Developing Pathways to Serving Together: Military Family Life Course and Decision-Making of Dual Military Couples

The increase in the number and types of military families since the advent of the All-Volunteer Force in 1973 has increased the impact of the work-family interface for the military. For dual-career couples, where both the husband and wife are in the military, both are subject to deployment for extended periods of time, high geographic mobility, probability of a foreign residence, and the risk of injury or death, and they also must manage two specialized and structured career paths. The purpose of this study is to analyze the work careers and family life course of dual-military couples and their decision making processes using a life course perspective. Using a grounded theory methodology, the author interviewed and analyzed the transcripts of 23 dual-military officer couples in the U.S. Navy. Results show that work and family decisions are influenced by organizational constraints as well as institutional and cultural norms. The rhythm of life in the Navy is shaped by the cyclic changing of job assignments and locations, rotation of sea and shore duty assignments, warfare specialty career paths designed for promotion, and the cultural fast track. These couples' experiences in trying to live together with collocated job assignments shape their long-term decision making for maintaining a career in the Navy. Their experiences show that the organization's demands and far-reaching control are infused into every aspect of their lives. Couples' discourse is focused on their human agency in an effort to maintain control of their life course while meeting the organizational demands of rigid and structured career paths, increased number of sea duty tours and deployments, and perceived low priority of collocation in the assignment process. These couples adapt by employing work-family prioritization strategies for achieving their personal and professional goals.