Gender Gap in Well-Being among Veterans

According to a recent Gallup poll, female veterans of the U.S. military have a much better outlook on their lives than male veterans do. This finding comes from the survey of 353,561 Americans from Jan. 2 through Dec. 31, 2012 which is the basis for the data for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index . Among the general survey population, 48,690 respondents indicated they were a veteran, either retired from service or honorably discharged from the U.S. military. Female veterans were far more likely to rate their lives as "thriving" (54%) than their male counterparts (44%). While female veterans' life ratings are nearly on par with women in the general U.S. population, male veterans' ratings lag behind other men by a difference of eight percentage points.

The relationship between gender and well-being among veterans under the age of 65 is significant, even when controlling for employment status, income, race, education, geographic location, and whether or not one has children. Male and female veterans aged 65 and older are about equally likely to be thriving and they are just as likely to be thriving as their non-veteran counterparts. Among those aged 18 to 44, female veterans are 11 points more likely than male veterans to be thriving. And, while female veterans are just as likely as non-veterans to be thriving, men are significantly less likely than men in the general population of their same age group to be thriving.

Homeless Veteran Population Declines



From the Homelessness Research Institute's
The State of Homelessness in America 2012

The Population Reference Bureau reports that the number of homeless veterans is in decline.  From 2009 to 2011, the number of homeless veterans dropped from 75,600 to 67,500 (11% drop), but the total homeless population only fell 1 percent from 643,000 to 636,000.  38 percent of homeless people lack shelters, and instead sleep on the streets, in abandoned properties, or in cars.  Additionally, while 21 in every 10,000 in the general population are homeless, 31 of every 10,000 veterans are homeless. Of sheltered homeless veterans, 92% are male and 8% female.  52.1% are white and 35.1% are black.  The vast majority are aged 31 to 61, and roughly one in two is disabled. 

Demographics of Residential Care Facilities Residents

The U.S. Department Of Health and Human Services recently released a data brief detailing the demographics of Americans living in State-Funded Residential Care Facilities (RCF), such as those living in assisted living communities. In 2010, 733,300 citizens lived in RCF’s. Of those, 91% of were non-Hispanic whites, and 70% were female.  Almost 2 in 10 were Medicaid beneficiaries.  Younger residents, those under 65, were the most likely to have Medicaid, with 56% receiving benefits.  The majority of residents were 85 and older, with 54% falling into the oldest age group.  Chronic medical conditions were highly prevalent as well, with more than three quarters of residents possessing at least 2 of the 10 most common chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.  More than a quarter of residents suffered from four or more of these chronic illnesses.

Female Economic Advancement

The Economist's recent Graphic Detail post "Where to Be Female" discusses the results of the annual Women’s Economic Opportunity Index recently published by the Economist Intelligence Unit.  According to the report published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, "women are a key driver of economic growth" as their entry into the workforce has coincided with GDP growth in both the United States and Europe, yet "nearly one-half of working women are not currently active in the formal global economy."  The Women’s Economic Opportunity Index seeks to assess women's entry into the workforce and economic advancement using data released by a variety of major international organizations, including the United Nations and International Monetary Fund.  The Index ranges from 0 to 100 (100 being most favorable) and ranks 128 different countries.  As the chart from the Economist’s website shows (below), Sweden received the most favorable ranking of 90.4, followed by Norway and Finland at 88.3 and 88.2 respectively.  The United States was ranked 14^that 78.4, only slightly below the United Kingdom, which was ranked 13^that 78.9.  Sudan and Chad received the worse ranking (128^th and 127^th) with scores of 19.2 and 23.3 respectively.