Employment for military spouses is one battlefront that is often difficult to win.
Because of the transient lifestyle, military spouses are often overlooked or underemployed, despite being more educated than those who don’t share this lifestyle. In addition, constraints of moving, cost of caregiving, and flexibility required to balance family obligations when a servicemember is away, many spouses seek or require remote work opportunities – which are hard to come by.
A survey conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (2017) indicates military spouses experience higher rates of unemployment than do other adults, and Federal data back up this claim. Based on a survey of 1,273 active duty military members and veterans, the U.S. Chamber estimates that military spouses and spouses of recent veterans had a 16 percent unemployment rate in 2017. ACS data suggest the rate is lower than this, 10.2 percent in 2016, but still nearly twice the rate for the overall U.S. population between 18 and 65.6.
In 2014, Cameron Cruze and Lisa Bradley, both military spouses, set out to solve the employment issue that plagued thousands of military spouses. After charging two thousand dollars each to their credit cards, Lisa and Cameron purchased a commercial sewing machine and a small supply of leather and canvas.
And R.Riveter – a once, small, two-woman operation making handbags out of an attic – found their way to Shark Tank in 2016. Bradley and Cruse made their pitch and wound up with three offers. They decided to accept an offer from billionaire investor Mark Cuban, who already had a track record of working with and supporting military affiliated companies.
And as some say, the rest is history.
Today, Cruse and Bradley employ military spouses across the country and this army of highly-motivated, well-educated, truly-dedicated women (mostly women), are doing more than manufacturing handbags. As Cruse states, “R.Riveter doesn’t hire military spouses to make handbags. We make handbags to hire military spouses and create a greater sense of mission.”
The R.Riveter Marketplace offers not only high quality handbags but a curated collection of American Made apparel and accessories.
The Military Spouse Employment Partnership, a Department of Defense partnership program, also helps connect military spouses with jobs or provides them with training to help them enter a new career field.
Military spouses are eligible to receive up to $4,000, or $2,000 a year for up to two years, to cover education and training required to enter a portable career field through a Military Career Advancement Account.
Cameron Cruze and Lisa Bradley ignored the odds, faced adversity and did something about their situation, of which is now positively changing military families across the country.
The lesson: be a victor over your circumstances. Listen to the full podcast interview with Cameron Cruze at The Military Wire with Mike Schindler.
The Military Wire, hosted by Mike Schindler, interviews some of America’s most elite men and women who have served this country in hopes that you the listener will gain an “ah-ha” moment that will help you move your life forward.
Mike is a US Navy Veteran, an award-winning author, and has been featured on Yahoo Finance, the Boston Globe, NY Post, USA Today, Q13 Fox, and numerous other media outlets discussing why today’s Veterans are truly one of America’s Greatest Assets. Mike is the author of two highly endorsed books, “Operation Military Family: How Military Couples are Fighting to Preserve their Marriages,” and “U.S. Veterans in the Workforce: Why the 7% are America’s Greatest Asset.”
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