Invisible Women [...]... cannot be generalized 4 INVISIBLE WOMEN: JUNIOR ENLISTED ARMY WIVES across the entire Department of Defense or even the entire Army, these stories do provide insights into the lives of junior enlisted spouses, given that the majority of junior enlisted soldiers are assigned to bases like these Selection and Description of Research Locations Application of the criteria set to the Army installations led... a dissertation regarding the expectations for and roles of U.S Army spouses That research involved taped and transcribed interviews with over one hundred Army spouses, as well as extensive discussions and time spent with Army personnel and civilians who work in the Army community 1 2 INVISIBLE WOMEN: JUNIOR ENLISTED ARMY WIVES Why the Army? To reduce this research to a size and scope consistent with... and the stereotype regarding the lives of junior enlisted spouses, who are typically considered to be young, immature, lowerclass spouses who are in financial difficulty and who have difficulty 12 INVISIBLE WOMEN: JUNIOR ENLISTED ARMY WIVES controlling their reproductive tendencies In short, junior enlisted spouses are often reputed to be young and immature “big-haired, trailer park babes with too many... the rest of the chapter consists of the woman’s own story Chapter 5 includes 14 INVISIBLE WOMEN: JUNIOR ENLISTED ARMY WIVES overviews of each of the stories and notes the consistencies and differences between the women s experiences It discusses the degree to which these women reflect the class-based stereotype of junior enlisted spouses that emerged from the dissertation research and the extent to which... policymakers involved in the recruiting, retention, and management of junior enlisted personnel and their families, as well as to Congress and the media xi xii INVISIBLE WOMEN: JUNIOR ENLISTED ARMY WIVES These stories were excerpted from a long series of interviews conducted during research for a dissertation that addressed the roles and experiences of Army spouses This research included 105 recorded and transcribed... mainly of mini-malls, car dealerships, trailer parks, and fast-food restaurants Thus, employment opportunities are extremely limited Many of the military families live in Hinesville and the surrounding area, given the insufficient amount of military housing on base, and all the military children attend the local civilian schools after grade 6 6 INVISIBLE WOMEN: JUNIOR ENLISTED ARMY WIVES The residential... was tired of it He had been engaged, and his fiancée dumped him, and so 15 16 INVISIBLE WOMEN: JUNIOR ENLISTED ARMY WIVES he wanted to get away, and he thought that the Army was the solution, and because he wanted to get away from Arizona He wanted to see different things Now, I don’t understand why He had a great job at Wal-Mart, and I had a job at the vet clinic, and I was going to school I graduated... were based on either-or choices Most of the homes were built approximately 20 years ago, although many of the neighborhoods still lack large trees Certain neighborhoods are occupied primarily by military personnel, and it appears that soldiers of approximately the same rank often reside in the same neighborhood (junior enlisted with other junior enlisted, junior officers with other junior officers or... exposures to issues and 10 INVISIBLE WOMEN: JUNIOR ENLISTED ARMY WIVES incidents However, interviews were not confined to spouses from these battalions Although enough spouses from the same battalion were interviewed to gain an accurate depiction of life as a spouse in that battalion and to be able to discern the effects of individual personalities from the realities that faced the women married to soldiers... book are the personal stories of three junior enlisted spouses, told in their own voices and selected to emphasize the dilemmas numerous enlisted families face The stories provide insight into the experiences and attitudes of some junior enlisted families Those who live a military lifestyle—at any pay grade—will find these stories both useful and engaging Some junior enlisted personnel and their spouses . and time spent with Army personnel and civilians who work in the Army community. 2 INVISIBLE WOMEN: JUNIOR ENLISTED ARMY WIVES Why the Army? To reduce this. C. Invisible women : junior enlisted Army wives / Margaret C. Harrell. p. cm. “MR-1223” Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-8 33 0-2 88 0-4 1. Army spouses—United