Satisfaction with Family Life in the Military

Using the 1985 DoD Worldwide Survey of Officer and Enlisted Personnel, the impact of satisfaction with the environment for families on overall satisfaction with the military as a way of life was examined separately for married officers and enlisted members across four household patterns: (1) married to a military spouse with no children, (2) married to a military spouse with children, (3) married to a civilian spouse with no children, and (4) married to a civilian spouse with children. Sixteen additional subdomains of satisfaction concerning issues particular to the military way of life were used as control variables in examining this relationship, as well as the gender and pay grade of the member. The results suggested that satisfaction with the environment for families in the military was a significant predictor of overall satisfaction for only five of the eight sample subgroups. In these cases, the results supported the major prediction of the study: the more satisfaction members have with the environment for families in the Army, the greater their satisfaction with the military as a way of life. However, satisfaction with other aspects of military life are sometimes just as (or more) significant predictors of overall satisfaction. Policy and program developers need to be sensitive to the diversity of lifestyles in the Army community and to understand that policies and programs must be tailored to specific target groups to maximize their costeffectiveness.