Women Misbehavin'

Employment and Careers
Issue Brief

Women veterans are a growing and important part of the U.S. Labor Force. In 1980 there were 1.1 million women veterans; by 2008, there were 1.8 million and by 2020, there will be an estimated 1.9 million women veterans, 10 % of the veteran population. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reports that more than 150,000 women will be transitioning out of the military over the next few years. Many of these women will be disabled, and will be seeking jobs that capitalize on their skills and talents beyond their disabilities.

Women have achieved great success in the military with opportunities to advance and hold high-ranking positions. However, women veterans often find it difficult to leverage their military skills into meaningful civilian careers. Aside from the difficulties of the current economy, women veterans often encounter inconsistent or inaccessible transition resources, misperceptions by employers and co-workers about their skills as well as work readiness and readjustment challenges.

We can no longer afford to ignore the potential that this highly skilled group of working women can contribute to the U.S. economy as employees and employers.

Recruiting women veterans is smart business. The military has expended extensive resources to train them to be the most skilled, efficient, inventive, disciplined and adaptable employees. General David Petraeus explained the appeal of hiring veterans best when he said, “Tell me anywhere in the business world where a 22- or 23-year-old is responsible for 35 or 40 individuals on missions that involve life and death. Their tactical actions can have strategic implications for the overall mission.” Women in the military are leaders, managers and team members, right along side of their male counterparts. Add to this that 95 percent of military jobs are open to women and the advantages of hiring women veterans are obvious.

Investing in women veterans as entrepreneurs is smart economics. Veteran-owned businesses account for 14% of U.S. small businesses. Data is not readily available on the number of businesses owned by women veterans. What we know, however, is that women in the military possess an enterprenuerial mindset, are proactive and goal oriented; and they get the job done using resources effectively. Women veterans have experience making decisions in the face of significant ambiguity and uncertainty. They understand the importance of having an alternate plan and they are willing and able to adapt. These traits align with key characteristics of successful business owners. Given the importance of small businesses to the U.S. economy – accounting for 50% of all non-farm gross domestic product and 99.7% of employer firms – women veterans as a potential entrepreneurial force should not be overlooked. New research, programs and policies should aim to increase the participation of women veterans as entrepreneurs as well as improve vertical linkages for existing women veteran-owned businesses.

The wealth of training and experience women veterans bring to the civilian workplace as potential employees and employers is under-utilized when women’s unique transition needs are ignored. They return from the military with multiple issues facing them as family caregivers, single breadwinners and often scars and challenges from their military service. Given the growing economic importance of women veterans as a population, it is time for public agencies and private companies to share the risks and rewards of supporting women veterans. BPW Foundation sees solutions through the strength of public private partnerships, political will and leadership commitments.

Factors That Ease the Transition Process
BPW Foundations’ 2007 research study of more than 1,600 women veterans and their career transitions found that various individual attributes influence the ease with which women veterans transition back into the civilian workplace. Key characteristics include education level, marital status and presence of dependents. Having a college degree, for example, was positively correlated with finding a job sooner as well as finding the right job. The BPW Foundation study also explored contributing factors for successful re-entry into the civilian labor force. The two categories of factors – perceptions and beliefs and practices – are described below.

How to Support Women Veterans
Supporting women veterans requires a multi-pronged approach including research activities, employment transition programs, employer practices and policies.

Promising Practices
Ideas on how to create successful workplaces, one practice at a time

The webcast of the Joining Forces for Women Veterans Inaugural Summit can be viewed online at your convenience.