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The women who serve in today's military differ from the men who serve in a number of ways. Compared with their male counterparts, a greater share of military women are black and a smaller share are married. Also, women veterans of the post-9/11 era are less likely than men to have served in combat and more likely to be critical of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In other ways, however, military women are not different from military men: they are just as likely to be officers; they joined the armed services for similar reasons; and post-9/11 veterans of both sexes have experienced a similar mix of struggles and rewards upon returning to civilian life. This report explores the changing role of women in the military using several data sources. Two Department of Defense publications - 'Population representation in the military forces, FY2010' and 'Demographics 2010: profile of the military community' - provide the overall trends in military participation by gender, as well as demographic and occupational profiles of male and female military personnel. The report also draws on data from two surveys of military veterans: a Pew Research Center survey of a nationally representative sample of 1,853 veterans conducted July 28-September 4, 2011, and the July 2010 Current Population Survey (CPS) Veterans Supplement (n = 9,739 veterans). The CPS data provides information about the overall female veteran population (n = 636). The Pew Research survey data provides insight into the experiences of post-9/11 female veterans (n = 135), including the mix of benefits and burdens they see resulting from their service. The analysis of the Pew Research survey should be interpreted with caution due to small sample sizes. However, any differences highlighted in the report are statistically significant.

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Over the course of the past four decades, women have been making significant gains in their labor force participation and educational attainment. This report summarises the results of a Pew Research Center survey about the importance of career, marriage and parenthood. Key findings include: in a reversal of traditional gender roles, young women now surpass young men in the importance they place on having a high-paying career or profession; for men and women of all ages, being a good parent and having a successful marriage continue to rank significantly higher on their list of priorities than being successful in a high-paying job or career; and though women are increasingly focused on college and career, the share who place marriage and parenthood high on the list of priorities is undiminished.

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This report is based on findings from a Pew Research Center survey conducted 6-19 December 2011 among 2,048 adults nationwide, including 808 young adults (ages 18 to 34). The report also draws on data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Key findings include: young adults were hit hard by the recession; the public says today's young adults have it harder than their parents did (82 per cent say finding a job is harder for young adults today than it was for their parents' generation, 75 per cent say it's harder now to save for the future, pay for college (71 per cent) or buy a home (69 per cent); tough economic times are altering young adults' daily lives and long-term plans; adulthood begins later than it used to (67 per cent of parents with young children said children should be financially independent from their parents by the age of 22 while 31 per cent of today's parents say children shouldn't have to be on their own financially until age 25 or later); for young adults, bad times don't trump optimism; older adults have maintained their standard of living; among the employed, job satisfaction has remained steady but young workers feel more vulnerable than they used to; few young workers see their current job as a 'career' (among all 18- to 34-year-olds, only 30 per cent consider their current job a career compared to 52 per cent among workers ages 35 and older); most young workers say they don't have the education and training to get ahead; and college enrollment rates are tied to employment declines among the young.

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