In celebration of the contributions of women in the United States armed forces, FireWatch takes a look at some fascinating statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor1 relating to our women warriors.
They are rare and treasured
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.
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 are currently and will continue to be an important part of the veteran community and the VA.
The consequence of their service
In 2015, 23.4 percent of all women veterans were currently divorced compared to 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.
Projections
It is projected that 12% of veterans nationwide will be women by 2025.
In 1994, Congress established The Center for Women Veterans by Public Law 103-4462 to advocate for equitable outcomes and access to VA benefits, services, and opportunities for women veterans through education, outreach, and collaboration. Empowering women veterans to achieve their life goals through VA benefits and services in partnership with community stakeholders3.
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1 U.S. Department of Labor https://tinyurl.com/42drc2jm
2 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs https://tinyurl.com/mpamu945
3 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs https://www.va.gov/womenvet/cwv/index.asp
