Case Studies of Officer and Enlisted Single Parents in the Army: Performance, Retention, and Quality of Life
Abstract
This research was based on in-depth interviews with 27 single parents and their immediate supervisors. Short case histories were constructed for each single parent by integrating information obtained from both the single parents and the supervisors. The case studies provide useful insights into the diversity of personal, family, and work situations single parents encounter, and the variety of ways they respond to their different circumstances. The case study analyses also indicated that supervisors did not attribute performance problems or strengths in those they supervised to factors associated with single parent status. In the eyes of supervisors, the impact of personal characteristics (e.g. , motivation and professionalism) on performance and readiness seemed to far outweigh the impact of any situational constraints associated with being a single parent. Four general themes were also identified from the case study analyses: (1) the importance of time to single parents, and the stress produced when work or family demands unexpected or inordinate amounts of time; (2) the prevalence of childcare problems, especially finding arrangements flexible enough to accommodate a military schedule; (3) the facilitative effect of a supportive and somewhat flexible work environments; and (4) the problems and anxiety associated with frequent relocations, especially the need to reestablish the network of social and child-care supports that enable single parents to function.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA190581
Entities
People
- Glenda Nogami
- Mark Hedlund
- Martha L. Teplitzky
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences