2019 Annual Conference

Military Education

Shared Concurrent Session (Approx. 12 or 20 minutes)

African American women veterans are earning more than their non-veteran counterparts due to the skills, education, and training received during military service. This presentation explores current research and statistics on the relationship between military service and post-military career success among African American women veterans.

This session is geared toward higher education administrators, faculty, staff, and human resource professionals who are interested in learning how African American women veterans translate military occupational skills training and experiences into civilian employment opportunities. 

Participants who attend this session will be able to:
1. Develop an understanding of military occupational skillset training and experiences.
2. Understand employment and earnings statistics of African American female veterans in comparison to non-veterans.
3. Identify how the bridging hypothesis, human capitol theory, and recruitment theory lead to Human Resource (HR) professionals preferences for hiring African American women veterans in comparison to their non-veteran counterparts.

According to the U.S. National Center for Veteran Analysis and Statistics (2015) a higher percentage of women veterans than non-veterans were African American, 19 percent, than non-veterans at 12 percent.  Literature indicates that African American women veterans out earn their non-veteran counterparts when compared to the general labor force (Prokos & Padavic, 2000).  In this session the presenter will share the latest research on African American women veterans’ employment and earnings statistics as compared to their non-veteran counterparts. Participants will be guided through the literature on African American women veteran’s military occupational skills training and experiences that lead to successful employment outcomes post-military service.  Additionally, the presenter will share the dynamics of the bridging hypothesis, human capitol theory, and recruitment theory which have influenced HR professionals hiring practices of African American women veterans.

The session will begin with a video testimony of an African American female veteran who has recently transitioned to the civilian workforce.  Next, the presenter will share statistics and literature on African American women veteran’s employment rates, earnings, military occupational skills training and experiences.  This will be followed by a synthesis of the literature on the bridging hypothesis, human capitol theory, and recruitment theory that impact African American women veterans hiring practices among HR professionals.  Finally, the session will close with a question and answer period.