Because of the stress that military families face, the Pentagon just released rising numbers of divorces in the military. There were about 3.6 percent in 2009 rather than 3.4 percent the year before. While divorces are increasing, it wasn’t a huge jump.
It’s regrettable but easy to recognize why many military couples turn to divorce. Particularly with the war, many soldiers have been deployed several times. The stress and time away from one’s spouse can turn everyday problems into crucial factors in divorce.
Another problem many couples confront is that after being in the war many spouses have changed and the couple can’t move past the changes. After war, many soldiers are hurt physically, mentally or both.
In order to fight the rise in divorces the military has added programs to try and help couples resolve their troubles. The military stated rises in divorce were low because the programs helped servicemen and their spouses settle problems and strengthen their bond.
In 2001 only about 2.6 percent filed for divorce but now it’s 3.6 percent which illustrates the toll that the war’s taken on military families. When couples are separated it’s easy for the problems to get greater and the drift to widen.
Both in the past and present divorces have been much larger for female soldiers over their male counterparts. In 2009, 7.7 percent of servicewomen went through a divorce compared to 3 percent of men. There are less women in the military and some of their husbands are not prepared for military life.
However as with all marriages there are “controllable and uncontrollable factors…but when you interject war, preparing for war, being at war, coming home and having to think about going back to war again…it has a tremendous impact on the family unit” stated Joe Davis spokesman for Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Critics say the divorce rate is much higher than the Pentagon reported. One member of the service recalled that every time they were deployed a new batch of divorces would occur. Many suspect that the numbers are in reality closer to double digits.
What could explain the difference in numbers is the fact that the data doesn’t add up actual divorces. Instead they take the number of married troops at the start of the year and the number at the end of the year and take away the difference. But this doesn’t always count the same people because of recruits, retirees, and others that quit the forces. In addition the numbers don’t take into account the troubled marriages that are now intact.
Military life can be extremely tough. Sadly the divorce rates are growing because of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars but the military has added programs to try and help couples settle their problems but divorce rates are still slowly growing.
About the Author
Diane Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Utah. She likes to write about the news, politics, college degrees, online schooling, and the college experience.