Dramatic increases in the percentage of female soldiers, married enlisted soldiers, spouses in the labor force, female single-parent soldiers, and dual military couples have changed the demography of the Army substantially since the end of the Vietnam War and the institution of the All Volunteer Army. The presence of single-parent families has perhaps most clearly broken the traditional pattern of the unmarried male soldier led by a married male officer. This report documents the increase of single-parent families in the U.S. Army since the early 1970s and discusses what effects, if any, such changes may have had on family adaptation, retention, readiness, and use of family social-support services.
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