Gender differences in marital and military predictors of service member career satisfaction

• Published date: 01 October 2022
• Author: Towanda Street,Amy Lewin,Kelly Woodall,Raul Cruz‐Cano,Marie Thoma,Valerie A. Stander
• Date: 01 October 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12697

RESEARCH

Gender differences in marital and military predictors

of service member career satisfaction

Towanda Street

1

|Amy Lewin

1

|Kelly Woodall

2

|

Raul Cruz-Cano

1

|Marie Thoma

1

|Valerie A. Stander

3

1

University of Maryland, College Park,

Maryland, United States

2

Leidos Inc, San Diego, CA, and the Naval

Health Research Center, San Diego,

California, United States

3

Naval Health Research Center, San Diego,

California, United States

Correspondence

Towanda Street, TMS Consulting, 12150

Annapolis Road, Suite 314, Glenn Dale, MD

20769, USA.

Email: towandastreet@gmail.com

Funding information

Naval Health Research Center; Department of

Defense; Bureau of Medicine and Surgery; U.S.

Navy; The Millennium Cohort Study is funded

through the Military Operational Medicine

Research Program, Defense Health Program,

and Veterans Affairs

Abstract

Background: U.S. servicewomen may face unique military

experiences unlike those of servicemen, and stressors can

affect their satisfaction with the military. Understanding

factors influencing satisfaction among the increasing num-

ber of U.S. servicewomen in the U.S. military is important

for retention.

Methods: Using family stress theory, data from service mem-

bers and their spouses (N=9325) enrolled in the Millennium

Cohort Family Study were analyzed using cross-sectional

linear regression to evaluate the relationship between mili-

tary and family stressors and service members’military satis-

faction, and how these relationships differ by gender.

Results: Service members with more deployment experience

and better mental health were more satisfied with the mili-

tary, while spouse employment outside the home and work–

family conflict were associated with less satisfaction. Gender,

marital quality, and social support moderated the relation-

ships between stressors and military satisfaction, suggesting

they may impact men and women differently. Overall, how-

ever, work–family conflict was associated with decrements in

the career satisfaction of both men and women.

Conclusion: This study increases our understanding of the

influence military and family stressors have on service

members’satisfaction with the military. It also reveals gen-

der differences in military satisfaction and recommends

strategies to address the needs of diverse military families.

KEYWORDS

deployment, gender, military family, satisfaction, social support, stressors

Received: 24 March 2021Revised: 9 December 2021Accepted: 11 January 2022

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12697

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits

use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or

adaptations are made.

© 2022 The Authors. Family Relations published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Council on Family Relations. This

article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

Family Relations. 2022;71:1515–1537. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare 1515

INTRODUCTION

Recruiting and retaining qualified men and women from diverse backgrounds for military ser-

vice is imperative for total force readiness (Department of Defense [DoD], 2020a). Although

dedicated to diversity and inclusion (Military Leadership Diversity Commission, 2011), build-

ing a military as diverse as the United States has presented challenges. Between 2000 and 2018,

the percentage of female military personnel increased only 2.5%, from 15.4% to 17.9%

(DoD, 2020b). This trend comes at a time when—for the first time in U.S. history—women can

serve in roles previously only open to men (DoD, 2015; Roulo, 2013). While the number of

females in the military has slowly increased, the military struggles to retain women at a rate

comparable to their male counterparts (DoD, 2019). A recent Government Accountability

Office (2020) report found the likelihood of separation for female active-duty service members

to be 28% higher than their male counterparts.

In previous research, satisfaction with the military has been a significant attitude predicting

personal readiness and retention (Office of People Analytics [OPA], 2019; Kelley et al., 2001;

Schumm et al., 2001; Teplitzky et al., 1988). Specifically, greater satisfaction with military life

has been associated with higher retention (Bowen, 1986; Woodall et al., 2021). Consequently,

understanding factors that influence career satisfaction, particularly among women, is critically

important in maintaining a diverse force and in adequately retaining qualified female service

members. Within the context of a very masculine and hierarchical environment (Foynes

et al., 2015), the factors that impact military career satisfaction may differ in significant ways

for female versus male service members. Nevertheless, most studies on retention have focused

on servicemen and not on servicewomen.

Therolefamilyfactorsmayplayincareersatisfaction and retention may diverge for

female versus male service members. An increasing number of studies support the link

between family factors and retention, readiness, and quality of life issues for military person-

nel (Bowen, 1986; Burrell et al., 2006;DoD,2021; Woodall et al., 2021). More than half

(51.5%) of active-duty service members have family members who are dependents with

access to the benefits provided to the service member, such as housing, health care, subsi-

dized childcare, and spouse employment support (DoD, 2020b;DoD,2021). Therefore, con-

cerns for force readiness, and ultimately retention, have resulted in more programs and

policies prioritizing the support of military family well-being (DoD, 2021;Vergun,2020;

White House, 2011). Family members can serve as an integral source of support for service

members in addition to contributing to the challenges that interfere with the service mem-

ber’s ability to focus on their military mission. Many service personnel attempting to balance

military and family roles experience significant work–family conflict, and this may be greater

for female than male personnel. Research shows that servicewomen are more likely to be in

dual-career marriages, leave the military for family reasons, and/or divorce (Huffman &

Olson, 2017;OPA,2019;Stone,2007). Traditional beliefs and gender roles may also contrib-

ute to challenges servicewomen face balancing the emotional, physical, and social needs of

their family with the demands and expectations of military service (Halpern, 2005; Vinokur

et al., 1999). The objectives of this study were to explore gender differences in the interplay

of stress between military and family life for women and men in the service and better under-

stand how these factors influence their career satisfaction.

Theoretical framework

Women in the military often face unique challenges (Mattocks et al., 2012) that are influenced

by factors at multiple ecological levels and rooted in the interplay of the stressors and resources

that service personnel experience on a daily basis. Family stress theory, informed by family

1516 FAMILY RELATIONS