While the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the transition to civilian life for all veterans, a new study from Penn State’s Military Family Readiness Information Center finds that post-9/11 female veterans experienced a sharper decline in overall well-being compared to their male counterparts..
The findings, recently published in the journal Chronic Stress, depict a dual reality. While female veterans have shown remarkable resilience in raising children, they have also overcome widening gender inequality gaps during the pandemic, resulting in increased stress and lower levels of satisfaction in their work and social lives than male veterans.
Female veterans had greater burdens than men in several areas of life, and that pattern persisted throughout the period we studied. What stands out is that not only are women reporting more stress in key areas, but in some cases the gap has widened since COVID-19. This shows that support systems need to be more responsive to the realities that women veterans face at work, at home, and in their relationships. ”
Kimberly McCarthy, Clearinghouse Research Project Manager Lead Author
The researchers used data from two related longitudinal studies: the Veterans Metrics Initiative and the Veterans Transition Study. The study followed participants who served in the military after 9/11 for six and a half years after leaving the military. The analysis compared responses collected from more than 5,200 veterans before the pandemic to responses collected from more than 3,100 veterans after the pandemic. The study used standard survey measures to assess stress in four areas of well-being: work, relationships, social connections, and parenting.
Researchers captured the nuances of modern female veterans by analyzing stress in four areas of well-being. Although she was able to function well in the household and be an effective parent despite the added pressures of the pandemic, pre-pandemic pressures such as underemployment, unequal sharing of work and family responsibilities, and lack of emotional support were exacerbated by the pandemic.
Gender differences among the veterans studied were most evident in the area of employment. Female veterans reported lower job satisfaction than male veterans before and after COVID-19, and both groups experienced a decline in job satisfaction over time. Although women reported higher levels of underemployment than men, both groups reported some improvement in their employment status over time. The most striking difference appeared in work strain, which increased in both groups but more sharply among women. Globally, research shows that during the pandemic, women generally tended to balance work and family better than men, while also taking on increased responsibilities for childcare and schooling.
Social outcomes were even more mixed. Instrumental social support, such as help with daily living and support when sick, increased slightly for both women and men, but emotional support decreased for both groups. Social satisfaction also declined over time, and the decline was significantly greater for female veterans.
The findings regarding parenting were more mixed. Female veterans reported higher levels of parental functioning and parenting satisfaction than male veterans at both time points, and both groups experienced declines in functioning and satisfaction from pre-pandemic to post-pandemic. Taken together, these findings suggest that parenting-related pressures have increased during the pandemic, even as women continue to report stronger overall parenting outcomes.
Relationship outcomes also worsened over time. Before and after COVID-19, female veterans reported lower relationship satisfaction than male veterans, and the decline in satisfaction was greater for female veterans. Relationship functioning also declined in both groups, but more rapidly for women over time. Researchers linked these patterns among women to work-family imbalances, unequal housework demands, and less emotional support from partners.
“This study shows that large-scale disruptions like the pandemic do not affect all veterans the same way,” said Keith Aronson, director of the Clearinghouse and research professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Health.
Although the sample size was large, researchers said the study may not be completely representative of all veteran parents. Compared to 2017 Department of Defense numbers, the parent veterans in this study’s sample were slightly older, suggesting that the study may be underestimating the stress of the broader veteran population post-9/11.
The researchers ultimately suggest that the pandemic has not only created new problems. It exposed and amplified existing problems for women in the veteran community. Data shows that well-being moves in multiple directions at once, and researchers argue that “one-size-fits-all” veteran benefits and support services are insufficient.
“This study clearly shows that resilience and tension often exist side by side,” said Daniel F. Perkins, principal scientist and founder of the Clearinghouse and distinguished professor of family and youth resilience and policy. “The precipitous decline in satisfaction and decline in functioning seen in the social and professional lives of women veterans is a call to action. Our policies must go beyond individual clinical health to address the full complexity of their lives, from child care and fair employment to strengthening virtual support communities.”
Clearinghouse Research Professor Mary M. Mitchell also contributed to this research.
This research was supported by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine and the Pew Charitable Trusts.
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Reference magazines:
McCarthy, K.J. Others. (2026). Employment, relationships, and parenting stress among post-9/11 veterans: Life before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. chronic stress. DOI: 10.1177/24705470261432617. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/24705470261432617
