On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Military Divorce on Tuesday, May 15, 2012.
Military life can be particularly demanding and can put a great deal of stress on a marriage. However, while there has been concern over the role that deployments can play on a marriage, a recent study found that when it comes to the possibility of divorce, military marriages are just as vulnerable as civilian marriages.
The study, which was published in the Journal of Family Issues, looked at records from the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System and compared the data to the Current Populations Survey, which provides the same statistics for civilians. From there it was found that even as the number of deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq increased between 2002 and 2005, the military divorce rate stayed the same.
This military divorce rate was also not any higher than the civilian divorce rate.
However, it’s important to note that while military marriages are just as vulnerable to divorce as civilian marriages, when it comes to the actual process and issues that could happen, there are many concerns and considerations that may arise that are unique to military divorce.
For example, when it comes to child custody court proceedings, if one parent is currently deployed, the case may either need to be postponed or stayed until the service member returns. Then, when it comes to aspects of what is considered marital property, there is the 10/10 rule, which dictates how a military member’s pension and other retirement pay would be split up in the case of a divorce.
Due to these unique situations, it’s important to talk with an attorney who has experience with military divorce who can make sure to explain all of the possible repercussions and scenarios.
Source: UPI, “Military marriages not prone to divorce,” May 14, 2012
