Today's Army Spouse Panel Survey Results Impact of COVID-19 August 2020 to May 2021
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a tremendous impact on American society. For many, the COVID-19 pandemic has been not only a period of social isolation but also one of considerable economic hardship. Unemployment skyrocketed in the early months. Although nearly half of lost jobs had been recovered by fall 2020, the job market has shifted in rather dramatic ways, in part because of school closures and the loss of many child care options (Long, 2020). And the impact of this shift has most acutely affected women in the workforce who have had to assume child care and schooling tasks; many of these women have left the job market as a result (Long, 2020). Military spouses and families are not immune to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. An understanding of how the pandemic has affected Army families can give U.S. Army leadership the information needed to provide targeted support. RAND researchers used the Today's Army Spouse Panel, a demonstration project for the U.S. Army, as a means to gather insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Army spouses with respect to employment, child care, financial, and other concerns, providing a glimpse into the issues that affect their ability to navigate this challenging period.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 17, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1190625
Entities
People
- Carra S. Sims
- Michael S. Pollard
- Owen Hall
- Thomas E Trail
Organizations
- RAND Corporation