How does a lack of employment opportunities affect the dreams of military spouses
I know that the list of issues affecting the military community that I shared on Wednesday may not seem directly related to dreams. But here's the thing, anything that affects our quality of life also affects our ability to conceive of and achieve dreams. So with that, we will spend the next little bit talking about each of these issues in depth. If there is ever an issue that you feel we don't cover, let me know through the contact form or social media! I want to get real about the problems that affect us as a military community so that we can offer real solutions. First up is spousal employment, and it's a big one to tackle.
The military spouse unemployment rate is four to six times the national average. When we talk about this issue, we primarily refer to spouses that want or need work. Whether the motivation is financial or personal fulfillment, having a job can be essential for a dream to come true. I am lucky that we have been able to live on my husband's income so that I can pursue my writing dream and care for our son full-time. That isn't the case for everyone, though. My dream job is starting right here, and at this point, it does not have a salary attached to it. For some of us, the dream job will have a salary, and being able to work in that field or position will bring the fulfillment of a dream come true. For others, the job is simply a means to an end. It provides additional income that simplifies family life and potentially frees up more money to pursue different dreams.
Whichever court you fall in, it doesn't matter. We all face the same obstacles to finding gainful employment. Constant moves mean that we cannot commit to most companies for a long time. Often, the cost of onboarding a new employee causes businesses to turn away those that it feels will be temporary. Even if our spouses are in more stable fields that keep us in one place for quite a while, the identity of being a military spouse carries a short-term stigma that some employers will have a hard time looking past.
Even if we manage to live in one place for a long time, our spouses are often in and out to serve the needs of the military. This in itself can make it hard to work whether kids are in the picture or not. When we are one parent down, the increased responsibility can often overwhelm us, making it difficult to maintain our previous work level and efficiency. On the other hand, if we don't have kids, it can still be difficult to work and balance the demands of being solo in a house. And in both cases, when our spouses are home, we want to soak up as much time with them as possible. It can be tough to keep going to work every day when our spouses are home on R&R from deployment. We may be able to take days off, but that often means that vacation time is not there when we want to travel. And unless we have an understanding boss and coworkers, we may not be supported with our request.
Children certainly complicate the working issue purely because childcare is becoming increasingly difficult to access. 72% of respondents reported that they would need childcare to work outside the home, but only 38% of respondents reported being able to find childcare that works for their situation. Daycares and after-school programs have long waitlists and are often cost-prohibitive when we can get in. There are other options, like hiring a nanny, looking for a local in-home daycare, or hoping for a generous neighbor to move in and watch the kids. But even if these options don't end up being cost-prohibitive (and some of them certainly can be), they do require a level of trust that can be hard to develop. Unless the job in itself is the dream, the cost of childcare often eats up any additional salary, so if the goal was extra income to pursue dreams, we often find ourselves in the same boat as before. 85% of respondents would be comfortable spending 10-25% of their income on childcare, but 24% report actively paying 26-50% of their income, and still an additional 25% report spending 51-100% of their income.
Our spouse's irregular schedules can be problematic even when deployments or TDYs aren't on the horizon. With the constant shift many military members experience in their daily or weekly schedules, we can find ourselves just crossing paths with our spouses. When they end up working nights, and we work days, then the most we get is a high five as we pass each other at the door. The military demands enough separations by itself. We want to avoid creating more as much as possible.
The issue of finding gainful employment is a problem in itself. But this struggle does not happen in a bubble. It affects everything else around the family, including relationships and health. Missing the purpose that a career can give can cause a strain on relationships. Missing the financial benefits of a second career in a home can cause increased stress and tension. When money is short, anxiety grows, which is well known to lead to poor health outcomes. And on another note, financial insecurity can lead to food insecurity which the military experiences at a much higher rate than the civilian population, and we all know that food insecurity can lead to some very dangerous health situations.
Even if we find a job, military spouses are often underemployed at a rate of 62%. The term underemployed covers a wide variety of situations. We are underemployed if we do not have enough paid work. We are underemployed if we do not have enough hours at a company. We are underemployed if we do a job that does not fully use our skills. I think that the last one is
most important for our dream conversation. Being in a position that doesn't motivate, inspire, excite, or fulfill can suck the life right out of us.
This is a tough conversation to start with. The issue of military spouse employment is a big one to tackle, but it is important. Our ability to work when we want to work and be in the field we want to be in will be paramount to achieving our dreams. For many of us, we will have dreams that are related to career goals. Maybe we want to be teachers, lawyers, or restaurant owners. Or perhaps we have dreams that require the financial benefits of an additional income in the house. Concerts, vacations, or new vehicles are all achieved much quicker and stress-free when the household has more disposable income. The job conversation affects our relational dreams as well. If we dream of monthly date nights, sending the kids to summer camp, or being able to take in an aging relative, then the additional income of a job and the flexibility of the right job will be essential. This struggle for many families affects so many aspects of our lives, and we cannot talk about the best way to chase dreams until we look at real solutions to the battles our military community faces every day.