Family Status of Enlisted Personnel
Abstract
This paper presents analysis of the family status of enlisted personnel. Comparisons are made with relevant sections of the civilian population. Consistent with previous research, we find that enlisted personnel are more likely to be married and to have children than are their civilian counterparts. These differences cannot be explained by differences between the military and civilian populations with respect to demographic factors such as age, education, and sex. Further, most enlisted personnel who marry and have children do so while they are in the military, rather than entering the military with dependents. Perhaps aspects of the military lifestyle, including policies designed to support members with dependents, are influencing those decisions. The policy implications here depend on the relative performance of those members with and without dependents as well as the costs associated with supporting members with dependents. The analysis presented in this paper suggests that members with families are less likely to survive the early years of service than those without. However, if they are able to survive the first few years of service, members with families are more likely to stay in the military past their initial term of service.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA592625
Entities
People
- John Cadigan
Organizations
- Congressional Budget Office