Impact of Military Life on Spouse Labor Force Outcomes

摘要

This report examines military and nonmilitary factors that determine labor forceparticipation, employment, and level of employment of Army wives. The research is based on 1985 DoD Member and Spouse survey data. The framework for the study is household utility model, which assumes that a woman's decision to participate in the labor force is a function of her market wage, her reservation wage, and her personal tastes and preferences. Profit analyses were performed on three separate equations that estimated probabilities of Army spouse employment (v. nonemployment), full-time work (v. part-time work), and employment in a job that uses her skills (v. underemployment). Further simulations estimated probable changes in employment patterns with a continental U.S. (CONUS) (vs. OCONUS) location, the presence of an installation-level spouse employment program, and increased levels of spouse education and/or soldier tour length. Keywords: Employment; Surveys; Females; Army personnel; Retention(Psychology). (cp)