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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Financial overview and grant giving statistics of US Army Womens Foundation
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The graph illustrates the number of personnel in each branch of the U.S. Military for the year 2025. 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 41,477 to 449,265. Among the branches, the Army has the highest number of personnel with 449,265, followed by the Navy with 333,794 and the Air Force with 317,675. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard have 168,628 and 41,477 personnel, respectively. The data is displayed in a bar graph format, effectively highlighting the distribution of military personnel across the different branches.
Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation Inc
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.
Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Military Women Across The Nation
This statistic shows the gender distribution of United States Army officers from 2000 to 2010. In 2010 there were ****** male officers in the U.S. Army as compared to ****** females. In 2000 there were just ****** female officers in the army.
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This scatter chart displays female population (people) against military expenditure (% of GDP). The data is about regions.
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This scatter chart displays military expenditure (% of GDP) against female population (people) in Oceania. The data is about countries.
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.
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The 2012 US Army Anthropometric Survey (ANSUR II) was executed by the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) from October 2010 to April 2012 and is comprised of personnel representing the total US Army force to include the US Army Active Duty, Reserves, and National Guard. The data was made publicly available in 2017. In addition to the anthropometric and demographic data described below, the ANSUR II database also consists of 3D whole body, foot, and head scans of Soldier participants. These 3D data are not publicly available out of respect for the privacy of ANSUR II participants. The data from this survey are used for a wide range of equipment design, sizing, and tariffing applications within the military and has many potential commercial, industrial, and academic applications.These data have replaced ANSUR I as the most comprehensive publicly accessible dataset on body size and shape. The ANSUR II dataset includes 93 measurements from over 6,000 adult US military personnel, comprising 4,082 men (ANSUR_II_MALE_Public.csv) and 1,986 women (ANSUR_II_FEMALE_Public.csv).
The ANSUR II working databases contain 93 anthropometric measurements which were directly measured, and 15 demographic/administrative variables.
Much more information about the data collection methodology and content of the ANSUR II Working Databases may be found in the following Technical Reports, available from theDefense Technical Information Center (www.dtic.mil) through:
a. 2010-2012 Anthropometric Survey of U.S. Army Personnel: Methods and Summary
Statistics. (NATICK/TR-15/007)
b. Measurer’s Handbook: US Army and Marine Corps Anthropometric Surveys,
2010-2011 (NATICK/TR-11/017)
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Armed forces personnel, total in World was reported at 27406000 in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Armed forces personnel, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.
https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/ICPSR/studies/3481/termshttps://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/ICPSR/studies/3481/terms
This data collection was constructed to ascertain the living standards of the Mexican population during the Porfiriato (1876-1910) and the first four decades of the Post-Revolution period. These data supply information on the individual's age, sex, year of birth, height, place of birth, place of recruitment (into the military), occupation (for passport holders), and occupation prior to recruitment.
This is a biannual publication containing statistics on diversity declaration and representation of protected characteristics for military personnel employed by the Ministry of Defence.
Diversity statistics replaces a number of previous MOD tri-service publications including the Diversity Dashboard (Military), Annual and Quarterly Personnel Reports, Service Personnel Bulletin 2.01, Annual maternity report and the UK Reserve Forces and Cadets report, which can now be found in this publication.
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This scatter chart displays military expenditure (% of GDP) against female population (people) in Eastern Africa. The data is about countries.
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.