During the last several years as women have increasingly joined the military ranks and deployed to war zones, BPW Foundation wanted to know what the impact would be on them, their families and communities especially when they come home. Would the workplace support these new veterans? Would their unique skills be  recognized as transferable? Are there dedicated services for them?
BPW Foundation conducted preliminary research and found that women veterans relatively receive less support upon return from service and generally have a difficult transition. Coupled with the issues of pay equity, work life balance and gender discrimination the plague most women, it was apparent these returning military sisters needed assistance as they returned to their careers, lives and families.
The next step was to survey women veterans themselves. In the absence of a publicly available database of women veterans, BPW Foundation researchers and suporting partners created a database. The 2007 online survey Women Veterans in transition was completed by over 1,600 women. Respondents had the opportuntiy to provide comments and the option to participate in more in-depth research such as focus groups and interviews. The results of this pilot study has sparked public discussion about the creation of programs and serices that work for women veterans and their employers throughout the entire transition process. Because of BPW fFounation's role as a neutral convener, we have been particularly interested in sharing these results with decision makers, employers, non profits and goverment agencies.
Publications based on the research:
Top Ten Recommendations for Employers to Recruit and Retain Women Veterans
Building Strong Programs and Policies to Support Women Veterans
Recommendations to Support Women Veterans
Our launch report, available on this page, is the initial phase of the pilot study that will include deeper analysis of the data from a survey of women veteran’s administered during the summer of 2007 as well as resulting focus groups and interviews that emerge from this analysis, with women veterans, employers, veteran service organizations and government agencies. BPW Foundation will also collaborate with other agencies to encourage the expansion of research about the career transition experiences of female and male veterans.
An outgrowth of this research is the 2009 "Dear Jane" letter writing campaign. In this effort BPW Foundation is connecting women veterans to deployed military women getting ready to exit the service. These veterans will write letters to about what worked and what didn't in their transition efforts.
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Understanding the Complexity of Women Veterans' Career Transitions (SECTIONS)
An initial look at the survey results indicates that the transition from the military into the civilian workforce is a multi-dimensional process. Policy makers may need to examine a number of factors in order to craft programs and services that more fully support women veterans that are moving into the civilian workforce. In addition, the implications relate not only to the types of resources needed during transition but the timing and duration of those resources.
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Special Topics
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Appendices
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It is important to note that this survey offers a first composite picture of transition into the workplace for the woman veteran. Additionally significant is the sample and methodology used, in the absence of a comprehensive database of women veterans available to the public.
This web page will be updated regularly with new fact sheets, briefing papers or resources. Please check back often.
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