Impact of military lifestyle on employment status and income among female civilian spouses of Canadian Armed Forces members

Abstract

Introduction: The military lifestyle has a significant impact on the quality of life of military families. In this article, we examine its impact on military spousal employment status and income. Methods: The data sets used in the analyses included 2,871 female civilian spouses of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Regular Force members who completed the Quality of Life (QOL) Survey administered in 2009 and 2013. Regression analyses were conducted to evaluate whether factors associated with the military lifestyle (i.e., mobility, dwelling) predicted spousal employment status and income while controlling for socio-demographic characteristics of CAF personnel and their spouses. Results: The results showed that factors associated with the military lifestyle had a significant impact on CAF spousal employment and income. Discussion: These findings broaden our knowledge of the barriers faced by CAF spouses and will help the CAF strengthen support programs and services to improve CAF spousal employment.