Life Course Perspectives on Military Service (Routledge Advances in Sociology)

This edited volume provides a comprehensive and critical review of the literature on specific topics related to military service and its life course consequences. It demonstrates how the military, like higher educational and penal institutions, is a critical social institution that can transform lives. Chapters focus on topics ranging from military service among specific populations such as racial/ethnic minorities, women, and gays and lesbians; the implications of military service for the transition to adulthood, socioeconomic attainment, and health; the effects of military service on the lives of service members' families; and how experiences of military service vary across different cohorts. The book concludes with an exploration of the policy implications of the issues raised in the previous chapters, and sets the agenda for the next generation of research.