Female Active-Duty Personnel: Guidance and Plans Needed for Recruitment and Retention Efforts
Fast Facts
We reviewed active duty female servicemember retention and promotion in FY 2004-2018.
The proportion of women in the military went up from 15.1% to 16.5%
Attrition rates for female enlisted and commissioned officers were higher than for males, but this gap has narrowed
Women were 28% more likely to leave the service than men
Promotion rates for enlisted were slightly lower for women than men, but officer promotion rates were higher for women
DOD doesn’t have guidance or plans for its efforts to recruit and retain women
Our 5 recommendations are to better guide and monitor DOD and military service efforts to recruit and retain women.
Representation of Gender in the Department of Defense in Fiscal Year 2018
Pie Chart showing 83.5% male and 16.5% female
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Department of Defense (DOD) experienced slight increases in the overall percentage of female active-duty servicemembers from fiscal year 2004 through 2018 (15.1 percent in fiscal year 2004 to 16.5 percent in fiscal year 2018), with those percentages varying by pay grade category (see figure). During that period, female enlisted and commissioned officers had higher annual attrition rates than corresponding males. However, the gaps between male and female attrition rates have narrowed. For example, in fiscal years 2004 and 2018, female enlisted servicemembers' annual attrition rates were 33.1 and 8.6 percent, respectively, and enlisted males' annual attrition rates were 22.7 and 6.1 percent respectively. GAO's statistical model found that the likelihood of separation for female servicemembers is 28 percent higher than that of males. GAO's literature review of selected studies on reasons why females separate from the military identifed six themes, including family planning, sexual assualt, and dependent care, as influencing separations.
Gender Representation in the U.S. Military by Pay Grade, Fiscal Years 2004 and 2018
GAO's analysis of fiscal year 2004 through 2018 data estimated that promotion rates were slightly lower for female enlisted in most years, but higher for officers as compared to their male counterparts. Specifically, female enlisted promotion rates ranged from 0.1 to 2.5 percentage points lower than male enlisted promotion rates during much of that period. However, from fiscal year 2004 through 2018, female commissioned officer promotion rates ranged from 3.3 to 5.3 percentage points higher than the rates of their male counterparts. GAO's statistical model also estimated that the likelihood of promotion outcomes varies by certain characteristics, such as gender and pay grade. For example, GAO estimated that the likelihood of promotion for female enlisted in the Navy may be lower than male enlisted, and the evidence is mixed for the other services.
DOD has identified female recruitment and retention as important to diversity in the military, but the services do not have plans that include goals, performance measures, and timeframes to guide and monitor current or future efforts to recruit and retain females. According to officials, DOD is currently updating its diversity and inclusion strategic plan; however, neither its prior plan nor the updated plan include goals, such as recruitment or retention goals, performance measures, and timelines for any one particular demographic group. DOD officials stated that retention goals have, in the past, been misconstrued as quotas and, as such, the department does not set goals or targets for gender. However, goals are not quotas and can help guide continued improvement. Without DOD guidance and service plans with goals, performance measures, and timeframes to monitor female recruitment and retention efforts, DOD may continue to miss opportunities to recruit and retain a valuable segment for its active-duty force.
Why GAO Did This Study
The role of female servicemembers in the military has expanded in the last half century as restrictions on female servicemembers serving on active duty, including in combat, have been eliminated. DOD has also stated that recruiting and retaining women is important in order to reflect the nation's population and ensure strong military leadership.
House Report 115-676 includes a provision that GAO review female retention and promotion in the military. This report examines (1) trends in the percentage of female active-duty servicemembers in the military and their attrition rates, including reported factors leading to attrition; (2) how female active-duty servicemember promotion rates compare with those of males and among females with differing characteristics, and what factors influence these rates; and (3) the extent to which DOD and the military services have plans to guide and monitor female active-duty servicemember recruitment and retention. GAO analyzed fiscal year 2004 through 2018 personnel data to identify attrition and promotion rates and conducted statistical modeling to determine the likelihood of separation and promotion, reviewed DOD reports and other literature on servicemember attrition, and interviewed officials from DOD and other military organizations.
Recommendations
GAO recommends that DOD provide the services with guidance to develop plans with goals, performance measures, and timelines to address female recruitment and retention efforts, and for the services to develop such plans. DOD concurred with the recommendations.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense |
Priority Rec.
The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness provides guidance to the services, for example, in its forthcoming diversity and inclusion strategic plan, to develop plans, with clearly defined goals, performance measures, and timeframes, to guide and monitor recruitment and retention efforts of female active-duty servicemembers in the military. (Recommendation 1) |
DOD concurred with this recommendation. In response to our report, DOD initially stated that the department would provide guidance to the military services to develop and implement plans to guide and monitor efforts to recruit and retain female service members in the department's diversity and inclusion instruction and strategic plan, issued in 2020 and 2022, respectively. However, those initial documents did not provide the necessary guidance to the services to develop and implement such plans. Subsequently, in February 2024, DOD shared its updated strategy Enduring Advantages: A Department of Defense People Strategy Fiscal Years 2024-2028. The strategy's Objective 3.2 seeks to develop and implement an integrated framework to evaluate recruitment and retention personnel lifecycle programs to identify and remove barriers to equity. To accompany the strategy, the department also shared a series of slide presentations related to the implementation of the strategy's five goals which, according to an official, were used to convey guidance to service representatives on each goal. DOD officials stated that the documents collectively address the recommendation, and Objective 3.2 is intended to ensure that everyone within DOD is respected, valued, and can access experiences that enhance each person's ability to execute the mission. Based on the documentation provided related to the implementation of the department's strategy and its specific goals and objectives, officials demonstrated that the department has provided guidance to the military services to develop their own plans with clearly defined goals, performance measures, and time frames that would guide and monitor their efforts to recruit and retain female active-duty service members. By implementing this recommendation, DOD has positioned itself to achieve its goals of maintaining a ready force that includes the best and the brightest and is representative of the population it serves.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop a plan, with clearly defined goals, performance measures, and timeframes, to guide and monitor the Army's female active-duty servicemember recruitment and retention efforts. (Recommendation 2) |
DOD concurred with this recommendation. In December 2021, the Department of the Army outlined a number of ongoing efforts to address the unique concerns of women, for example by assessing the force through surveys and interviews. However, as of April 2024, the next status update was planned for September 2024, and the Army had not provided documentation sufficient to close this recommendation as implemented. In order to fully implement this recommendation, the Department of the Army will need to develop a plan with clearly defined goals, performance measures, and timeframes to guide and monitor its efforts to recruit and retain female active-duty service members and provide documentation, such as copies of any issued guidance documents, to support any actions the Army identifies as having taken. We will continue to monitor the Army's efforts to address this recommendation and will update the status as more information becomes available.
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| Department of the Navy | The Secretary of the Navy should develop a plan, with clearly defined goals, performance measures, and timeframes, to guide and monitor the Navy's female active-duty servicemember recruitment and retention efforts. (Recommendation 3) |
DOD concurred with this recommendation. In February 2023, the Department of the Navy provided an update that, through a series of initiatives, it has developed an approach to guide and monitor its diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives, including its recruitment and retention efforts for active duty female service members. According to that update, the Navy's efforts have been carried out by its Culture of Excellence Governance Board and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. These two groups brief senior Navy leadership quarterly on Culture of Excellence initiatives, which include efforts to increase female accessions and retention, as well as recommendations made in the Task Force One Navy Final Report. Task Force One Navy was an effort to analyze and evaluate issues in society and the military, including conducting program reviews and deeps dives on women's policy issues, among other things. In its February 2023 update, the Navy highlighted one Task Force One Navy initiative, in particular, as part of its plan to address our recommendation and active-duty female service member recruitment and retention. Task Force One Navy called for the designation of a Women's Policy Advisor Position and the Navy has since done so within OPNAV N17, its Navy Culture and Force Resilience Office. The Navy has identified female population rates and inclusion scores within the Navy as its performance measures, with the expected outcome, or goal, the Navy intends to achieve is to have the Navy female population mirror or exceed comparable civilian demographics. The Navy plans to annually evaluate its progress in closing identified gaps as its intended timeframe for measuring the effectiveness of its efforts. As a result of implementing our recommendation, the Department of the Navy has established a plan to guide and monitor its efforts to recruit and retain active-duty female service members and will be better positioned to achieve its goal of maintaining a ready force that includes the best and the brightest and is representative of the population it serves.
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| United States Marine Corps | The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that the Commandant of the Marine Corps develops a plan, with clearly defined goals, performance measures, and timeframes, to guide and monitor the Marine Corps' female active-duty servicemember recruitment and retention efforts. (Recommendation 4) |
DOD concurred with this recommendation. In December 2021, the Marine Corps reiterated its position that they are, by law, unable to set recruitment, accession, or retention goals based on race or gender, but that they would continue to monitor and study the topics related to female servicemembers, for example recruitment. At that time, the Marine Corps noted the completion of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan in early 2021, but also stated that the plan's intent is to be a total force plan and not specific to any racial, ethnic, or gender groups. In May 2022, the Marine Corps stated it would undertake a series of other efforts to ensure diversity and inclusion plans guide recruitment and retention efforts of female service members. Subsequently, in November 2024, the Marine Corps stated that it continues to monitor and study the topic of female recruitment, accessions, promotions, deployability, and retention as a means of informing strategic-level planning. The Marine Corps further stated that it plans to conduct studies and surveys to understand factors impacting marines' decisions to stay in or separate from the Marine Corps; however, no further information, documentation, or specifics about these efforts were provided. In order to fully implement this recommendation, the United States Marine Corps will need to develop a plan with clearly defined goals, performance measures, and timeframes to guide and monitor its efforts to recruit and retain female active duty servicemembers and provide documentation, such as copies of any surveys or issued guidance documents, to support any actions the Marine Corps identifies as having taken. We will continue to monitor the Marine Corps' efforts to address this recommendation and will update the status as more information becomes available.
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| Department of the Air Force | The Secretary of the Air Force should develop a plan, with clearly defined goals, performance measures, and timeframes, to guide and monitor the Air Force's female active-duty servicemember recruitment and retention efforts. (Recommendation 5) |
DOD concurred with this recommendation. In September 2024, the Department of the Air Force provided a status update on its efforts to address this recommendation which recognized the value of having a master plan to guide and monitor female active-duty service member recruitment and retention and highlighted its efforts to develop a diversity and inclusion strategic plan, among other initiatives, as part of its ongoing efforts to pursue diversity, including women. At that time, the Department of the Air Force acknowledged that its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategy entails a more holistic framework with regard to DEIA endeavors, rather than focusing specifically on females. The Department of the Air Force stated that it completed its Department of the Air Force Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility 2023 Strategy in September 2023 and provided an estimated completion date of March 2025 for its forthcoming 5-year strategic sub-plan, which would include, among other things, female recruiting and retention goals and objectives. While the efforts the Air Force described suggest promising action, as of September 2024, the Department of the Air Force has not provided documentation sufficient to close this recommendation as implemented. In order to fully implement this recommendation, the Department of the Air Force will need to develop a plan with clearly defined goals, performance measures, and timeframes to guide and monitor its efforts to recruit and retain female active-duty service members and provide documentation, such as copies of any issued guidance documents, to support any actions the Air Force identifies as having taken. We will continue to monitor the Air Force's efforts to address this recommendation and will update the status as more information, including the forthcoming plan and sub-plan, become available.
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