Tri-Service
Forces Spouse Discrimination Poll: The Results
Forces wives and husbands are not happy with their treatment by employers.
That’s the findings of our recent survey of military spouses and personnel.
Following a report by the Centre for Social Justice, we asked armed forces spouses what their experiences with employers had been.
The results show that 75% of spouses feel employers have discriminated against them.
The most consistent issue is the transient nature of forces life, which makes employers uneasy about taking on a military spouse.
Many respondents indicated that companies saw employing them as a waste of money. One person commented:
"Been told by HR manager… that they shouldn’t invest in us as they don't get value for money. They train us and then we leave. They could only employ me as a contractor until they could fill the role."
Another said: "I was refused a permanent job... in Reading because I was getting married to a soldier and I 'might not stay for long'."
Not all spouses were unhappy about their work lives, however. One person said:
"My husband is not a military wife. As far as I’m aware he uses his connection as a military spouse to his advantage."
Another noted that the experiences garnered by a military life had helped them to win a university place.
And one response read: "My employer has been nothing but supportive about my hours and the lifestyle we live!"
However, the vast majority of the survey comments were negative, with one wife saying that her salary had gone from £45,000 a year to £17,000 and another that marrying into the military has made her panic that every time she moves she won’t be able to find work again.
One respondent felt that the British military ought to pay spouses like the Americans do, though that idea does have drawbacks, leading to some fraudulent contract marriages.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
