In 2023, around 21.3 percent of active duty officers in the United States Navy were women. Additionally, approximately 19.4 percent of officers in the Space Force were women.

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.

In the fiscal year of 2019, 25.14 percent of all active-duty enlisted women were employed as administrators. A further 14.79 percent of active-duty women were employed in the medical field, as compared to 5.75 percent of men.

This statistic shows the share of women and men in the U.S. Military in 2010 by branch. In 2010, 37 percent of all active-duty enlisted women were part of the Army. The total number of military personnel in the U.S. Army can be found here.

During the Second World War, a total of approximately 342,000 women served in the United States military in some capacity. Some of these were enlisted in various branches of the military, while others were part of civilian organizations who provided voluntary assistance to the Armed Forces. The majority of these women remained in the U.S. for the duration of the war, in roles such as communications, engineering, and administration. American women overseas were not permitted to take part in active combat, but they played an indispensable role in keeping supply lines moving, while volunteer nurses saved countless lives near or on the frontlines (sometimes on active battlefields).

Women's Army Corps

Almost half (44 percent) of these women were enlisted in the Women's Army Corps (WAC). President Roosevelt signed a bill into law in May 1942, creating the WAC - a goal of 25,000 enlistments was set for the first year, but interest was so high that a limit of 150,000 was later introduced, and quickly met. Women were primarily seen as substitutes for men at home, as every female enlistment allowed one male soldier to take up a combat role. Women's roles were then expanded during the war, and physical and weapons trainings were provided so they could replace men if necessary. Women quickly gained prominent supporters among leading generals and military organizations, with the Air Force in particular advocating for increased female involvement - yet, society at large was less welcoming.

Backlash

Many women, especially wives of servicemen or those in towns with army bases, felt threatened by large numbers of young women enlisting. Volunteers were accused of sexual promiscuity, prostitution, and lesbianism. Servicemen often dissuaded their partners or sisters from volunteering, for fear of such accusations, while other men were opposed as they felt the presence of women weakened or emasculated their own position. Prominent journalists and religious organizations also repeated such sentiments, creating negative nationwide sentiments towards female volunteers. However, no investigations found evidence of these activities on a scale that warranted such hysteria, and military leaders pushed for further female participation in the military after the war's conclusion. Today, women make up just over one-sixth of the U.S. Armed Forces personnel.

This graph displays female veterans by period of military service in 2009. 6,6 percent of the female veterans served the U.S. army during World War 2. The number of fatalities among Western coalition soldiers that were involved in the Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan can be found here.

Across all branches of the U.S. military, men were more likely to be officers than women. In 2023, there were 75,077 male officers in the U.S. Army, compared to 17,709 female officers. This contrast was even more stark in the Marine Corps, where there were 19,074 male officers and 2,171 female officers.

Among the different Italian defense forces, the army had the highest percentage of women, with 7.77 percent. The lowest share of female military personnel was observed in the Air Force, where only 4.72 percent of the total personnel was female. In Italy, the female military service started in 2000.

This scatter chart displays military expenditure (% of GDP) against proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) and is filtered where the country is Georgia. The data is about countries per year.

A large majority of the permanent employees in the Swedish Armed Forces are men. However, the share of women increased over the past years, from 17 percent in 2014 to 23 percent as of 2022. There are large gender differences between the different types of employees, the highest share of women being employed as civil workers .

This scatter chart displays proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) against military expenditure (% of GDP) and is filtered where the country is Burkina Faso. The data is about countries per year.

This scatter chart displays military expenditure (% of GDP) against proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) and is filtered where the continent is the Americas. The data is about regions.

In 2023, 13.43 percent of soldiers serving in the German Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) were female. Figures increased annually during the specified timeline. The graph shows the share of female soldiers serving in the German Federal Armed Forces between 1975 and 2023.

The graph illustrates the number of personnel in each branch of the U.S. Military for the year 2024. The x-axis lists the military branches: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The y-axis represents the number of personnel, ranging from 9,446 to 449,816. Among the branches, the Army has the highest number of personnel with 449,816, followed by the Navy with 332,336 and the Air Force with 315,958. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard have 173,096 and 40,612 personnel, respectively, while the Space Force has the lowest number at 9,446. The data is displayed in a bar graph format, effectively highlighting the distribution of military personnel across the different branches.

Percentage representation of Employment Equity (EE) Designated Group Members (DGM) in the Canadian Armed Forces(CAF). Data is grouped by CAF component and Rank Category (Officer or Non-commissioned Member) as well as by Designated Environmental Percentage representation of Employment Equity (EE) Designated Group Members (DGM) in the Canadian Armed Forces(CAF). Data is grouped by CAF component and Rank Category (Officer or Non-commissioned Member) as well as by Designated Environmental Uniform (DEU). These DEUs are Sea (Royal Canadian Navy), Land (Canadian Army) and Air (Royal Canadian Air Force).

This scatter chart displays proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) against military expenditure (% of GDP) and is filtered where the country is Algeria. The data is about countries per year.

In the fiscal year of 2019, 21.39 percent of active-duty enlisted women were of Hispanic origin. The total number of active duty military personnel in 2019 amounted to 1.3 million people.

Ethnicities in the United States The United States is known around the world for the diversity of its population. The Census recognizes six different racial and ethnic categories: White American, Native American and Alaska Native, Asian American, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are classified as a racially diverse ethnicity.

The largest part of the population, about 61.3 percent, is composed of White Americans. The largest minority in the country are Hispanics with a share of 17.8 percent of the population, followed by Black or African Americans with 13.3 percent. Life in the U.S. and ethnicity However, life in the United States seems to be rather different depending on the race or ethnicity that you belong to. For instance: In 2019, native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders had the highest birth rate of 58 per 1,000 women, while the birth rae of white alone, non Hispanic women was 49 children per 1,000 women.

The Black population living in the United States has the highest poverty rate with of all Census races and ethnicities in the United States. About 19.5 percent of the Black population was living with an income lower than the 2020 poverty threshold. The Asian population has the smallest poverty rate in the United States, with about 8.1 percent living in poverty.

The median annual family income in the United States in 2020 earned by Black families was about 57,476 U.S. dollars, while the average family income earned by the Asian population was about 109,448 U.S. dollars. This is more than 25,000 U.S. dollars higher than the U.S. average family income, which was 84,008 U.S. dollars.

This scatter chart displays military expenditure (% of GDP) against proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) and is filtered where the country is Kuwait. The data is about countries per year.

Military service status by Indigenous identity, age and gender of the population aged 17 years and over in private households.

This scatter chart displays proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) against military expenditure (% of GDP) and is filtered where the country is Trinidad and Tobago. The data is about countries per year.