The Prevalence of Marital Transitions in Military Families

Abstract: Department of Defense (DoD) surveys were examined to develop a demographic profile of military families affected by divorce and remarriage. It appears that a substantial portion of military personnel have experienced divorce, are in remarriages, and have nonresidential children, particularly given the young average age of military personnel. Compared to the U.S. population, service members marry, divorce, and remarry earlier. Divorced and remarried service members are slightly over-represented among the enlisted ranks, joint service couples, and lower education categories. Notably, the proportions of female service members who have experienced divorce and remarriage in different age categories are substantially greater than the proportions of male service members and women in the U.S. Implications are discussed.