Def Secretary Pete Hegseth has been boasting about how many more women are joining the military under Trump. Then they did Biden. The reason according to him?
“Leadership matters and women are excited to serve under the strong leadership of Secretary Hegseth and President Trump.”
Is that the reason? Or is it because college degrees don’t guarantee jobs anymore and the job market is a disaster? Hmmm. I’m going with those two reasons. Why? Because I talk to young people all the time and that is simply the reality of this situation.
The total technology takeover, the one Trump is facilitating, that is destroying companies, jobs, and the job market. combined with Trump’s insane tariffism ego flex that is costing companies, hundreds of billions of dollars, are forcing young people to take jobs with the government that they ordinarily would have never taken, including the military. F
For many of these young people, they’re not “serving their country” per se. They’re doing whatever they have to do to survive. I don’t blame them. Being a United States military vet myself, I highly recommend going into a specialty that will not require combat, because God knows you don’t want to go limb and life for another ill-fated proxy war like Vietnam or Iraq or Afghanistan.
That said, I appreciate those who serve in our military. But to say the reason they are joining is simply due to great leadership is fake news. That’s not why they are joining. They are joining because they feel like they don’t have any other options.

Comments
2 responses to “Female military recruits increasing in 2025, but why?”
This perspective raises important points that often get lost in the broader conversation about military recruitment trends. It’s absolutely fair to question the narrative that “great leadership” is the sole—or even main—reason for more women or young people joining the military. In reality, the motivations for enlisting are almost always complex and deeply tied to the larger social and economic context.Many young people, facing a tough job market and disillusionment with traditional pathways like college degrees, see military service as the only stable option as they observe so many other doors closing. Economic pressure, student debt, and uncertain futures most certainly play significant roles in decisions to enlist. This isn’t just anecdotal; research regularly finds economic factors are among the top motivators for joining the armed forces, especially during periods of economic instability.
Additionally, the rapid changes in the job market—with automation and technology reshaping or eliminating many traditional jobs—will push people toward government and military careers, often because they offer benefits, training, and security that are much harder to find elsewhere.
It’s also valid to point out the risks: as a veteran yourself, you know that military service can involve real dangers, and that not everyone is joining out of a pure desire to serve. Many are, frankly, trying to survive or get ahead, weighing their options in a difficult economy. There’s no shame in making pragmatic choices. What matters is paramount is that we acknowledge these realities and avoid oversimplifying this reality with feel-good propoganda about “strong leadership.” Recognizing the real pressures that young people face is an important first step toward honestly addressing the challenges in both our economy and our military recruitment practices. And indeed-yes, however they arrive at that decision, everyone who serves deserves respect for stepping up in complicated times.
well stated Hank