MILITARY DIVORCE RATE SKYROCKETS --

DOUBLE FOR ENLISTED AND TRIPLE FOR OFFICERS SINCE 2000

With a war going on, the rapid increase in military divorce rates is no surprise.

Story here... http://www.mydna.com/resources/news/news_20051223_soldier_divorce_rates.html

Quote of note:  Following the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq resulted in large numbers of troops being sent overseas.

Understandably, deployment has strained many marriages, but that doesn't make this information from a recent U.S. Department of Defense report any less troublesome: Military divorce rates among all enlisted personnel have more than doubled since 2000.

Among enlisted soldiers in the U.S. Army, there were 7,152 divorces in 2004, an increase of 28 percent over the previous year and 53 percent since 2000. Among Army officers, the rate of divorce jumped 78 percent between 2003 - the year the U.S. invaded Iraq - and 2004.

A total of 3,325 Army officers were divorced in 2004, more than three times the number that divorced in 2000. The increases are especially meaningful considering the overall number of enlisted military personnel has barely changed over the last five years.

Another quote of note:  The reasons for the increased divorce rates are up for debate, but few would deny that in general, soldiers and their spouses must deal with exceptional levels of stress during times of war. Divorce statistics from past wars are not available, but divorce experts believe that rates of divorce in the military jump during any prolonged conflict.

Why? A common culprit is money. When a spouse leaves his or her family behind, the family often must find new ways to pay the bills. Many of those on the frontlines are reservists who have left behind well-paid positions in the civilian workforce. Military paychecks often fail to provide the same level of income, leaving families with bills that they can no longer afford to pay.

Child care also becomes an issue, as one parent must shoulder the duties that two shared before. If a mother or father must hire child-care help in order to take a new job, the financial burden of that care can also be stressful.

Larry Scott

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