Major Life Challenges for Military Spouses

America’s military spouses, often referred to as milspouses, play a vital role in supporting their service members and, by extension, our country as a whole. Approximately 90% of milspouses are women, and they manage households, raise children, care for pets, and shoulder many other responsibilities while navigating military-specific challenges that can easily become overwhelming. 

From frequent relocations to employment barriers, these difficulties can strain relationships, finances, and mental well-being — especially if a service member spouse is killed in the line of duty. 

Military spouses are the portrait of American resilience, but they shouldn’t have to face their challenges alone. By leveraging available resources, building support networks, and advocating for additional support, milspouses can navigate these obstacles while continuing to be the backbone of their families and the military community.

Here are some of the most common challenges military spouses face today.

Frequent Relocations

Military families move every 2–3 years on average, which means military spouses frequently face uprooted lives, disrupted routines, and the challenge of finding and reestablishing a home in each new location.

These frequent moves make it difficult to preserve long-term friendships, maintain stable careers, and get consistent access to healthcare. In addition, constant relocations create difficulty integrating into civilian communities: it can be difficult to invest time and effort into local relationships knowing that most of them will soon end with the next move. All of this can lead to social isolation and prevent milspouses from achieving a sense of belonging.

Employment and Career Challenges

As of 2024, military spouses faced unemployment rates five times higher than their civilian counterparts — and underemployment rates were higher still. Barriers include constant relocations, a lack of viable childcare options, and civilian employers' reluctance to hire someone with a transient lifestyle. If a military couple is relocated abroad, the milspouse can also struggle to find work due to language barriers and cultural differences.

All of this can negatively impact the spouse's sense of purpose and self-worth, particularly if they want to have a career and don’t see a way forward to building one. Those who do find opportunities that are logistically workable as military spouse jobs often earn significantly less than their similarly qualified civilian peers.

Financial Strain

Between employment challenges, the costly logistics of frequent relocations, and general expenses related to raising children, military families often face budgetary pressures. Unexpected deployment-related costs and transitioning from base housing to civilian rentals can add to this strain; the loss of an active-duty service member can gravely exacerbate it.

Financial instability not only affects day-to-day living but can also hinder long-term savings and planning, particularly as military children prepare to attend college. This financial stress is a leading cause of relationship issues within military families.

Mental Health and Relationship Struggles

Maintaining good mental and relationship health can be difficult for anyone, but military families often face more stressors than civilians in these areas. Long deployments and the stress of military life can lead to feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety over a service member spouse’s safety, among other concerns. Unsurprisingly, prolonged separation and uncertainty during deployments can strain marriages and family dynamics.

Parenting Alone During Deployments

Spouses often find themselves effectively functioning as single parents during long deployments, juggling full-time caregiving duties with other responsibilities. This can lead to exhaustion and burnout, especially when access to childcare is limited. Besides being unhealthy for the milspouse, these drivers of poor mental health can also negatively impact the well-being of their children.

Navigating the Reintegration Process

The period after a service member returns from deployment is joyful, but it can also be fraught with challenges, as both spouses must adjust to new routines, roles, and family dynamics. Struggles with reintegration can lead to long-term marital strain if not addressed. Mental health advocates emphasize the importance of open communication and realistic expectations during this transition.

Building a Support Network

Because military spouses often live far from family and friends, it can be challenging to establish a stable support system. Isolation can intensify stress, particularly during deployments or emergencies. It’s vital for milspouses to build connections within military communities so they can be understood and supported. As a starting point, it can be helpful to seek out military spouse support groups and other military spouse organizations that can offer key resources.

Support Milspouses With MC-LEF

For milspouses and countless others with military connections, organizations like the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation (MC-LEF) are essential for navigating the challenges of military life and building healthy, happy futures. For the rest of us, supporting them may be one of the best ways we can thank our military service members not just for their sacrifices, but for all the ways they strengthen our nation.

Since its creation in 1995, MC-LEF has offered educational funding to the children of fallen military service members. Thanks to our generous donors, MC-LEF currently establishes a $35,000 educational account for every child who loses a parent serving on active duty as a federal law enforcement agent, in the U.S. Marine Corps, or as a Navy Corpsman. To date, MC-LEF has awarded over $93 million in educational accounts and other humanitarian assistance to over 5,900 recipients. Contact us to learn more.

All MC-LEF officers and board members are volunteers; we have only one paid employee. We pride ourselves on running our organization as cost-effectively as possible so that the vast majority of our donor funds can be used to accomplish our mission of educating the children of those who sacrificed all. Please consider donating today.