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Chapter 2:

 

Marital Status

Marital Status. In FY 2002, 9 percent of male and 12 percent of female recruits were married, compared to 50 and 36 percent of male and female enlisted members, respectively. Civilians are more likely to be married than accessions (14 versus 9 percent). Within the Services, Army recruits are most likely to be married (14 percent) and Marine Corps recruits are least likely (3 percent).

Table 2.6 compares marriage rates of accessions with 18- to 24-year-old civilians in the labor force. The majority of accessions are high school graduates. The military is often their first full-time job and thus, very few are married.

Table 2.6. FY 2002 Active Component NPS Accessions Who Are Married, by Gender and Service, and Civilians 18-24 Years Old (Percent)
Gender
Army
Navy
Marine Corps
Air Force
DoD
18- to 24-Year-Old Civilians
Males
13.0
5.9
2.8
9.2
8.6
9.4
Females
17.0
6.7
5.3
9.2
11.5
17.6
Total
13.8
6.0
3.0
9.2
9.1
13.5

Also see Appendix Table B-2 (Marital Status by Age and Gender).
Source:  Civilian data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey File, October 2001 - September 2002.


Figure 2.4. Marital status trends of Active Component NPS accessions, by Service, FYs 1976–2002.

Research shows that marriage is important to a member’s long-term career and can enhance individual readiness.[footnote 30] This is true if the member is in a strong marriage to a supportive but independent spouse. However, combining marriage and a military career can create challenges for younger Servicemembers as well as for the Service. Entering into marriage just prior to or soon after enlisting can place extra burdens on the recruit, the family, and the military, particularly when frequent or unexpected deployments separate the “new” family. Thus, marital status trends of accessions are important characteristics to monitor.

[Footnote 30]  Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness), Family Status and Initial Term of Service, Volume I – Summary (Washington, DC: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense [Personnel and Readiness], December 1993). [back to paragraph]

 

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