When Lori Robinson entered the Air Force in 1982 through her university ROTC program, only 2 percent of enlisted personnel in the Air Force were women.
“There were no women around me when I entered,” she recounted. An uphill battle, Robinson eventually rose through the ranks to become a general and the first woman in U.S. military history to lead a combatant command. Still, she said she “never thought about being the senior woman…I thought about being a good commander and ensuring that I provided the best military service.”
With the U.S. Air Force celebrating its 75th anniversary this weekend, the demographics have changed considerably since Gen. Robinson first joined. Today, women make up 21 percent of active duty enlisted personnel in the Air Force.
Know Your Value recently chatted with Gen. Robinson, who retired in 2018 after more than 36 years of service, in addition to former airwoman-turned -Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), who served 13 years in the Air Force, about their successes and experiences working in the male dominated field.
Below is the conversation with Ret. Gen. Robinson, 63, and Rep. Houlahan, 55. It has been edited for brevity and clarity:
KNOW YOUR VALUE: How can we encourage more women to enlist, and what advice do you have for young women and girls that may want to join the Air Force?
REP. HOULAHAN: To all the women and girls considering joining our armed forces, please know that we need you. We need your grit, determination and strength to make this country and world a more secure place for future generations. When I joined over 30 years ago, I didn’t have many role models. But I can confidently say today that our military is stronger because of the rising number of women joining our ranks. We don’t need to look any further than Gina Ortiz Jones, under secretary of the Air Force. If you’re considering a career or even partial service (such as a reserve or guard status) in the Air Force, seek out friends and family who may have served. There are networks out there to answer all of your questions. And my advice is this: even if you don’t think you’re ready, you are…
RET. GEN. ROBINSON: We can encourage women to be a part of something bigger than themselves and serve our nation.
KNOW YOUR VALUE: Did you ever feel discouraged as a woman in a male-dominated environment or have additional challenges to overcome? What got you through?
REP. HOULAHAN: This is a tough question for me. In so many ways, the challenges the military faces reflect the private sector, especially male-dominated fields in the private sector. At Stanford, I was one of only a handful of women in my engineering classes, and my transition to active duty was a similar environment. So yes, it was difficult at times feeling different expectations when I simply wanted to be evaluated on the merit of my work. For mothers especially, the armed forces have not always been accommodating. In fact, one of the reasons I separated from active duty service is because I had difficulty finding affordable child care options after my first child. In Congress, I’m using those experiences as a member of the Armed Services Committee to make long overdue changes to support our women and men in uniform such as passing my Military Moms Matter Act last year. But I want to be clear: There is so much progress to celebrate, and with each new generation of female leaders in our ranks, we will continue that progress.
KNOW YOUR VALUE: Were you ever the only woman in the room? How did you feel and what advice do you have to other women who may find themselves in those situations?
RET. GEN. ROBINSON: [I was] often the only woman in the room. But I only worried about being the best I could be.
KNOW YOUR VALUE: Is there anything else you would like to add about your experience as a woman in the Air Force?
REP. HOULAHAN: People often ask me why I reflect so much on my time in the military. Truth be told, it was one of the most formative times in my life. Not only physically and mentally, but morally. Those who have served feel a calling to a higher purpose. It’s why there is a bipartisan group of veterans in Congress who caucus together—we understand that service is about the American people, not a political party. Of course, Americans serve is all kinds of ways, and this is just one example. But as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Air Force, I can’t help but beam with pride about how much we have accomplished and what we stand poised to accomplish in the next 75 years of serving the American people and the world.