Women have served in the U.S. Armed Forces with courage, commitment, and professionalism across generations. Today, women veterans represent one of the fastest-growing populations in the military community. As they transition from military to civilian life, many face distinct challenges in areas such as employment, housing, identity, and health care.

Recognizing and understanding these unique transition challenges is essential for building more inclusive and supportive systems that help all veterans succeed after service.

Employment

Finding meaningful employment after military service is one of the most important steps in a veteran’s transition journey. While many veterans benefit from federal and state-level employment programs, women veterans often face different barriers when reentering the civilian workforce.

Veteran Employment Statistics

In 2024, the overall veteran unemployment rate was 3.0%, with women veterans experiencing a slightly higher rate of 3.5%, compared to 2.9% for male veterans, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Common Employment Challenges

• Translating military experience: Many women serve in roles such as administration, logistics, healthcare, or communications; positions that may be undervalued or misunderstood by civilian employers.
• Workplace bias: Women veterans sometimes face gender-based discrimination or skepticism about their military service, especially in male-dominated industries.
  
• Caregiving responsibilities: Upon leaving the military, women often resume or continue caregiving duties for children or family members. This can limit access to full-time roles or positions with inflexible hours.

Helpful Resources

Programs like Hire Heroes USA, VA’s Women Veterans Program, and the Department of Labor’s VETS program offer tailored career counseling, resume assistance, and employer outreach for women transitioning to civilian employment.

Housing and Stability

Stable housing is a critical foundation for successful reintegration. While many services exist for homeless veterans, recent data shows that housing insecurity among women veterans is a growing concern.

Housing Statistics

• From 2020 to 2023, homelessness among women veterans rose by 24%, from 3,126 to 3,980.
  
• Unsheltered homelessness (living in vehicles, on the streets, or in unsafe conditions) increased by 48%, from 1,464 to 2,165 in the same period.
  
• In FY2024, more than 27,444 women veterans were served through VA homeless programs.

Contributing Factors

• Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and domestic violence histories may impact housing stability.
  
• Limited access to family-friendly shelters makes it harder for women with children to find transitional housing.
  
• Underreporting: Women experiencing homelessness are more likely to stay with friends or family than enter shelters, making them less visible to service providers.

Supportive Solutions

Initiatives such as Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) help provide rent assistance, case management, and long-term housing solutions for women veterans.

Identity and Belonging

A less visible but equally important challenge is the issue of identity and recognition. Many women veterans report feeling unseen or excluded within both military and civilian spheres.

Common Identity Challenges

• Public perception still largely associates military service with men, leading to misconceptions about who qualifies as a veteran.
  
• Underrepresentation in veteran imagery, leadership, and outreach efforts can cause women to question whether they belong in veteran spaces.
  
• Women who mention their service may be assumed to be a spouse or family member of a veteran, rather than a veteran themselves.

Rebuilding Identity

Organizations like Women Veterans Alliance, Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN) and Mission Roll Call are working to elevate the voices of women veterans and foster a stronger sense of identity and belonging within the veteran community.

Health Care

Health care remains one of the most critical components of a successful transition. While the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continues to expand care options for women, understanding the specific health needs of women veterans is essential to ensuring quality and access.

Key Health Insights

• Military Sexual Trauma (MST) affects about 1 in 3 women veterans using VA services, according to the National Center for PTSD.
  
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may present differently in women and can go underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed.
  
• Reproductive health care access is improving, but gaps remain in access to OB/GYN services across some VA locations.
  
• Suicide risk: Women veterans using VA care are nearly twice as likely to attempt suicide as their male counterparts, per a DAV mental health report.
  

Resources for Women Veterans

• VA Women’s Health Clinics offer specialized care for reproductive health, mental health, and MST recovery.
  
• Whole Health programs provide personalized wellness support for veterans.

Strategies and Recommendations

Transitioning from military to civilian life is not a one-size-fits-all experience. For women veterans, it’s essential that transition programs, support systems, and outreach efforts reflect their unique journeys. Listed below are strategies and recommendations we could all advocate for to better support women veterans in the workplace, at home, and in the world.

• Tailor transition programming: Expand content in the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to address caregiving needs, civilian workforce reentry, and gender-specific challenges.
• Support women-focused housing solutions: Increase access to safe, trauma-informed, and child-friendly transitional housing options for women veterans.
• Strengthen women’s health care access: Ensure all VA facilities have properly staffed women’s clinics, and offer MST-trained providers with same-gender care options when requested.
• Promote visibility and leadership: Highlight women veteran leaders in national campaigns and ensure representation across VA boards and advisory councils.
• Expand outreach and benefit education: Utilize community-based partnerships (e.g., women’s shelters, clinics, colleges) to reach women veterans who may not engage with traditional channels.

Conclusion

At Mission Roll Call, we believe that every veteran’s voice deserves to be heard, and that includes the voices of women who have worn the uniform with pride. As the population of female veterans continues to grow, so too must our commitment to supporting their transition to civilian life, ensuring they have the tools, recognition, and resources they need to thrive. You can help by amplifying women veterans’ stories, hiring those who have served, or supporting organizations dedicated to their success.

By working together — across government, community, and industry — we can build a future where women veterans are not just supported but celebrated.