This thesis investigates the impact of military service on the socioeconomic status of women veterans of the post-1973 U.S. all-volunteer force by comparing the earnings and family income of women veterans to similar non- serving women. Data from the 1990 Public Use Microdata Sample L were used in this analysis. This data set is a .45 percent sample drawn from 1990 Census data and contains information on 1,139,142 individuals. These data are delineated by labor market area, which allows for the calculation and control of local labor market conditions. Military service may directly impact status attainment by increasing a woman veteran's human capital and/or her ability to convert human capital into socioeconomic status. Additionally, military service may also affect status attainment indirectly through its influence on familial variables (e.g., number of children, marital status) and through employers' perceptions of the capabilities of veterans relative to non-veterans. Using semilogarithihic regression, I found that, overall, African-American women veterans, white Hispanic women veterans,

This thesis analyzes the effect of military training, veteran status, and military experience on the post service earnings growth rates of veterans. The National Longitudinal Survey of Young Men, years 1971 to 1981, was used as the source of data. Two similar earnings growth rate models were estimated: The first used veteran status as an explanatory variable, and the second equation substituted changes in military experience for veteran status. Veterans were found to have higher earnings growth rates compared with their non veteran cohorts. Results of the effects on earnings growth rates from both increases in military experience and general types of transferable military training were insignificant and thus were inconclusive. Blacks suffered economic disadvantages, as their earnings growth rates were less than their non black cohorts. Analysis of a disaggregated sample consisting only of blacks indicated that black veterans no longer receive significant economic advantages over black non veterans. The earnings growth differences between black veterans and black non veterans were not significant. Keywords: Thesis; All volunteers; Reenlistment. (sdw).

In the more than 30 years following the all-volunteer force (AVF), the proportion of women serving in the military has increased from 1.8 percent just before the AVF to 14.2 percent in 2008. The majority of women do not stay in the military for a 20-year or longer career; like men, most women only serve a few years before transitioning to the civilian workforce. Although the fraction of the military who are women has risen, as has the fraction of veterans who are women, little research informs how female veterans of the AVF fare economically after leaving service, or whether military service benefits minority women who serve in such disproportionate numbers. This paper investigates the civilian employment experiences of female veterans of the AVF using two sources of data. First, population-based data from the American Community Survey are used to evaluate the employment experiences of female veterans. Second, data from an audit study of civilian hiring practices provides additional insight into the experiences of women veterans transitioning from military to civilian work. We find little evidence of a veteran labor market disadvantage, either for white or black women. Both groups exhibit strong patterns of labor force attachment. Only white women show slightly lower rates of employment (among those in the labor force), while black women veterans show consistently advantageous employment profiles. These positive employment outcomes among female veterans at least partly derive from employer preference for hiring veterans over equally qualified nonveteran women.

Publishes in-depth articles on labor subjects, current labor statistics, information about current labor contracts, and book reviews.

This volume synthesizes literature on military service and its life course consequences. It considers how the military has changed over time, how experiences of military service vary across cohorts and persons with different characteristics, how military service affects service members' lives and families and the linkages between research and policy.

As U.S. military forces appear overcommitted and some ponder a possible return to the draft, the timing is ideal for a review of how the American military transformed itself over the past five decades, from a poorly disciplined force of conscripts and draft-motivated "volunteers" to a force of professionals revered throughout the world. Starting in the early 1960s, this account runs through the current war in Iraq, with alternating chapters on the history of the all-volunteer force and the analytic background that supported decisionmaking. The author participated as an analyst and government policymaker in many of the events covered in this book. His insider status and access offer a behind-the-scenes look at decisionmaking within the Pentagon and White House. The book includes a foreword by former Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird. The accompanying DVD contains more than 1,700 primary-source documents-government memoranda, Presidential memos and letters, staff papers, and reports-linked directly from citations in the electronic version of the book. This unique technology presents a treasure trove of materials for specialists, researchers, and students of military history, public administration, and government affairs to draw upon.

The U.S. military has been continuously engaged in foreign conflicts for over two decades. The strains that these deployments, the associated increases in operational tempo, and the general challenges of military life affect not only service members but also the people who depend on them and who support them as they support the nation â€" their families. Family members provide support to service members while they serve or when they have difficulties; family problems can interfere with the ability of service members to deploy or remain in theater; and family members are central influences on whether members continue to serve. In addition, rising family diversity and complexity will likely increase the difficulty of creating military policies, programs and practices that adequately support families in the performance of military duties. Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society examines the challenges and opportunities facing military families and what is known about effective strategies for supporting and protecting military children and families, as well as lessons to be learned from these experiences. This report offers recommendations regarding what is needed to strengthen the support system for military families.