A recent article by USA Today summarized the results of a RAND Corporation study, revealing that military marriages are experiencing a rising divorce rate, particularly during lengthy deployments. Research has shown that the risk of divorce increases with each passing month that a spouse is deployed, putting their life on the line for the country.
The Impact of Deployment on Military Marriages
Many military couples find, during the course of deployment, that their marriage is not what either spouse had envisioned. Sebastian Negrusa, an economist and co-author of the RAND study, explains that “the length, conditions, and risks of the deployment are sources of shocks to the value of military marriages.”
The Aftermath of Post-9/11 Deployments
Although military personnel are trained to be ready for deployment at any time, the shock of the September 11th, 2001 attacks took a heavy toll on many military families, especially those established prior to 9/11. Interestingly, post-9/11 military marriages have slightly better odds of surviving deployments.
Higher Divorce Rates Among Female-Deployed Spouses
The study also found that military marriages face a higher risk of divorce when the deployed spouse is female, compared to when the husband is deployed. Furthermore, if the woman’s deployment involves combat, the marriage has a one-in-two chance of ending in divorce within the first five years.
