Men and women of Texas who serve proudly in the U.S. Armed Forces often accept that their military service complicates many areas of their lives. Many service members will agree that the part of life most seriously compromised by their military duties is their family life. The stress of deployment, unfamiliar environments, frequent moves and the resulting difficulty of forming lasting relationships all take their tolls on a marriage and family. Military divorce is a sad consequence of this stress.
Recent studies show that the rate of military divorce rose again this past year, ending years of steady decline. The overall divorce rate is 3.1 percent and represents the first increase since 2011. Among all branches of the military, the Marine Corps saw the greatest overall increase in divorce.
However, most disturbing may be the divorce rate of female service members. In all military branches, women’s rates of divorce were substantially higher than men’s. In fact, the rate of divorce among male service members remained relatively steady, while females saw an increase of nearly 6 percent in some branches.
Because of the special considerations of service members’ benefits and the privileges of civilian spouses, military divorce can be complex. Additionally, laws regarding military divorce are subject to review and change, and a busy military family in Texas may not be fully aware of how those changes affect the divorce. Whether one is a service member or a civilian spouse, having legal counsel from an attorney with experience in military divorce is essential for ensuring one’s rights are protected and best interests are defended.
Source: newsmax.com, “Female Troop Divorce Rate Up“, Joe Crowe, Accessed on May 12, 2017