Dual career or two earner couples have been a significant and a growing component of both the civilian and the military labor force. Further, the number of dual military career couples has increased as the number of women in the U.S. Armed Forces has increased. In this paper, we hypothesized that career intentions of these couples were interdependent and a function of variables from economics, psychology, and sociology. Results, based on the 1985 U.S. Army Dual Career Survey, supported this hypothesis. Soldiers' intentions to remain in the U.S. Army were positively related to perceived spouse's intention to stay in the Army, family income, family size, career commitment, and job satisfaction. Policy implications of these results are discussed in the context of military downsizing.
U02/2016