overall veteran population…Veterans make up 14% of the men in America… But among women in America, only 1.5% are veterans.” 

Key points include:

  • In order to meet 1 woman veteran, you may have to meet 69 women.
  • To meet just one woman under age 35 who has served in the military, you may have to meet 102 women of that age group.
  • The median age of male veterans is 65 years, while the median age of women veterans is 51 years, a difference of 14 years.

 

Women in the Military: Where They Stand (10th Edition), Service Women’s Action Network, 2019 (PDF)

“The tenth edition of Women in the Military: Where They Stand represents both change and continuity. The first eight editions were published by the Women’s Research & Education Institute (WREI) between 1991 and 2013. A ninth edition was published by the Alliance for National Defense in 2014 and now the Service Women’s Action Network has assumed publication responsibilities. Navy Captain (retired) Lory Manning is the principal author of this and all previous versions of this booklet…”

Key points include:

  • In both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, military women from the U.S. and other countries have shown the mental and physical toughness needed to perform well under fire, to defend themselves and their comrades with courage, and to endure the conditions inherent to life in a combat zone.
  • Fifty American servicewomen died and 383 were wounded in action during Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), which ended in December 2014. One hundred and ten women were killed and 627 were wounded in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom, which ended on 31 August 2010. One woman died and 12 were wounded in action in Operation New Dawn (Iraq), from September 2010 to December 2011.
  • As of now, five women have died and 68 have been wounded in action in Operation Inherent Resolve (Iraq and Syria), which began in 2014; and to date four women have died and 12 have been wounded in action in Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (Afghanistan), which began in 2015. Two women, both enlisted, have received the Silver Star for heroism—one in Operation Iraqi Freedom and one in Operation Enduring Freedom. Two women, both enlisted, have received the Silver Star for heroism—one in Operation Iraqi Freedom and one in Operation Enduring Freedom.

 

Women Veterans Report: The Past, Present and Future of Women Veterans, Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, February 2017

“Since the time of the All-Volunteer Force, the number of women serving in the military has grown. Ultimately, these women make the transition from Service member to Veteran. In 2015, women comprised 9.4 percent of the total Veteran population in the United States. By 2043, women are projected to make up 16.3 percent of all living Veterans. This report summarizes the history of women in the military and as Veterans, profiles the characteristics of women Veterans in 2015, illustrates how women Veterans in 2015 used some of the major benefits and services that are offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and discusses the future of women Veterans in relation to VA. The goal of this report is to communicate an understanding of who our women Veterans are, how their military service affects their post-military lives, and how they can be better served based on these insights.”

Key points include:

  • The total population of women Veterans is expected to increase at an average rate of about 18,000 women per year for the next 10 years. Women Veterans currently are and will continue to be an important part of the Veteran community and an important part of VA.
  • In 2015, 23.4 percent of all women Veterans were currently divorced compared with 12.6 percent of non-Veteran women.
  • Overall, women Veterans were less likely than non-Veteran women to be living in poverty in 2015. About 10 percent of all women Veterans and 15 percent of all non-Veteran women had incomes below the poverty threshold.

 

Women Veteran Economic and Employment Characteristics, IMPAC International, LLC, February 2016 (PDF)

“This report profiles the demographic and employment characteristics of women veterans and compares these characteristics to those of male veterans, women non-veterans, and male non-veterans… The American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample, the March Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC), and the August CPS Veterans Supplement were used for this report. The data and methodology used for this study parallel other data descriptions of women veterans conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and other entities, but there are some differences in the data sources and the samples selected from the data that were required for the study methodology. The profile on women veterans presented in this report is descriptive only and causal analysis would be needed to explain factors that underlie the labor market outcomes of women veterans…”

Key points include:

  • A higher percentage of women veterans are African American (19 percent) relative to the women non-veteran population (12 percent) while a lower percentage are of Asian descent (1 percent) or members of other races (5 percent). A lower percentage of women veterans are of Hispanic origin (7 percent) compared to women non-veterans (14 percent).
  • Women veterans are more educated than their male counterparts. Some 46 percent of women veterans have Associates Degree, Bachelor’s Degree or higher compared to 34 percent of male veterans who have Associates Degree, Bachelor’s Degree or higher.
  • Women veterans are also more likely to have reported some type of disability (20 percent) than women non-veterans (16 percent), but less likely than male veterans (28 percent).

 

America’s Women Veterans, VA National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, November 2011 (PDF)

“Over the past 30 years, women have entered the military in ever-increasing numbers. Ultimately, these women will make the transition from Servicemember to Veteran. In 2009, women comprised 8 percent of the total Veteran population in the United States. By 2035, they are projected to make up 15 percent of all living Veterans. This comprehensive report chronicles the history of women in the military and as Veterans, profiles the characteristics of women Veterans in 2009, illustrates how women Veterans in 2009 utilized some of the major benefits and services offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and discusses the future of women Veterans in relation to VA. The goal of this report is to gain an understanding of who our women Veterans are, how their military service affects their post-military lives, and how they can be better served based on these insights.”

Key points include:

  • Women who have served in the U.S. military are often referred to as “invisible Veterans” because their service contributions until the 1970s went largely unrecognized by politicians, the media, academia, and the general public.
  • Women have formally been a part of the U.S. Armed Forces since the inception of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901, but have informally served since the inception of our nation’s military.
  • The end of conscription and the transition to the All-Volunteer Force in 1973 marked a dramatic increase in the opportunities available for women to serve in the military.