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Geographic mobility and employment: An investigation of tied migration issues among employed military spouses
No full textThe military lifestyle requires frequent moves resulting in tied migration for the civilian
spouse. Findings of various studies suggest that tied migration negatively impacts the trailing
spouse’s career and earning potential, which affects the return on their personal investment in
human capital, and more specifically job-skills match (e.g. Booth, 2000; Long, 1974; Mincer,
1978; Payne, Warner, & Little, 1992; Schultz, 1961). Tied migration was recognized by the
government. The Army initiated the Army Spouse Employment Partnership (ASEP) program to
develop partnerships with corporations to increase military spouses’ employment and training
opportunities, and job portability. This quantitative study of 502 employed military spouses fills
a gap in the literature by providing a study designed to evaluate an employment program from
the military spouses’ perspective (United States General Accounting Office, 2002).
Results of the study suggest that tied migration frequency was not related to perceived
job-skills match, work-family role conflict, job satisfaction, or support of a military career. This
may be because the majority of respondents were employed by retail operations located on
military bases, suggesting that for these jobs tied migration did not appear to be an issue. The
findings suggest that job-skills match correlated with work-family role conflict; and perceived job satisfaction correlated with (a) job-skills match, (b) work-family role conflict, (c) and support
of a military career.
Perceived ASEP satisfaction correlated with job satisfaction; however, the overall ratings
for ASEP satisfaction were low. Unanticipated challenges with data collection made this
measure difficult to interpret in a meaningful way. One problem was in identifying military
spouses because there are no definitive guidelines for ASEP corporate partners regarding
reporting and tracking of spouses hired. Difficulties in identifying military spouses employed by
ASEP corporate partners suggest that the systems for record-keeping were not adequate for
program evaluation. In addition, the majority of military spouses in the sample population did
not (a) recognize the ASEP program, or (b) use it. Findings also suggest that metrics to evaluate
outcomes from the spouses’ perspective are missing. Study limitations, implications for
management practice, and recommendations for future studies are addressed.ABSTRACT
Title of Dissertation: GEOGRAPHIC MOBILITY AND EMPLOYMENT:
AN INVESTIGATION OF TIED MIGRATION ISSUES
AMONG EMPLOYED MILITARY SPOUSES
Marcia M. Bouchard
Doctor of Management, 2009
Dissertation Directed By: Dr. Claudine SchWeber and Dr. Ann Herd
Graduate School of Management and Technology,
University of Maryland University College
The military lifestyle requires frequent moves resulting in tied migration for the civilian
spouse. Findings of various studies suggest that tied migration negatively impacts the trailing
spouse’s career and earning potential, which affects the return on their personal investment in
human capital, and more specifically job-skills match (e.g. Booth, 2000; Long, 1974; Mincer,
1978; Payne, Warner, & Little, 1992; Schultz, 1961). Tied migration was recognized by the
government. The Army initiated the Army Spouse Employment Partnership (ASEP) program to
develop partnerships with corporations to increase military spouses’ employment and training
opportunities, and job portability. This quantitative study of 502 employed military spouses fills
a gap in the literature by providing a study designed to evaluate an employment program from
the military spouses’ perspective (United States General Accounting Office, 2002).
Results of the study suggest that tied migration frequency was not related to perceived
job-skills match, work-family role conflict, job satisfaction, or support of a military career. This
may be because the majority of respondents were employed by retail operations located on
military bases, suggesting that for these jobs tied migration did not appear to be an issue. The
findings suggest that job-skills match correlated with work-family role conflict; and perceived
job satisfaction correlated with (a) job-skills match, (b) work-family role conflict, (c) and support
of a military career.
Perceived ASEP satisfaction correlated with job satisfaction; however, the overall ratings
for ASEP satisfaction were low. Unanticipated challenges with data collection made this
measure difficult to interpret in a meaningful way. One problem was in identifying military
spouses because there are no definitive guidelines for ASEP corporate partners regarding
reporting and tracking of spouses hired. Difficulties in identifying military spouses employed by
ASEP corporate partners suggest that the systems for record-keeping were not adequate for
program evaluation. In addition, the majority of military spouses in the sample population did
not (a) recognize the ASEP program, or (b) use it. Findings also suggest that metrics to evaluate
outcomes from the spouses’ perspective are missing. Study limitations, implications for
management practice, and recommendations for future studies are addressed.
GEOGRAPHIC MOBILITY AND EMPLOYMENT: AN INVESTIGATION OF TIED
MIGRATION ISSUES AMONG EMPLOYED MILITARY SPOUSES
By
Marcia M. Bouchard
Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the
University of Maryland University College, in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Management
2009
Advisory Committee:
Dr. Claudine SchWeber, Co-chair
Dr. Ann Herd, Co-chair
Dr. Hasan Sayani
Dr. Leslie Dinauer
UMI Number: 3387631
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a note will indicate the deletion.
UMI 3387631
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©Copyright by
Marcia M. Bouchard
2009
i
Dedication
This dissertation is dedicated to all the Army spouses who came before me, to my peers, and to
all Army spouses who will follow me—thank you for supporting your soldier.
ii
Acknowledgements
First and foremost I would like to thank my husband Ron, a compassionate and caring
leader, for encouraging me to return to school and for his ongoing support and encouragement
throughout my education journey—all of which has been done as an Army spouse. I thank our
son Michael who is my joy, my balance and my pride—a blessing in every way. I also want to
thank my parents who welcomed me with open arms into my childhood home when I needed a
place during moves to think and to write. My only wish is that mother was still with us.
I want to express my sincere thanks to Dr. Claudine SchWeber, my dissertation co-chair,
for her guidance and support. It has been an honor being Dr. SchWeber’s student. It is
serendipitous that I would have two military spouses on my dissertation committee. I extend a
special thanks to Dr. Ann Herd, my dissertation co-chair, and Dr. Leslie Dinauer for being
exceptional role models to all military spouses, in addition to their part in guiding me through the
dissertation process. And thanks to Dr. Hasan Sayani, who embodies the spirit of collegial
discourse with his keen insights.
I would like to thank Dr. Lynn Heirakuji, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Personnel Oversight, the command team of Lieutenant General and Mrs. Rick Lynch, Major
General John Macdonald, Brigadier General Al Aycock, and Mrs. Dianne Campbell for their
support of my study. I acknowledge that it was my prior work, as a community volunteer, with a
senior Army leader that opened the door for support of this study as an independent academic
researcher, which is not usually done. The views expressed in this dissertation are my own and
do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Army, Department of Defense,
or the United States Government.
iii
I would be remiss if I did not thank members of my cohort, Lynda Jackson, Mark Green,
Al Holliman, Rich Feyerabend and Steve Fulton for their friendship and support. We worked
hard; however, we also remembered to laugh along the way.
Finally, I thank the University of Maryland University College for being the leader in
distance education and making available opportunities for this military spouse to fulfill her
lifetime dream.
iv
Table of Contents
Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... .i
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... ii
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv
List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................x
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... xii
List of Acronyms ......................................................................................................................... xiii
Chapter One: Introduction ...............................................................................................................1
Status of Military Families...................................................................................................1
Tied Migration .....................................................................................................................2
Background of the Army Spouse Employment Partnership Program ........................................2
Management Problem and Purpose Statement ...........................................................................4
Management Problem ..........................................................................................................4
Purpose Statement ................................................................................................................5
Relevance to the Study of Management .....................................................................................5
Academic Perspective ..........................................................................................................5
Practitioner’s Perspective .....................................................................................................6
Context of the Research ..............................................................................................................7
Definitions of Terms ............................................................................................................7
Within the Body of Literature ..............................................................................................9
Focus and Scope of Work .........................................................................................................10
Chapter Two: Literature Review and Argument ...........................................................................11
Purpose and Focus Restated......................................................................................................11
v
Purpose Statement ..............................................................................................................11
Focus and Scope of Work ..................................................................................................11
Background of Literature Review .............................................................................................11
Literature Review Part I: The Army and Military Institutions .................................................12
Historical Perspective and Background .............................................................................12
Contemporary Perspective .................................................................................................15
Recent Studies ....................................................................................................................18
Dissertations and Articles ..................................................................................................21
Literature Review Part II: Theoretical Perspective ...................................................................25
Investment in Human Capital ............................................................................................25
Role Conflict ......................................................................................................................27
Tied Migration ...................................................................................................................31
Argument .................................................................................................................................36
Background ........................................................................................................................36
Stated Argument ................................................................................................................36
Chapter Three: Conceptual Framework and Research Method .....................................................38
Conceptual Framework and Supporting Literature ...................................................................38
Research Questions and Hypothesis .........................................................................................39
Overview ............................................................................................................................39
General Research Question ................................................................................................41
Specific Research Question ...............................................................................................41
Hypotheses .........................................................................................................................41
Data Collection .........................................................................................................................43
vi
Description of Sample Population .....................................................................................43
Sampling Technique and Sample Size ...............................................................................45
Recruiting of Participants ..................................................................................................45
Research Method ......................................................................................................................47
Method ...............................................................................................................................47
Measures ............................................................................................................................47
Data Collection Procedures.......................................................................................................55
IRB Approval and Pilot Study ...........................................................................................55
Survey Administration .......................................................................................................55
Data Preparation and Analysis ..................................................................................................56
Raw Data and Coding ........................................................................................................56
Reliability Analysis and Transformation of Variables ......................................................57
Issues that Arose During Sampling...........................................................................................57
Chapter Four: Data Analysis, Findings and Discussion ................................................................60
Hypotheses: Data Analysis and Findings .................................................................................60
Hypothesis 1.......................................................................................................................60
Hypothesis 2.......................................................................................................................62
Hypothesis 3.......................................................................................................................63
Hypothesis 4.......................................................................................................................63
Hypothesis 5.......................................................................................................................64
Hypothesis 6.......................................................................................................................65
Hypothesis 7.......................................................................................................................65
Hypothesis 8.......................................................................................................................65
vii
Hypothesis 9.......................................................................................................................66
Hypothesis Tests Summary................................................................................................68
Additional Analysis ..................................................................................................................69
Further Analysis of ASEP Satisfaction ..............................................................................69
Active component and Reserve/Guard Component ...........................................................76
Selected Variable Correlations ..........................................................................................78
Co-Workers and Deployed/Away Service Member ..........................................................79
Work Motivation and Service Member Support of Working Spouse................................80
Group Differences in Education, Age and Rank among Selected Variables .....................82
Years as a Military Spouse ................................................................................................86
Summary ............................................................................................................................86
Qualitative Data: Findings and Analysis ..................................................................................87
Question: Describe How You Learned About the ASEP Program....................................88
Question: ASEP Recommendations ..................................................................................90
Question: Current Economic Conditions and Employment...............................................93
Summary ............................................................................................................................95
Chapter Five: Summary, Discussion and Conclusions ..................................................................97
Overview of the Study ..............................................................................................................97
Geographic Mobility ..........................................................................................................97
Gap in the Literature and Methodology .............................................................................98
Summary: Discussion and Interpretation of Results .................................................................99
Tied Migration and Relationships ......................................................................................99
Job Satisfaction and Relationships...................................................................................100
viii
Job-Skills Match and Work-Family Role Conflict ..........................................................103
Further Discussion on Work-Family Role Conflict and Tied Migration .........................104
Additional Analysis ................................................................................................................105
Further Analysis on ASEP ...............................................................................................105
Work-Family Role Conflict and Away/Deployed Service Member................................106
Age ..................................................................................................................................107
Years as a military Spouse and Support of a Military Career..........................................108
Support Goes Both Ways .................................................................................................109
Motivation to Work..........................................................................................................109
Education .........................................................................................................................110
Active Component and Reserve/Guard Component ........................................................110
Qualitative Analysis .........................................................................................................111
Conclusion: Research Questions Answered ...........................................................................111
General Research Que