Measuring Underemployment Among Military Spouses by Nelson Lim Executive Director Fels

Comparisons of military wives with a group of similar civilian wives show that military wives have a greater tendency to be underemployed, even after controlling for labor market characteristics. However, there does not seem to be a strong link between their labor force position and satisfaction with their life situation, so the effects of underemployment among military spouses may not be as serious as previously thought.