Women make up 11 percent of all military officers. This
represents significant progress into the top leadership positions,
as in 1994 they represented 13 percent of all officers but less
than 5 percent of the top five officer ranks.
Women accounted for 14 percent of the enlisted personnel in
1996 and 9 percent in the top three ranks (E-7, E-8 and E-9);
despite a decrease of 5 percent in the overall number of enlisted
personnel, women made up 14 percent of the ranks and 10 percent of
the top three ranks in September 2008.
Women in the military are more likely to be members of a racial
minority group than military men. Among enlisted personnel, 46
percent of women identify themselves as nonwhite and among
officers, 32 percent of women identify themselves as
non-white.
The military remains the only profession in the United States
which under Department of Defense policy prohibits women from
taking certain jobs. This hinders women from being promoted to the
top levels of leadership.