The Impact of Military Service on Post-Service Labor Market Performance of Female Veterans: Evidence from the United States

This paper intends to explore and show evidence of whether the impact of the recent period of the U.S. military service including overseas combat or war zone experience, service-related disability status, and presence of young children at home affect the post-service labor market performance of female veterans. Labor market success is measured by four outcomes: labor force participation, employment, unemployment, and usual weekly hours of work. Using data from the Veteran Supplement to the CPS from 2007 to 2013, I estimate labor force participation, unemployment, and employment by probit models and hours of work by OLS. I find that females are less likely to participate in the labor force and less likely to be employed and work less than male veterans. Combat zone experience, the presence of a young child at home, and being married to a spouse in the armed forces affect female veterans adversely as compared to male veterans.