Service members of the United States military have been entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining peace and security within the borders of the country and beyond. Alexandria City, Virginia, too, is home to many service members from the U.S. Military. In many cases, the service members are able to protect the country from threats but are often unable to cope with the pressure of keeping their families together.
Recent data show that military divorce rates among female service members are three times those among male service members. At present, women comprise approximately 15 percent of the military. Since it is expected that the percentage of women in the defense forces will increase to 25 percent within the next ten years, the number of divorces among women is a significant number.
Like their female counterparts, male military spouses often feel the pressure of staying away from the spouse and raising children alone. Unfortunately, they also feel that the amount of support that the female spouses receive is often lacking in comparison to male military spouses. Although there are several groups that address the issues of military spouses, military husbands feel that the efforts of these groups are targeted to service members' wives, rather than husbands.
Recently, a husband married to a military woman started an online organization called Macho Spouse. The organization has been addressing the issues that military husbands typically face. The organization's primary focus is to address specific male problems. He describes it as an online forum for military husbands created by men for men.
Alexandria City residents would agree that there are a lot of dissimilarities between military life and everyday civilian life. Therefore, the challenges that service members and their spouses face in keeping their marriages intact and their families together are distinct from the challenges that civilian couples face. Unfortunately, the truth is that even with help, sometimes marriages do not work out.
A military marriage and a subsequent divorce often can come with a lot of complications. Both spouses need to understand the various applicable state and federal laws for service members and their spouses in the event of a separation. Therefore, consulting a lawyer who is experienced in military family law matters may be a wise choice for a service member or his or her spouse.
Source: KCENTV.com, "Male Military Spouses Lack Support, Divorce Rates Soar," Sophia Stamas, March 28, 2014
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