Quality of life issues continue to remain a top priority for military families according to the recently released findings of the 2021 Military Family Lifestyle Survey.
The survey, by Blue Star Families and Syracuse University’s Institue for Veterans and Military Families, included responses from over 8,000 people worldwide and was conducted from April to June of 2021.
According to the survey, time away from family, relocation/permanent change of station (PCS), and spouse under- and unemployment – all of which affect the quality of life – ranked among the top concerns facing military families.
It found that 63% of employed military spouses are underemployed in some way – a statistic that did not surprise researchers.
“I think that underemployment is a conversation we always have, especially when we are talking about military spouses,” said IVMF’s Rosalinda Vasquez Maury, who led the research.
Maury said prior research and surveys have produced similar results when it comes to the underemployment of military spouses.
“Year after year, it’s something we see, especially with military spouses,” she said.
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The survey presented a list of circumstances for respondents to select from – such as working fewer hours than wanted, for less pay than they’d like, or working at what they consider a job and not a career – from which they could say they felt underemployed.
The top barriers to employment for active-duty spouses include the service member’s unpredictable and lengthy daily work schedules and the expense of child care.
“This is one of the reasons we have that spouses aren’t working but want to work,” said IVMF Research Associate Dr. Jeanette Yih Harvie of child care costs. “This is one of the reasons preventing them from taking that step.”
Forty-one percent of survey respondents said spouse unemployment or underemployment is a top contributor to financial stress.
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“I am a nurse practitioner, one active-duty Navy spouse wrote. “Changing my license for each state is expensive and time-consuming. I am unable to work in a job I enjoy because of constant moving. Childcare is tough as a military spouse with no support from the military. No regard for constantly moving families and causing stress and instability for my career and kids.”
In addition, the majority of military-connected family survey respondents (67%) have experienced at least one family-building challenge in their lifetime. Over four in 10 active-duty family respondents (42%) report that military service created challenges to having children, specifically the desired number and/or spacing of their children.
In the survey, fewer than half of active-duty spouse respondents (42%) agreed that their health is excellent, and those who were separated from their service members reported higher mean stress scores than those who were not. While two-thirds of active-duty spouse respondents (67%) reported they do not have a current mental health diagnosis, 25% report a current diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder, which is higher than the estimated levels for the U.S. population.
The full report, as well as issue-specific summaries, can be viewed here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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