“I’m sorry, you’re not qualified,” or, “I’m sorry, you’re over-qualified,” seem to be the normal responses milspouses receive when they’re trying to find employment
Hiring Our Heroes, Starbucks, and Syracuse University teamed up to conduct research on the negative mental health implications on milspouses who are unemployed or underemployed, and shared their results on February 4th, 2021.
The overarching theme to this study shows how meaningful employment for milspouses drastically improves their sense of wellbeing, brings them identity, and raises their confidence. The study, found at https://hiringourheroes.org/research, states, “Maintaining meaningful employment promotes positive mental health and emotional wellbeing outcomes for military spouses.” This survey takes into account the answers of more than 3,300 respondents from all over the military services.
The webinar was jam-packed with amazing advocates for milspouses searching for, and finding, meaningful employment. What is meaningful employment, you may ask? That means you are actively involved in the workforce doing something you feel is worthwhile. You are not unemployed or underemployed, but you are working in an area which suits your expertise and drive.
Maria McConville, the spouse of the Chief of Staff for the United States Army, stated, “Many employers do not compensate military spouses for their abilities.”
She made it a point to speak to many companies attending the conference and tell them to pay military spouses what they are paying their civilian counterparts. Maria McConville also advised military spouses to search for virtual jobs and jobs that can move with you. She said companies, due to the pandemic, have come to realize many jobs within their company do not require the physicality of an employee, but can be effectively virtual instead. Many more speakers said the virtual workforce has become the norm and not to stray away from its opportunities.
Sherman Gillums said, “Military spouse challenges are not as obvious to most employers.” He is right! Many people do not realize the daily hardship we face, and many employers do not understand the difficulties we have to juggle in order to survive each and every day. This study was conducted in order to bring things to light for employers, and hopefully, it will help bridge the gap of unemployment for military spouses. The survey’s key findings are:
- Employment positively impacts wellbeing by gaining confidence and a sense of purpose
- Employment enhances family relationships and quality of life
- Duration of employment affects wellbeing
- Type of employment matters
- Maintaining steady employment is difficult
To recap, military spouses who are employed often feel valued, their self-esteem flourishes, they feel they can financially contribute to their family, and their overall sense of purpose is boosted. The intended outcome of this survey/study is to bring awareness to the workforce and help milspouses find quality jobs. Remember to check out the survey results, and use available resources found at https://militaryonesource.mil! Happy job hunting!