Written by: Carrie Carter, M.Ed. & Kayla Reed-Fitzke, Ph.D., LMFT
U.S. military spouses face a variety of barriers to finding and maintaining employment through the military family life cycle, from frequent relocation, to extended family separation and lack of access to higher education (Castaneda & Harell, 2008; “Navigating Employment: The Unique Challenges Faced by Military Spouses”). While non-military connected professionals may experience these challenges intermittently, one in five military spouses find this intersecting web of challenges insurmountable (Defense Personnel Analytics Center, 2021). This unemployment rate among military spouses has been and remains high – 21% (Defense Personnel Analytics Center, 2021).
Although having a job is, of course, important for those wanting to work, employment goes beyond simply receiving pay for work. One’s employment situation, and interruptions to employment, have ramifications for life-long earning potential and other quality of life factors such as mental health (Burke & Miller, 2017; Donoho et al., 2018). Several new initiatives have been designed to address military spouses’ holistic employment needs, emphasizing not only their financial health, but also their social, emotional, and mental wellbeing. From flexible work arrangements to mental health counseling, licensure reciprocity to job transferability, these programs and policies help military spouses keep the great jobs available to them. These initiatives respond to research showing when military spouses who want to work are employed, they report lower rates of depressive symptoms, social isolation, and financial insecurity (Hiring Our Heroes, 2021; Lara-Cinisomo et al., 2020).
By identifying how family, community, and institution-level factors influence military spouse career opportunities, service providers can better tailor their support to individual needs. For example, a job-seeking military spouse who is returning to the workforce after overseas assignment may benefit from returnship and accelerator programs (see Hiring Our Heroes on the differences between such programs), as well as part-time and contract job fairs to update their work experience. For military spouses in remote roles who may struggle with isolation, local professional networks, nonprofit coffee hours and employer affinity groups can offer connection. Service providers might also support military spouses with advocating for permanent change of station (PCS) leave or respite care to help maintain employment through relocations and family separations.
If you are interested in learning more about how new and emerging employment resources like these support military spouse professional development, check out our webinar “Empowering Military Spouses to Maintain Employment: A Review of the Resources for Holistic Support” scheduled for October 9th, at 1100 EST. We will examine how military spouse un- and underemployment influences military family financial, physical and social health and discuss how Department of Defense, employer, and non-profit resources can be leveraged to address these challenges.
References
Burke, J., & Miller, A. R. (2018). The effects of job relocation on spousal careers: Evidence from military change of station moves: Job relocation effects on spouses. Economic Inquiry, 56(2), 1261–1277. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.12529
Castaneda, L. W., & Harell, M. C. (2008). Military spouse employment: A grounded theory approach to experiences and perceptions. Armed Forces & Society, 34(3), 389-412. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X07307194
Defense Personnel Analytics Center. (2021). Active duty spouse survey. Office of People Analytics. (Report No. 2023-045). Retrieved from https://dpac.defense.gov/Portals/131/Documents/ActiveDutySpouseOverviewBriefing-Final-508.pdf
Donoho, C. J., LeardMann, C., O’Malley, C. A., Walter, K. H., Riviere, L. A., Curry, J. F., & Adler, A. B. (2018). Depression among military spouses: Demographic, military, and service member psychological health risk factors. Depression and Anxiety, 35(12), 1137–1144. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22820
Hiring Our Heroes (2021). Military Spouse Employment Flash Survey. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. https://www.hiringourheroes.org/resources/milspouse-employment-flash-survey-2021/
Lara-Cinisomo, S., Han, B., & Neuhausen, R. (2020). Exploring the role of depressive symptoms, service members, and spousal demographic characteristics on military spousal employment. Armed Forces & Society, 46(3), 397-423. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X19848013
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