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Women Women Warriors Warriors 1SG Pamela JB Luce, US Army Retired 1SG Pamela JB Luce, US Army Retired Executive Advisor - Field Operations Executive Advisor - Field Operations Women Veterans Coordinator Women Veterans Coordinator Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs
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Women Warriors

Dec 31, 2015

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Women Warriors. 1SG Pamela JB Luce, US Army Retired Executive Advisor - Field Operations Women Veterans Coordinator Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs. A Conversation about Women Veterans. Demographics Military Service Challenges Strengths Recommendations. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Page 1: Women  Warriors

Women Women WarriorsWarriors

1SG Pamela JB Luce, US Army Retired1SG Pamela JB Luce, US Army RetiredExecutive Advisor - Field OperationsExecutive Advisor - Field Operations

Women Veterans CoordinatorWomen Veterans CoordinatorKentucky Department of Veterans AffairsKentucky Department of Veterans Affairs

Page 2: Women  Warriors

A Conversation aboutWomen Veterans

Demographics Military Service Challenges Strengths Recommendations

Page 3: Women  Warriors

A Conversation aboutWomen Veterans

Demographics Military Service Challenges Strengths Recommendations

Page 4: Women  Warriors

Women Veteran Trends

Page 5: Women  Warriors

86,80084,800

115,300

35,40028,600

39

62

78

85

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

PeacetimeGulf War Vietnam Era Korean WW- I I0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

AgePopulation

Each sum includes veterans who have served in multiple war periods. Source: VA VetPop2008

Kentucky Veteran Population Kentucky Veteran Population by War Era (343K)by War Era (343K)

Page 6: Women  Warriors

Women Veterans Are Younger

Among women veterans returning from OEF/OIF:– 85% are below age 40– 58% are between ages 20-29

Leave service early in their careers– Balancing career and family– Perceived lack of advancement

opportunity– Sexual assault and harassment

VA Healthcare Utilization Among 94,010 Female OEF/OIF Veterans through 1st Qtr. FY 2008 Environmental Epidemiology Service

Women Warriors, Supporting She Who Has Borne the Battle, Erin Mulhall, Oct 09

Page 7: Women  Warriors

A Snapshot of Race Demographics in the Army (Sept 2009)

Females Males(n=73,772) (n=475,258)

# % # %White 31,895 43.2% 312,176 65.7%

Black 26,368 35.7% 81,909 17.2%

Hispanic 8,973 12.2% 51,175 10.8%

Asian 3,542 4.8% 15,977 3.4%

Other 2,994 4.1% 14,021 3.0%

FY09 Army Profile Trifold - Army Demographics – DMDC September 30, 2009

Page 8: Women  Warriors

Marriage and ChildrenMarried (social support, financial resources, etc.)

– 60% of males in Army– 48% of females

40% of military women on active duty have children (primary caregiver)

Twice as likely to be single parent– 5.5% of males in Army– 14.7% of females

Divorce rate 3 times higher for women– 2.9 Army men; 8.5% women– 3.3 Marine men; 9.2% women

FY09 Army Profile Trifold - Army Demographics – DMDC September 30, 2009

Page 9: Women  Warriors

A Conversation aboutWomen Veterans

Demographics Military Service Challenges Strengths Recommendations

Page 10: Women  Warriors

Branch of Service

Women as a % of Total Personnel

Number of Women

Officers Enlisted

Army 13.6% 73,252 15.5% 13.2%

Navy 15.0% 49,054 15.1% 15.0%

Marine Corps 6.2% 12,221 5.8% 6.2%

Air Force 19.6% 63,220 18.3% 19.9%

Coast Guard 12.2% 5,066 14.9% 11.6%

Total 14.2% 203,083 15.3% 14%

Women Serving on Active Duty by Branch of Service (Sept 08)

DMDC October 2008

Page 11: Women  Warriors

Women in Combat112K women have served in Operations

Enduring Freedom & Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF)

32% of all women currently serving have deployed to combat – 203K Active Duty

– 146K National Guard and Reserves

Deployment rates highest and longest for Army personnel and Marines followed by Navy and Air Force

Page 12: Women  Warriors

MST – Military Sexual TraumaAlmost 1/3 of females veterans of all eras say they

were assaulted or raped in service

Only 8% of offenders are prosecuted in military as compared to 40% in civilian courts

More than 70% of women veterans experienced sexual harassment in service

Major health problems of MST– Depression

– Eating Disorders

– Miscarriages

– Hypertension

Page 13: Women  Warriors

A Conversation aboutWomen Veterans

Demographics Military Service Challenges Strengths Recommendations

Page 14: Women  Warriors

Inadequate Health CareVA system has not adapted quickly enough

Less likely to have private health insurance

Adjustment and depression issues - high co-morbidity with physical diagnoses

Most common physical conditions - Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Dyspepsia

Significantly more out- and inpatient visits

Insufficient therapists licensed and experienced in counseling MST victims

Insufficient same gender therapists and same gender therapeutic groups

Women Warriors, Supporting She Who Has Borne the Battle, Erin Mulhall, Oct 09Dept Veterans Affairs Study, 2000

Iowa Persian Gulf Study Group, 1997

Page 15: Women  Warriors

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans (300K

people)MST leads to 59% higher risk for mental health

injuriesFemale veterans tend to be more likely than males

to seek treatmentTransitioning home and immediately resuming

“mom” roleAttachment disruption and parenting issuesReadjustment vs. PTSD Diagnosis

VA Healthcare Utilization Among 94,010 Female OEF/OIF Veterans through 1st Qtr. FY 2008 Environmental Epidemiology Service

Page 16: Women  Warriors

Education and Employment

Childcare Transportation Gender and ethnic discrimination Underemployment

– Earn ~$10K less a year than male veterans

– Struggle to find jobs that pay what military career did

– Earn more than civilian peers (longer hours and more weeks)

Women Warriors, Supporting She Who Has Borne the Battle, Erin Mulhall, Oct 09

Page 17: Women  Warriors

Homelessness

13,100 homeless female veterans (Sept 09)

Up to 4 times more likely to be homeless than civilian peers

Of the nearly 3K homeless veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan that have been treated at VA medical centers, 10% are women

Overall number of homeless veterans is going down; yet number of homeless women veterans is going up

Page 18: Women  Warriors

HomelessnessTend to have more severe mental health

problems than homeless male veterans40% of homeless women veterans report being

sexually assaulted by a fellow service member in the military

Many are of child-bearing age and have children

Programs for homeless women veterans have been slow to materialize

Cite child care as their number one unmet need

Page 19: Women  Warriors

A Conversation aboutWomen Veterans

Demographics Military Service Challenges Strengths Recommendations

Page 20: Women  Warriors

Strengths of Women Veterans

DisciplinedCourageous

Self-MotivatedLoyal

Team PlayersLeaders

Understand DiversityResilientHumble

Page 21: Women  Warriors

A Conversation aboutWomen Veterans

Demographics Military Service Challenges Recommendations

Page 22: Women  Warriors

RecommendationsPromote a positive attitude and appreciation

toward military service on campus

Understand and appreciate the unique leadership qualities and transferable skills women veterans have to offer

Partner with veteran organizations to share lessons learned and develop collaborative relationships

Increase awareness among all staff, not just leadership, about the importance and value of veterans on your campus

Page 23: Women  Warriors

RecommendationsOffer career counseling and planning services

that are knowledgeable about military experience

Ensure staff are knowledgeable about and understand veteran benefits and services. Refer veteran students to local veteran resources and support services.

Encourage women veterans to practice networking and to seek mentors within your organization

Provide opportunities for integration of women veteran students into existing student organizations and leadership roles

Page 24: Women  Warriors

RecommendationsUnderstand the challenges experienced by

women veterans including work-life balance, ensuring your programs are flexible and innovative (i.e., affordable, high quality, convenient childcare)

Establish public and private partnerships to conduct research on the transition and adjustment experiences of women veterans

Collect and share military histories of women veteran students

Page 25: Women  Warriors

Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs

Field Operations Branch

(502) 595-4447

www.veterans.ky.gov

[email protected]

Page 26: Women  Warriors

“Serving those who have served the Commonwealth and our great Nation”