Military spousal/partner employment: Identifying the barriers and support required

Abstract: Overview: The Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick, and QinetiQ, were commissioned by Army Families Federation in September 2017 to analyse the factors shaping the employment of military spouses/partners and to formulate recommendations for effective support services. Background: Research over many years has shown that women with young children often face barriers to employment, which include the costs of formal childcare, long full-time working hours in the UK and prevailing attitudes towards gender roles which mean that the majority of childcare and domestic work is undertaken by women. However, military spouses/partners, the majority of whom are women, are particularly constrained in their employment decisions. This research set out to address the following research questions: What is the employment status of military spouses compared to those in civilian couples? Are military spouses disadvantaged in finding and maintaining employment by their partners’ service and, if so, in what ways? Do military spouses want to work and why? Are the employment decisions of military spouses based on personal choice or due to factors that make obtaining and/or maintaining paid employment unappealing, undesirable or untenable? What support do military spouses receive to help them get into work and what do they consider to be appropriate help to get them into - and stay in - employment? Methodology: The research involved five separate phases of data collection, undertaken between October 2017 and April 2018: A review of relevant literature, both from the UK and overseas, and current employment statistics to compare employment among civilian and military spouses/partners; 14 key stakeholder interviews; An online survey of military spouses/partners (1,491 valid responses); 32 telephone interviews with military spouses/partners; A short online survey of employers (38 valid responses). Data from all five phases were analysed and key themes were identified by the researchers at a data workshop in April 2018. Key Findings: Although similar proportions of civilian and military spouses are in employment, military spouses/partners often choose ‘portable’ jobs such as nursing, teaching and childminding, allowing them to transfer more easily if posted elsewhere. Self-employment also appears to be gaining in popularity among military spouses/partners. Childcare is a major stumbling-block for spouses/partners seeking work because of living apart from extended family members and having to take on the majority of childcare while the serving person is posted or working long and unpredictable hours. Living overseas restricts childcare options even more, with many spouses/partners finding childcare difficult to find or limited in scope. Military spouses/partners also have to make difficult choices around accompanying the serving person overseas, recognising the employment restrictions and longer-term career implications that this often entails. The main barriers to military spousal employment centre around childcare; postings and deployment; ability to keep up with training and professional development; lack of (re)training opportunities; having to change career path; and MOD reluctance to support military spouses/partners and the general military culture. Commonwealth spouses and those with young children appear to face more difficulties and challenges in gaining and maintaining employment; spouses/partners with higher qualifications face more barriers in maintaining a career.