Shellfish collectors in Peru make a living harvesting a special mollusk called the barquillo, a primary ingredient in a world-famous ceviche dish. But hunting the elusive seafood comes at a deadly cost.
Courtesy of Rachel Garlinghouse
I'm a mom of four kids, and I'm in my mid-forties. My age becomes glaringly apparent when I'm among other parents who are assisting my youngest child's class: a group of nearly twenty-five second graders with younger parents who appear to be in their late twenties.
Aging is a beautiful thing, they say. Who are they? I'm not sure. However, I absolutely agree that getting older is a gift and, I've discovered, can be quite settling. After all, the things that younger parents are worried about no longer concern me as an "old" mom. I've lived, and I have learned.
What you see is what you get with me, including my physical appearance. To be frank, there are twelve-year-olds who do their makeup better than I ever could. My days are often jam-packed with appointments, drop off and pick ups, writing assignments, chores, and errands. I have very little time to care about what others think about my fashion choices and makeup — or lack thereof.
I also don't worry about how I am perceived by others. I embrace that I can be chill and comfortable some days or a Hot Mess Express on other days, all thanks to having four kids plus perimenopause.
Part of my radical acceptance also comes from the fact that I'm a two-time breast cancer survivor. I've been stripped down to almost nothing, fighting for my life, so I have a different perspective on life than many. I simply don't have the mental capacity to attempt to impress others, whether it's my educational degrees, my appearance, or even my parenting skills. Take me or leave me, just don't annoy me.
My new outlook on appearances extends to my kids, too. I no longer demand that they be presentable in order to please others. Gone are the days of matching sibling outfits.
Meet any teen, and you know they will wear the same sweatshirt, every day, no matter how many clothes you buy them. My second grader, within reason, can dress as she pleases, as I have learned dressing oneself is a form of self-expression and independence. It doesn't hurt anyone that her clothes are mismatched.
As an older mom, I know better than to obsess over my kids' grades or sports scores. Basically, the numbers don't make the kid.
Before I became a mom, I was a college teacher. I quickly learned that how well a kid did number-wise in school turned out to have very little to do with their future success. I understand that if my children's physical, mental, and emotional health aren't in order, academics and rankings are inconsequential.
There are loads of volunteer opportunities, and I don't sign up for every one. The reality is, I don't have time. The other reason is because, truthfully, I don't want to. I do not feel obligated to be busting my butt at every volunteer opportunity each of my four kids has. Instead, my husband and I split some of the duties, and we also prioritize. No, if you recall, is a complete sentence.
I don't summon the manager, er, principal, every single time someone calls my kid a name, because I've learned this simply isn't an emergency. Instead, I invest in teaching my kids coping skills, listening to their feelings, and offering guidance. Mama Bear does come out when something is beyond my kids' capabilities and the situation is persistently an issue, but I conserve my energy for the bigger battles and try not to sweat the small stuff.
Gone are my days of wrangling little ones into strollers and frantically trying to change diapers and serve snacks. Instead, my world has changed from keeping up with babies to being the family chauffeur. It feels good to be an older and wiser parent who knows how to stay in my lane — because that's all I have the capacity for.
Macall Polay/HBO
"Succession" creator Jesse Armstrong has said he wanted to get his new high-stakes satire, "Mountainhead," in front of audiences as soon as possible.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at the film's premiere on Thursday, Armstrong said he was keen to write and release the film, which is his directorial debut, in the current political climate.
The turnaround time for post-production can often take months, but "Mountainhead," which finished production in April, is set to be released in theaters on May 31.
"When people see it, they'll realize it's about this world that we live in right now and the tech world changes so quickly," Armstrong said.
"I was keen to write it and for people to see it in the same sort of bubble of time," he added.
"Mountainhead" stars Steve Carrell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef as tech billionaires — one of whom is referred to in the teaser trailer as the "richest guy in the world."
As they reunite for a wintry getaway, their planned downtime quickly turns into a nightmare as news of an international crisis that affects them — and their combined wealth — begins to unfold on their phones and TV screens.
The film is Armstrong's first release since "Succession" ended in 2023.
As of Sunday, the movie has garnered positive reviews from critics and has an 82% positive rating on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
Macall Polay/HBO
Many critics have noted the film's apparent digs at real-life tech-industry giants such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos.
In a BBC review, the author wrote that Smith's character "pointedly and unmistakably" evokes the X and Tesla owner. During one scene, Venis (Smith), the owner of a popular social media app, is seen getting a phone call from the US president.
In an interview with Newsweek, Smith downplayed the idea that he looked to the likes of Musk and Zuckerberg for inspiration in the role.
"I know there are going to be some comparisons, just by nature of the job and this status of power and wealth," he said. "But, you know, these are unique individuals born of Jesse's mind."
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In today's economy, luxuries like buying a mega-mansion, a sports car, or a Birkin bag might be cheaper than raising a child.
In step with rising food and housing costs, parents across America are facing the financial challenges associated with having a child.
A recent LendingTree study found that, on average, it costs US parents $297,674 to raise a child over 18 years, and they spend an average of 22.6% of their income on child-rearing costs each year.
While the costs vary by state, one factor remains constant: the rising cost of childcare during the workday, which is often the largest expense related to having a child.
"Our data from last year showed that in 45 states and DC, if you have two kids, what you pay for childcare on average exceeds [your] mortgage," said Sandra Bishop, the senior director of research for Child Care Aware of America, a national nonprofit organization focused on helping families across the country access affordable childcare.
Between LendingTree's 2023 and 2025 studies, the average annual cost of childcare rose by 51.8%, from $11,752 to $17,836.
Bishop says this isn't a new trend. Since Childcare Aware began tracking costs in 2000, the cost of childcare has remained "a major expense for families," she told Business Insider. On average, the price of childcare has increased every year that Childcare Aware has tracked it.
"[About] 70 to 80% of what it costs to provide childcare is staff costs," Bishop said. "As the cost of living goes up, so does the cost of care."
LendingTree's study, which was released in March, looked at the impact of raising a young child in categories like rent, food, and transportation by measuring the difference between costs for a two-person household and a two-person household with a child.
For day care and apparel costs, researchers examined the average annual costs that families face in each state.
To calculate the estimated costs of raising a child in every state, LendingTree used data from sources including the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' consumer expenditure surveys, Child Care Aware of America's Price of Care report, and the IRS, among others.
Here's the annual cost of raising a young child in each state (and Washington, DC) and how each state ranks compared to the rest of the country, with 51 being the cheapest and 1 being the most expensive.
Cavan-Images/Shutterstock
Ranking: 49 (49th most expensive in the US and Washington, DC)
Annual cost of raising a child: $17,870
Annual day care costs: $8,771
Food costs: $1,897
In Alabama, parents spend an average of 17.1% of their income to raise a child, which is the seventh lowest percentage among all states.
The state also ranked third in the lowest day care expenses.
Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images
Ranking: 18
Annual cost of raising a child: $24,921
Annual day care costs: $11,760
Food costs: $2,342
Alaska parents face some of the highest added costs in the country when factoring a child into their expenses. The state ranks third for extra rent and food costs each year at $4,620 and $2,342, respectively, and second for transportation costs at $3,462.
However, health insurance premiums are lower than in other states; Alaska ranks the sixth-lowest in that category, with parents spending an additional $2,486 on average each year.
4kodiak/Getty Images
Ranking: 20
Annual cost of raising a child: $24,354
Annual day care costs: $14,040
Food costs: $1,807
Parents in Arizona might see smaller additional rent and food costs when factoring in a child, with the state ranking seventh lowest in both. Still, added costs for health insurance premiums are among the highest in the nation, ranking third, with parents spending an annual average of $4,929.
Jonathannsegal/Shutterstock
Ranking: 48
Annual cost of raising a child: $18,642
Annual day care costs: $8,869
Food costs: $1,735
Arkansas ranked lowest for the added cost of children's apparel to parents' expenses. The state also ranked among the lowest five for food and childcare costs.
Nicholas Klein/Getty Images
Ranking: 5
Annual cost of raising a child: $30,059
Annual day care costs: $19,547
Food costs: $2,023
While parenting in California comes with a high price tag in some areas, parents also experience some areas of relief compared to other states. Per the LendingTree report, there are relatively low additional rent costs when raising a child compared to other states, and higher tax credits.
But parents in California face the highest apparel costs in the country, as well as the second-highest health insurance premiums.
The state also has the 10-highest average day care costs, according to the report.
Brad McGinley Photography/Getty Images
Ranking: 10
Annual cost of raising a child: $28,922
Annual day care costs: $19,573
Food costs: $2,035
Colorado is ranked among the top 10 most expensive states to raise a child. Parents may face higher day care costs than in other states, with the state ranking ninth highest in the country.
However, added transportation costs are more affordable in the state, with Colorado ranking sixth-lowest.
f11photo/Shutterstock
Ranking: 11
Annual cost of raising a child: $28,899
Annual day care costs: $17,888
Food costs: $2,111
Connecticut parents face higher costs in several areas, with the state ranking 10th highest for additional rent when factoring in a child, and eighth highest for food.
However, parents also spend a lower portion of their income on raising a child each year: 17.6% on average, the eighth-lowest in the country.
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Ranking: 23
Annual cost of raising a child: $23,804
Annual day care costs: $14,995
Food costs: $1,951
Delaware falls near the middle of the pack for the overall costs of raising a child in the US. Additional rent costs are among the lowest compared to other states, but additional expenses for food, transportation, and day care fall in the middle of all states.
halbergman/Getty Images
Ranking: 9
Annual cost of raising a child: $29,186
Annual day care costs: $25,480
Food costs: $2,378
Parents in the District of Columbia saw the biggest decrease in child-rearing costs since the 2023 study.
DC has the lowest added rent cost, at a negative difference of $4,284, where parents on average pay less than their childless peers. DC parents also face the lowest added transportation costs in the country at $1,919, and spend the lowest portion of income on raising a child at 14%.
However, DC also has the highest day care and added health insurance premiums costs in the country, and faces the second-highest added food costs, per LendingTree.
Shutterstock / Sean Pavone
Ranking: 26
Annual cost of raising a child: $23,241
Annual day care costs: $12,639
Food costs: $2,054
While Florida parents might save on transportation, as the state ranks third-lowest with parents spending an added $2,754, they also face higher health insurance premiums, ranking seventh highest in that category.
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Ranking: 45
Annual cost of raising a child: $19,162
Annual day care costs: $11,066
Food costs: $1,921
The study found that Georgia parents spend the second-lowest portion of their income on raising a child. Some factors that contribute to this are the comparatively low added costs for rent and health insurance premiums — the state ranked within the 10 lowest in both categories.
Mint Images/Getty Images
Ranking: 1
Annual cost of raising a child: $36,472
Annual day care costs: $22,585
Food costs: $2,481
Hawaii is the most expensive state for raising a child in 2025, leading the list by over $3,000 in total annual costs.
Parents in the state face the highest added food costs in the country, the second-highest added rent costs, and the third-highest transportation and day care costs.
On average, parents in the state spend 25.4% of their income on the costs of raising a child, the highest share out of all states.
CSNafzger/Shutterstock
Ranking: 37
Annual cost of raising a child: $21,797
Annual day care costs: $10,108
Food costs: $2,040
Parents in Idaho might face some higher costs despite having the ninth-lowest childcare costs in the country. The state ranked seventh highest for both added rent and transportation costs each year, coming in at $2,364 and $3,260, respectively.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
Ranking: 21
Annual cost of raising a child: $24,343
Annual day care costs: $16,373
Food costs: $1,965
Illinois' added rent costs for parents are relatively low; parents spend $276 more on average each year compared to their childless peers, which is the fifth lowest amount among all states.
Added transportation costs are also among the lowest in the country, ranking fourth lowest as parents spend an added $2,826 annually. Parents also spend a smaller portion of their income on raising a child than in other states, ranking ninth lowest at 17.9%.
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Ranking: 24
Annual cost of raising a child: $23,786
Annual day care costs: $13,736
Food costs: $1,731
Although parents in Indiana spend less on food — the state ranks fourth lowest at an average added cost of $1,731 each year — they also spend a larger share of their income on raising a child, coming in at 21.4%, the fifth-highest rate in the country.
Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock
Ranking: 36
Annual cost of raising a child: $21,811
Annual day care costs: $12,168
Food costs: $1,873
Iowa parents have some of the lowest health insurance premium added costs, with the state ranking ninth lowest in the country at an average of $2,568 annually.
Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock
Ranking: 19
Annual cost of raising a child: $24,528
Annual day care costs: $15,071
Food costs: $1,900
Kansas parents spend a higher portion of their income on raising a child than peers in other states, with the state ranking ninth highest nationwide. Parents spend an average of 20.8% on the added costs of raising a child.
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Ranking: 46
Annual cost of raising a child: $19,149
Annual day care costs: $9,685
Food costs: $1,704
Kentucky has the lowest added cost for a child's food when compared to every other state. Parents in Kentucky also have the sixth-lowest day care expenses in the country, per LendingTree's report.
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Ranking: 39
Annual cost of raising a child: $21,206
Annual day care costs: $10,101
Food costs: $1,855
While Louisiana parents have some of the lowest day care costs in the country, coming in at eighth-lowest, they also spend some of the highest percentages of their income on costs associated with raising children. They spend 20.6% of their paychecks on added costs.
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Ranking: 32
Annual cost of raising a child: $22,061
Annual day care costs: $11,960
Food costs: $2,043
Families in Maine might see one of the bigger boosts from tax credits. The credits help parents in the state save an average of $300 each year, ranking fifth-highest in the country.
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Ranking: 4
Annual cost of raising a child: $31,601
Annual day care costs: $19,906
Food costs: $2,078
Ranked the fourth most expensive state to raise a child in, Maryland parents face higher costs across several categories, with the state ranking sixth highest for both day care costs and the added costs in rent, and 10th-highest for added food and health insurance premiums costs.
Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF
Ranking: 2
Annual cost of raising a child: $33,004
Annual day care costs: $24,005
Food costs: $2,193
Ranked the most expensive state for raising a child in the continental US, Massachusetts parents face some of the highest food and childcare costs, with the state ranking fourth-highest for added food costs and second-highest for day care costs.
Even with the high price tag, parents in the state don't see a big difference in their added rent prices compared to childless peers, only paying $84 more on average, according to the report.
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Ranking: 34
Annual cost of raising a child: $21,881
Annual day care costs: $12,667
Food costs: $1,833
When compared to other states, Michigan has the eighth-lowest added food costs associated with raising a child.
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Ranking: 6
Annual cost of raising a child: $29,891
Annual day care costs: $20,129
Food costs: $2,075
Minnesota parents face some of the highest day care costs, ranking fifth highest in the country.
They also spend a large portion of their income on raising children, spending an average of 21.3% of their income on the added costs of childrearing, the sixth highest share in the country.
However, they also benefit from tax credits, which on average save them $343 annually, the third-highest in the country.
SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
Ranking: 51
Annual average cost of raising a child: $16,490
Annual average day care costs: $8,186
Average food costs: $1,783
Mississippi is the cheapest state to raise a child in 2025, having the second-lowest average day care costs and falling in the top 10 for cheapest health insurance premiums, rent, transportation, and food costs.
On average, Mississippi parents spend 17.9% of their income on raising a child each year.
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Ranking: 27
Annual cost of raising a child: $23,201
Annual day care costs: $12,907
Food costs: $1,883
Parents in Missouri have lower added health insurance premiums than parents in other states. The state ranks 10th-lowest, with parents spending an annual average of $2,649.
Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock
Ranking: 35
Annual cost of raising a child: $21,864
Annual day care costs: $11,700
Food costs: $1,918
Lacking sufficient childcare options for the number of children, the state of Montana is considered a "childcare desert," according to a January 2024 report by the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. On average, Montana parents spend $11,700 on childcare each year, according to the LendingTree study.
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Ranking: 28
Annual cost of raising a child: $23,154
Annual day care costs: $13,000
Food costs: $1,883
Out of all metrics, rent can be the biggest expense for parents in Nebraska when compared to other states. Parents spend an extra $2,340, on average, annually on their rent when raising a child.
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Ranking: 29
Annual cost of raising a child: $23,063
Annual day care costs: $13,024
Food costs: $1,894
Nevada, one of the most urban states in the country, is also considered a childcare desert, according to a 2023 report by the Nevada Governor's Office of Workforce Innovation, due to the lack of options and the high demand for available centers. Parents in the state pay an average of $13,024 on daycare annually, according to the LendingTree study.
Mihai_Andritoiu/Shutterstock
Ranking: 12
Annual cost of raising a child: $28,338
Annual day care costs: $17,250
Food costs: $2,031
New Hampshire parents face higher housing and transportation costs than in other states, ranking fifth highest for both rent and transportation.
Still, the added costs of health insurance premiums are more affordable than in other states, ranking third lowest.
Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock
Ranking: 7
Annual cost of raising a child: $29,728
Annual day care costs: $19,634
Food costs: $2,068
Parents in New Jersey may also encounter higher childcare costs, with the state ranking seventh highest among all states, but transportation costs are also more affordable, ranking 10th lowest.
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Ranking: 30
Annual cost of raising a child: $22,792
Annual day care costs: $13,521
Food costs: $1,834
While New Mexico offers some of the lowest average added costs for transportation and food, parents in the state still spend a large portion of their income on raising children, with 22.8% of their paychecks going toward the added costs of raising a child, the second highest in the country.
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Ranking: 8
Annual cost of raising a child: $29,327
Annual day care costs: $19,584
Food costs: $2,141
While parents in New York face some of the highest child-rearing costs, ranking sixth and eighth highest for food and childcare, respectively, they also have the second-lowest transportation added costs, falling only behind Washington, DC.
Photo by Mike Kline (notkalvin)/Getty Images
Ranking: 42
Annual cost of raising a child: $20,818
Annual day care costs: $12,251
Food costs: $1,908
Parents in North Carolina have the most stable prices for their child-rearing expenses, the study found. Between the 2023 and 2025 studies, the cost of raising a child over the course of 18 years in the state changed the least, going from $217,182 in 2023 to $215,461 in 2025.
Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock
Ranking: 17
Annual cost of raising a child: $25,834
Annual day care costs: $10,758
Food costs: $1,875
North Dakota had the second-biggest jump in total added costs from the 2023 study, up 44%. The state also has the highest added rent costs, at $5,496, and ranks ninth for transportation, as parents spend an additional $3,237.
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Ranking: 40
Annual cost of raising a child: $21,186
Annual day care costs: $12,351
Food costs: $1,867
Ohio's low total costs for raising a child each year are, in part, due to the low added costs of health insurance premiums, which rank eighth lowest in the country.
Sean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Ranking: 43
Annual cost of raising a child: $20,673
Annual day care costs: $10,065
Food costs: $1,836
Oklahoma parents enjoy the 10th and seventh lowest food and day care costs, respectively, but they also spend the 10th highest added costs on transportation, with children adding an average of $3,228 to their annual transportation expenses.
© Allard Schager/Getty Images
Ranking: 16
Annual cost of raising a child: $26,107
Annual day care costs: $17,680
Food costs: $2,048
Oregon saw one of the biggest total cost decreases since the 2023 study. Transportation added costs are also more affordable in Oregon than in other states, with the state ranking eighth lowest at $2,915. The state also has the lowest health insurance premiums out of all states in the country, with parents spending an additional $1,978.
Jon Lovette / Getty Images
Ranking: 25
Annual cost of raising a child: $23,270
Annual day care costs: $14,483
Food costs: $1,991
Parents in Pennsylvania might spend less on additional transportation costs than in other states — the state ranks ninth-lowest in the country, as parents spend an average of $2,918.
Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock
Ranking: 15
Annual cost of raising a child: $26,141
Annual day care costs: $16,899
Food costs: $2,127
Added food costs for parents in Rhode Island are higher than in other states — seventh highest in the country — while the added costs of transportation are more affordable than in other states, ranking fifth lowest.
Shutterstock
Ranking: 50
Annual cost of raising a child: $17,699
Annual day care costs: $9,048
Food costs: $1,842
South Carolina parents spent the third-lowest portion of their income on child-rearing expenses, at 16.1%. They also benefit from some of the lowest childcare costs in the nation; the average cost is the fifth lowest among all the states.
Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock
Ranking: 47
Annual cost of raising a child: $18,918
Annual day care costs: $7,862
Food costs: $1,941
Average childcare costs in South Dakota are lower than in every other state, according to the study. This contributes to parents spending 16.3% of their income to raise a child, which is the fourth-lowest in the country.
Still, the added transportation costs of having a child in the state ranked as the sixth highest in the nation.
Grindstone Media Group/Shutterstock
Ranking: 31
Annual cost of raising a child: $22,693
Annual day care costs: $11,985
Food costs: $1,920
While parents in Tennessee have relatively low costs for most factors contributing to the total cost of raising a child, they face higher health insurance premium added costs, spending an average of $4,478 each year, the fifth highest in the country.
f11photo/Getty Images
Ranking: 41
Annual cost of raising a child: $20,889
Annual day care costs: $11,024
Food costs: $1,711
Texas parents spend some of the lowest added food costs in the nation — the second lowest among all states. They also spend the sixth-lowest portion of their income on raising a child, with 17% of their paychecks going towards child-rearing costs. However, the added costs for health insurance premiums are the eighth highest in the country.
Sean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Ranking: 38
Annual cost of raising a child: $21,784
Annual day care costs: $11,232
Food costs: $1,849
Parents in Utah spend an average of 17% of their income on the added costs of a child, one of the lower percentages in the country. Yet transportation is one area where parents in the state might see a significant increase, with the state having the fourth-highest added costs of transportation expenses, coming in at $3,289 a year.
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Ranking: 13
Annual cost of raising a child: $27,690
Annual day care costs: $17,973
Food costs: $2,183
Parents in Vermont, which in 2022 was ranked the most rural state in the country according to census data, spend more on food, and also spend a greater share of their income on raising a child.
The state ranked fifth-highest for added food costs, and parents spend the third-highest percentage of their income on raising their children at an average of 21.8%.
However, Vermont parents also benefit from tax credits, which help them save an average of $320 annually, fourth-highest in the country.
Kyle Little/Getty Images
Ranking: 14
Annual cost of raising a child: $26,666
Annual day care costs: $16,397
Food costs: $2,013
Parents in Virginia face higher added costs for health insurance premiums than parents in other states, with the state ranking ninth highest at an average of $4,088.
simonkr/Getty Images
Ranking: 3
Annual cost of raising a child: $32,418
Annual day care costs: $20,370
Food costs: $2,109
Parents in Washington also face higher costs in multiple areas, with the state ranking ninth-highest for added food costs and fourth-highest for childcare costs.
On average, parents in the state spend 21.5% of their income on raising a child, the fourth-highest in the country.
Firepphotography1/Shutterstock
Ranking: 44
Annual cost of raising a child: $19,957
Annual day care costs: $10,140
Food costs: $1,717
While parents in West Virginia enjoy some of the lowest added food, health insurance premium, and day care costs in the nation, they also have the eighth-highest added cost of rent and spend the eighth-highest portion of their income on raising a child, at 21%.
marchello74/Shutterstock
Ranking: 33
Annual cost of raising a child: $21,930
Annual day care costs: $13,572
Food costs: $1,904
Wisconsin parents benefit from having some of the lowest added health insurance premium costs when raising a child, ranking second-lowest in the category and spending an average of $2,231.
Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock
Ranking: 22
Annual cost of raising a child: $24,262
Annual day care costs: $11,075
Food costs: $1,917
Wyoming saw the biggest jump in childrearing costs since LendingTree's 2023 report, with an increase of 47.9%.
Parents in the state face the highest added transportation costs in the country, with an extra $3,502 on average. They also have the fourth-highest added rent costs at $3,660, and spend the seventh-highest share of their income on raising a child: 21%.
Don Smith/Radio Times/Getty Images
Women have been an important part of the armed services since the beginning, with icons like Harriet Tubman participating in the Civil War. While being female in a traditionally male-dominated space hasn't always been easy, these women have still served their countries.
In 2023, the US Department of Defense reported that the percentage of women serving in active and reserve capacities was growing. In 2022, 17.5% of active-duty roles and 21.6% of the National Guard and reserves were women, up slightly from the year before, it reported, citing the 2022 Demographics Profile of the Military Community.
On Memorial Day this year, here are 12 famous women who have served in the military around the world, including Bea Arthur, Queen Elizabeth, and more.
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Most know Harriet Tubman for her groundbreaking work with the Underground Railroad and, later, as an abolitionist, but as National Geographic reported, Tubman was also an integral part of the Civil War.
In 1863, Tubman and Colonel James Montgomery led a group of soldiers in freeing slaves from plantations in South Carolina, making Tubman the first woman in US history to lead a military expedition, according to National Geographic.
Her work continued as a spy and recruiter for the Union Army. This operation was so covert that only President Lincoln knew about it.
Tubman received compensation for her military contributions decades later, in 1899. Thomas B. Allen, the author of "Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent," called Tubman "one of the great heroines of the Civil War."
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Queen Elizabeth was only 18 years old when she begged her father, King George VI, to take part in helping out during World War II.
She joined the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service in England that same year and was known as "Second Subaltern Elizabeth Windsor," according to the National Archives.
While serving, the young queen drove military trucks and trained as a mechanic, making her, to this day, the only female member of the Royal Family to enter the armed forces.
NASA
Eileen Collins broke several barriers during her career: Not only was she NASA's first female shuttle commander, but at 23, she became the Air Force's first female flight instructor, according to the agency.
She joined the Air Force in 1978, becoming one of the first four women to go through pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma.
She wrote in Time, "The Air Force was testing whether women could succeed as military pilots. We obviously were living in a fishbowl — everyone knew who we were, our personal business, our test scores and our flight performance. My philosophy was to be the best pilot I could be."
Her military training directly led her to test-pilot school, where she "knew" she would go on to be the first female space shuttle pilot — and succeeded in doing so.
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Before she was Dorothy Zbornak on "The Golden Girls," Emmy Award-winning actor Bea Arthur was a Marine.
As reported by The Daily Beast, Arthur enlisted in the Women's Reserve when she was 21 years old. She first served as a typist and truck driver. She worked her way up to staff sergeant and was honorably discharged in 1945.
Official documents show that Arthur's supervisors thought she was "argumentative," which is not a far cry from the feisty persona she became known for on both "The Golden Girls" and "Maude."
Netflix
Before Jennifer Marshall scored the role of Susan Hargrove on Netflix's hit show "Stranger Things," she served in the United States Navy from ages 17 to 22.
According to Marshall's website, during her service, she was a forklift operator, aircraft handler, and logistics specialist. She also worked for the USS Theodore Roosevelt's Sexual Assault Victim Intervention (SAVI) program.
Marshall was awarded many honors and medals for her time in the Navy. Now, in addition to acting, she works with Pin-Ups For Vets, a nonprofit organization that aids hospitalized veterans and deployed troops.
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Anderson, who hosts "The Kitchen," "Cooking for Real," and "Home Made in America," grew up around the military because of her parents. As an adult, she enlisted in the US Air Force as a radio broadcaster and journalist, working in Seoul, South Korea, and in San Antonio.
"I knew that there were radio stations, television stations, newspapers, and magazines, for the military, by the military, and I wanted to be a part of that," Anderson told ABC News in 2013.
She also wanted to train in something that would be useful when she left the military.
"My transition from the Air Force started before I even got in the Air Force," she said.
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Robin Quivers has co-hosted "The Howard Stern Show" for over 30 years, but before that, she served as a captain in the US Air Force.
Quivers got her degree in nursing from the University of Maryland and put it to use by joining the military as a second lieutenant after college. She quickly climbed the ranks, and when she was discharged in 1978, her official title was captain, according to Biography.com.
She served as a reserve in the Air Force until 1990, per military records, after which she fully pivoted to her career in radio. But Howard Stern hired her for his show in 1981, which means that Quivers — though she was "inactive" — was still technically serving while she was on the air.
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Colombian-American actor Zulay Henao has appeared on the show "Army Wives," but few know that she herself served in the US Army before becoming an actor.
Henao enlisted after completing high school and, after three years of serving, went on to enroll at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts.
She previously spoke to the paparazzi about her time in the military, saying: "I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing, and I wouldn't have the perspective I have of the world, if it weren't for the Army."
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Shauna Rohbock is an Olympic bobsledder and won the silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. But before that, according to Team USA, Rohbock joined the Utah Army National Guard and was part of the National Guard Outstanding Athlete Program.
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At her first Olympics, First Lt. Amber English took gold with an Olympic record score of 56, NBC reported. Technically not yet a veteran, she's a logistics officer and member of the Army Marksmanship Unit, according to Military.com.
After English's win, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin congratulated her on Twitter, now known as X.
"Your country is extremely proud of you today, and I'm so glad you're representing us," he wrote.
She joins an illustrious list of medal winners, both male and female, with military backgrounds.
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After Gal Gadot was crowned Miss Israel in 2004 and before she became Wonder Woman in 2017, she served her mandatory two years in the IDF. During her assignment, she worked as a "physical fitness specialist," teaching gymnastics and calisthenics to the soldiers, PopSugar reported.
Pro-Palestine groups have criticized her service, as well as her support of the Israeli military and cause in social media posts.
"I think much of it comes from ignorance and people not understanding what most people do in the army in Israel or what I did in the army during my service in the military," she told The Jakarta Post in May 2021. She added, "Being an Israeli and going to the army is an integral thing. It's something you have to do. It's mandatory."
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Dr. Ruth was a Holocaust survivor, and after World War II ended, she moved as a teenager to what would become Israel. During her time there, she trained as a sniper due to her small size.
She told The New Yorker in 2013, "I have no idea what the experience would be if I had to show it. But I was a very good sniper."
Melina Glusac contributed to an earlier version of this story.
