GENDER TRENDS IN THE UNITED-STATES-ARMY AND A DISCUSSION OF IMPLICATIONS FOR READINESS AND RETENTION

The percentage of female soldiers and officers in the U.S. Army has in creased dramatically during the last few decades. Gender appears to be correlated with rank, age, education, and race, making it difficult t o draw definitive conclusions about the effects of gender on retention or readiness. Evidence regarding gender and retention is mixed, but a vailable evidence on gender and individual and unit readiness suggests that gender does not adversely influence readiness at either level. H owever, there is little evidence to date on the effects of gender with in combat units, leaving that question open to debate.