The pressures placed on military families and relationships differ considerably from those most civilians face. When a serving spouse returns from a lengthy operation away, couples often find it difficult to reconnect. The returning military member may also have trouble integrating back into civilian life. Even when the serving spouse is not on an assignment, they often find themselves away on training exercises at short notice, dealing with pressure from legacy tours, and having to cope with frequent moves to different locations.
It’s not that surprising then that military marriages can be prone to divorce.
Stats About Military Divorce
In recent years, the divorce rate among men and women in the services has consistently hovered at approximately 3 percent. However, Military.com’s research in 2017 showed that women were more than twice as likely as men to get divorced if they serve in the armed forces.
Issues That Contribute To Military Divorce
It is challenging for military personnel to keep a relationship healthy and strong. Consider, for example, that moving and starting a new job are often said to be two of the most stressful events in a person’s life. Yet, those in the military—and their families—do these on a regular basis.
Military families have to cope with a serving partner or parent being away for long stretches of time, which leaves the responsibility of raising a family and running a household entirely on the shoulders of the civilian partner. Then when the serving partner returns, learning how to be a couple again is not always easy or straightforward after so much time apart.
There is also always the added danger that the military partner is dealing with physical or mental problems caused during their time away. While disorders such as PTSD are more commonly diagnosed these days, it doesn’t mean it is any easier for a military family to deal with.
What Military Families Can Do In The Event Of A Divorce
Despite a couple’s best efforts, the strains that serving and its subsequent lifestyle put on a relationship can prove too much to handle. A couple may decide to divorce, while others may look for an annulment. There is a key difference between an annulment and a divorce is that while an annulment might be cheaper, it is also more difficult to get.
Both parties should seek the help of a divorce lawyer when embarking on the dissolution of a marriage. Hiring an attorney is standard practice in a divorce. It is important that both sides understand their rights as well as the implications a divorce will have on their lifestyle, especially if children are involved.
A divorce lawyer will be able to determine if an annulment is possible, as well as offer other viable options. For example, one may want to know how far a parent can move when there is joint custody. This is often an issue at the forefront of many serving members’ minds when divorcing the mother or father of their children due to the nature of their profession.
Military Marriages And Divorce
Being in the military can offer a person a life rich in job satisfaction, as job roles and locations change often. But it can also make life a lot more stressful for a serving member and their loved ones. For that reason, marriages in the military often break down. If they do, using the right divorce lawyer is essential to making an emotionally difficult situation go as smoothly as possible.