Women at War

Although only recently permitted to participate in active combat, women have made significant contributions to the U.S. military since its inception. Even during the American Revolution, women joined the effort alongside the Continental Army, accompanying soldiers and helping to mend clothing, nurse the wounded, and prepare weapons. The Civil War led even greater numbers of women to contribute to the Union cause, with about 3,000 serving as nurses during the conflict. In addition, it has been estimated that approximately 1,000 women, disguised as men, fought for both the Union and the Confederacy.

Technological advances of the 20th century, as well as the increased scale of overseas military combat, required more women than ever to fulfill administrative duties. While more than 3,000 American nurses were deployed to British-operated hospitals in France during World War I, World War II saw women serving in a wide range of roles, including as telephone, radio, and switchboard operators and translators, in addition to other clerical jobs. The U.S. Navy especially was able to exploit a loophole that enabled women to take on noncommissioned officer and noncombat roles; as a result, approximately 12,000 women served as “yeomanettes.”

It was during this period that all branches of the U.S. military enlisted women for the first time through the newly created Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps and Women Airforce Service Pilots (Army), Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (Navy), Marine Corps Women’s Reserve (Marines), and Women’s Reserve (Coast Guard). In total, nearly 350,000 American women served in uniform during World War II, while 432 were killed in the line of service and 88 were taken as prisoners of war (POWs).

Following the end of the Second World War, President Harry S. Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948. This law finally made it possible for women to enlist as full, permanent members of all military branches. It was not, however, without its limitations. It limited the number of women who could serve to just 2% of each branch, as well as the number of women who could become officers. The law further stipulated that pregnant women would be involuntarily discharged from service. The Army established an extension of this regulation in 1949 forbidding women with dependents from service and discharging enlisted women with children under 18. Crucially, the act applied exclusively to white women. President Truman thus issued the Integration of the Armed Forces executive order just a month later, allowing Black men and women to serve alongside their compatriots in all military branches.

Women continued to serve in Korea and Vietnam. During the three years of the Korean War, 120,000 women took up active-duty positions both abroad and at home, and in the Vietnam War era, the number of women serving in military and civilian roles around the world swelled to more than 265,000. Just two years after the end of the 20-year Vietnam War, pregnant women were allowed to remain in the military. It was not until 1994, under President Bill Clinton, that women were finally permitted to serve in all positions, with the exception of direct ground combat roles. In 2013, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced that this exception would be lifted and, as of 2015, women are now able to serve in direct ground combat.

As of 2022, women make up 17.5% of all active-duty members (228,996 total), 17.1% of all active-duty enlisted (182,388 total), and 19.7% of all active-duty officers (46,578 total). They constitute 20.7% of the Navy, 15.6% of the Army, 9.4% of the Marine Corps, and 21.4% of the Air Force. In 2017, technical sergeant Courtney Farley became the first woman enlisted with the Air Force as a Global Hawk drone pilot.