The military has made some gains in recruiting women over the past 15 years — but they’re still much less likely to serve for a full career than men are. The Government Accountability Office analyzed Defense Department personnel data going back to 2004, and found the military is 16.5% female, now compared to 15.1% back then. But GAO’s modeling shows women are still 28 percent more likely to leave the military than their male counterparts. GAO says the Pentagon has recognized the importance of increasing its female population, but still doesn’t have goals, performance measures or timeframes to make sure that happens.
David Adams