Women were allowed to serve in combat aircraft and on combat ships. While two of the top three reasons for leaving are the same for men and women, men also leave because of misconduct while women leave because of pregnancy. Women s seniority in the military is growing. Despite the fact that most occupations are open to women, there are still barriers which preclude women. First, entire units are still closed to women even though they contain positions that are open to women.
Government officials cite such reasons as privacy and sleeping accommodations on submarines.
Women tend to score lower on sections such as automotive systems, which precludes them from certain positions. Costello, Cynthia B., Shari Miles, and Anne J. Stone, eds. Armed Forces, increasingly dependent on women, find them leaving at rates much higher than men. United States General Accounting Office. Trends in the Occupational Distribution of Military Women, September 1999.