Working Around the Military


Book Description

This research confirms that, while many spouses of military service members work and seek education similar to their "look-alike" civilian counterparts, they often lag these equals in terms of finding jobs and receiving comparable pay. Based on the input of more than 1,100 military spouses concerning their employment and educational pursuits as well as other data analysis, the RAND researchers offer recommendations for the Department of Defense to improve quality-of-life issues for its members and spouses, which in the long run will help the department retain the qualified personnel it needs.




Working Around the Military. Challenges to Military Spouse Employment and Education


Book Description

Successful recruiting and retention of the active duty force relies in large part on the extent to which service members and their spouses experience both job satisfaction and contentment with life in the military. In his February 12, 2001, speech at Fort Stewart, Georgia, President Bush acknowledged the importance of caring not just for service members but their entire families, pledging, "We owe you and your families a decent quality of life. ... Service members deserve a military that treats them and their families with respect. A major challenge to ensuring familywide quality of life is overcoming the hurdles to military spouse employment. Data indicate that the majority of military spouses are in the workforce; however, research indicates that they have difficulty finding jobs and that limited career opportunities for military spouses may be a factor in military personnel leaving the service. Given its impact on service member contentment and retention, spouse employment and education is thus an area of significant concern to the military. This study seeks to (1) provide a richer and more detailed depiction of military spouse employment and earnings, (2) explore the degree to which employment is problematic for military spouses, and (3) identify policies to reconcile spouse employment issues with the military's need to retain qualified personnel.




Married to the Military


Book Description

Focusing on military wives' contribution to family income, the authors find that, in contrast to civilian wives, military wives are willing to accept lower wages rather than search longer for jobs. They work less than civilian wives if they have young children but more if their children are older; are less probable to work as they get older; and respond to changes in the unemployment rate as workers with a permanent attachment to the work force, not as "added workers."




The Military Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Program


Book Description

This report outlines a strategy for the U.S. Department of Defense Military Community and Family Policy office to track progress on initiatives that aim to provide career development and employment assistance for military spouses.




Military Spouses with Graduate Degrees


Book Description

This volume utilizes interdisciplinary theories, methods, and approaches to study the educational and career experiences of military spouses with advanced degrees. It analyzes the unique career and educational experiences that military spouses with advanced degrees face while trying to attain their goals amidst military relocations and deployments.




Military Spouse Employment Report


Book Description

A major finding was 90% of responding female spouses of active duty service members report being underemployed, meaning they possess more formal education/experience than needed at their current or most recent position. Additionally, the 2012 American Community Survey (ACS) data show military spouses make an average of 38% less total personal income and are 30% more likely to be unemployed than civilian counterparts. While ACS data consistently show noticeable gaps in income and unemployment between armed forces spouses and their civilian counterparts, this survey discovered there is not a lack of desire to work that is causing these gaps. However, active duty military spouses are more likely to have moved within states, across states, and abroad, compared to their civilian and veteran counterparts. The increased likelihood of moving from one geographic location to another further compounds economic issues for these families. According to survey results, other factors affecting their unemployment or underemployment include relocating to geographic locations with limited employment opportunities, employer perceptions of military spouses, inability to match skills and education to jobs, inflexible work schedules and high childcare costs.




Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society


Book Description

The U.S. military has been continuously engaged in foreign conflicts for over two decades. The strains that these deployments, the associated increases in operational tempo, and the general challenges of military life affect not only service members but also the people who depend on them and who support them as they support the nation â€" their families. Family members provide support to service members while they serve or when they have difficulties; family problems can interfere with the ability of service members to deploy or remain in theater; and family members are central influences on whether members continue to serve. In addition, rising family diversity and complexity will likely increase the difficulty of creating military policies, programs and practices that adequately support families in the performance of military duties. Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society examines the challenges and opportunities facing military families and what is known about effective strategies for supporting and protecting military children and families, as well as lessons to be learned from these experiences. This report offers recommendations regarding what is needed to strengthen the support system for military families.




Measuring Underemployment Among Military Spouses


Book Description

Comparisons of military wives with a group of similar civilian wives show that military wives have a greater tendency to be underemployed, even after controlling for labor market characteristics. However, there does not seem to be a strong link between their labor force position and satisfaction with their life situation, so the effects of underemployment among military spouses may not be as serious as previously thought.




Military Spouse Employment


Book Description

When military spouses choose to start their own businesses or engage in contract work from home, doing so can not only provide the emotional and financial benefits intrinsic with consistent employment, but it can also help ease the transition to civilian life by affording a spouse’s veteran time to attend school, complete certifications, and sustain a period of unemployment without feeling the strain of total income loss. This white paper identifies and acknowledges the challenges military spouses face in starting and operating their own businesses or engaging in contract work from home.




Balancing Life and Education While Being a Part of a Military Family


Book Description

Military spouse education is an often overlooked topic. With the proliferation of service member programs and benefits, and the spotlight on them, it is not uncommon for spouses to neglect looking into their own educational opportunities and benefits. The hectic life of a military family also often complicates the process of attending an institution of higher education, for spouses. There are numerous programs and benefits that a spouse may have access to, but they are difficult to find and navigate properly. Balancing Life and Education While Being a Part of a Military Family: A Guide to Navigating Higher Education for the MilitarySpouse attempts to highlight these possibilities and inform and assure this population that attaining an education is possible regardless of location or current circumstances. Numerous programs and benefits are described, as well as the best way to go about using them. Detailed instructions are illustrated to make the process of obtaining an education easier and to give spouses more confidence in pursing their own education. In addition, the specific considerations of military family life are addressed along with these instructions. Education is really important, and a lot of times military spouses aren’t aware of the opportunities and resources available to them to pursue it. The authors of From theNavy to College: Transitioning from the Service to Higher Education and From the Army to College: Transitioning from the Service to Higher Education have put together a clear guidebook will make the process easy, accessible, and understandable. They offer clear advice and information about resources available to spouses of service members, creating a go-to guide for pursuing higher education.