Military Spouses Face Difficulties Finding Employment

High_Gravity

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Nov 19, 2010
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Military Spouses Face Difficulties Finding Employment

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WASHINGTON -- Among the 14.8 million Americans looking for work, the men and women married to military personnel face barriers others don't.

Military families move on average every 2.9 years, making it hard to pursue a single career or accumulate the experience employers want. Labor markets near sprawling bases like Fort Hood, Tex. or Fort Benning, Ga. are often saturated with overqualified military spouses eager for work. Many times, the certification or license required for skilled professions like nurses or teachers are state specific, adding another bureaucratic hurdle to overcome with every move.

Of course, many military spouses -- mostly women -- run their households singlehandedly while their partners are deployed or away on long training missions. And many wives are expected to volunteer long hours running the military's family readiness groups, which provide communications and support to families, while their husbands' unit are deployed.

Small wonder military spouses are having a difficult time finding work. The most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from November 2009, shows 8.4 percent of military wives were seeking jobs and couldn't find one, compared to 5.3 percent of women in civilian families.

"It is difficult -- you are constantly moving so having a career is extremely hard,'' said Kristy Kaufmann, whose husband is an Army officer. "Sometimes you can get a job waitressing or at the post exchange, but for people who want more of a career, that can be challenging.''

For enlisted troops, the pressure on spouses to find work can be intense. "They don't get paid a lot of money, so you really have to have a dual income family,'' said Kaufmann, who consults with the Defense Department on spouse employment issues.

To make matters worse, when a military spouse loses her job because her partner is transferred, at least 14 states -- including states with military bases, such as Idaho, Missouri and Louisiana -- don't provide unemployment insurance because such transfers are seen as "voluntary.''

Military Spouses Face Difficulties Finding Employment
 
Honestly, the problem lies with the military spouses. Young military wives should be encouraged to better themselves with education, work, and life experience before jumping onto the kid wagon. Unfortunately, most of them don't and end up strapped on cash for a long time because of it.

Civilian teenagers and those in their early 20's are barely making it without kids, so how do military spouses expect to do any better? And honestly, there is a difference between having a job and a career. Being a waitress or working at the PX is an unskilled job. A career generally implies that you possess a skilled trade or have trained to hold a specific position that allows for advancement and the potential to make more money. In terms of careers, there are HUNDREDS of choices for military spouses if they bothered to get a bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited University. I worked for a few years as a Defense Travel Administrator ODTA, and made over 40,000 a year doing that. The problem is that dependents don't go to school, they might if myCAA will pay for it but even then they get a certificate and that's it.

I really think the military should actively encourage spouses to better themselves and feel like it's a good idea to wait a few years to have kids instead of feeling chastised for it. I waited, and I've been able to save money instead of getting into debt and have fun with my husband and make sure this is the life I want before getting locked into it with kids. This is the 21st century, the military can join us any time they'd like.
 
They chose the mililtary life and it does have some downsides to it.

Good. You get it.

This is the exact reason, with others, that the erosion of veteran and especially retired military benefits is unacceptable.
 
Military spouses face employment difficulties like everybody else but they have special bennies with Military housing and medical and tax free PX. What's your problem?
 
Military spouses face employment difficulties like everybody else but they have special bennies with Military housing and medical and tax free PX. What's your problem?

They also have to deal with the washing machine breaking, the AC in the van breaking, the dog going into heat, and a hurricane approaching, all while the husband is deployed. All the while, the wife is the Ombudsman and every other wife is calling about their problems such as a tree through the roof due to a tornado spawned by the hurricane. "How can I get my husband home?" she asks. Another wife has a sudden onset medical issue and is screaming for her DH to get home, after all, she has two kids. There are just a few things the military wife takes care of while the husband is gone. No problem.
 
They do have to deal with a lot, but I have to say.. I have not been impressed with some of the new crop of military wives. I guess I am just hearing the bad stories, but I have heard of a lot of them cheating on spouses, and expecting the world because their husband is in the military.
 
They do have to deal with a lot, but I have to say.. I have not been impressed with some of the new crop of military wives. I guess I am just hearing the bad stories, but I have heard of a lot of them cheating on spouses, and expecting the world because their husband is in the military.

The cheating comes with the territory and that hasn't really changed, although it is probably worse now because of the excessive deployment volume. I did mess around with a young lady whose husband was in Korea for a year, I actually outprocessed him and thats how I met his wife. It felt kind of strange but at the same time leaving a young 23 year old woman who is kind of slutty alone for a whole year? what do you expect to happen?
 
I was a military wife TWICE!. Employers are reluctant to hire anyone that might only work for a short time then quit because of a transfer. When IBM was a major player the spouse of an IBM employee couldn't find work because of the reputation of IBM standing for I've Been Moved.

The solution is to recognize that the career of the spouse is over. They will not be in anyone's employ long enough to advance and stick to temporary work assignments. Go to Kelly or Manpower.
 
I was a military wife TWICE!. Employers are reluctant to hire anyone that might only work for a short time then quit because of a transfer. When IBM was a major player the spouse of an IBM employee couldn't find work because of the reputation of IBM standing for I've Been Moved.

The solution is to recognize that the career of the spouse is over. They will not be in anyone's employ long enough to advance and stick to temporary work assignments. Go to Kelly or Manpower.

That hurts Military families even more, Military pay is nothing to write home about especially for the junior enlisted, having to support a family on the pay of an E-3 for example is just crazy. The Military should brief its people to put off marriage and family until they put on more rank and have more cash.
 
I was a military wife TWICE!. Employers are reluctant to hire anyone that might only work for a short time then quit because of a transfer. When IBM was a major player the spouse of an IBM employee couldn't find work because of the reputation of IBM standing for I've Been Moved.

The solution is to recognize that the career of the spouse is over. They will not be in anyone's employ long enough to advance and stick to temporary work assignments. Go to Kelly or Manpower.

That hurts Military families even more, Military pay is nothing to write home about especially for the junior enlisted, having to support a family on the pay of an E-3 for example is just crazy. The Military should brief its people to put off marriage and family until they put on more rank and have more cash.

When General Mundy was Commandant of the Marine Corps, he put out a directive that did not allow Marines to get married before making E-4 and DQ'd married people from enlisting. It did not last long due to the uproar and protest. I don't remember from whom but he dropped the requirement.
 
Military spouses face employment difficulties like everybody else but they have special bennies with Military housing and medical and tax free PX. What's your problem?

They also have to deal with the washing machine breaking, the AC in the van breaking, the dog going into heat, and a hurricane approaching, all while the husband is deployed. All the while, the wife is the Ombudsman and every other wife is calling about their problems such as a tree through the roof due to a tornado spawned by the hurricane. "How can I get my husband home?" she asks. Another wife has a sudden onset medical issue and is screaming for her DH to get home, after all, she has two kids. There are just a few things the military wife takes care of while the husband is gone. No problem.

Every spouse of a long distance trucker or salesman or a hundred other jobs deals with broken washing machines. Thank God for the dedication of the heroes in the US Military but damn, Marine General Chesty Puller said it best, "If the Marines wanted you to have a wife they would have issued you one".
 
I was a military wife TWICE!. Employers are reluctant to hire anyone that might only work for a short time then quit because of a transfer. When IBM was a major player the spouse of an IBM employee couldn't find work because of the reputation of IBM standing for I've Been Moved.

The solution is to recognize that the career of the spouse is over. They will not be in anyone's employ long enough to advance and stick to temporary work assignments. Go to Kelly or Manpower.

That hurts Military families even more, Military pay is nothing to write home about especially for the junior enlisted, having to support a family on the pay of an E-3 for example is just crazy. The Military should brief its people to put off marriage and family until they put on more rank and have more cash.

When General Mundy was Commandant of the Marine Corps, he put out a directive that did not allow Marines to get married before making E-4 and DQ'd married people from enlisting. It did not last long due to the uproar and protest. I don't remember from whom but he dropped the requirement.

That General was right, the Military deals with a shitload of issues by young troops who insist on getting married and don't know what the fuck they are doing, than they end up living in the barracks broke and sending all their cash to their ex wives for child support and alimony, I have seen this many times. I supervised 1 troop for a year before I got out of the service and I basically told him don't get married right now until you at least finish an enlistment, don't be stupid. He listened to me and he is now a Staff Sergeant, although he does have 2 kids with a girl in North Carolina now, I still keep in touch with him from time to time.
 
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