No surge in divorce among IDF reservists, review finds

Among reservists who are divorced or separated, about 26% said the breakup occurred after completing their first period of reserve duty.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Israel’s National Insurance Institute released new data on the marital status of military reservists on Tuesday, pushing back against widely held concerns that lengthy reserve service is driving unusually high rates of divorce.

The findings, drawn from an internal review of the Israel Defense Force’s Reserve Corps, show that separation and divorce rates among reservists are essentially in line with those of the broader Israeli population.

According to the breakdown, 44% of reservists are married or in a recognized partnership, 53% are single, 0.5% are widowed and 3% are divorced or separated.

Among reservists who are divorced or separated, about 26% said the breakup occurred after completing their first period of reserve duty.

The National Insurance Institute said the figure is broadly similar to Israel’s national divorce average of about 28%.

“The families of reservists are the backbone of Israel’s national resilience at this time,” said Zvika Cohen, the Institute’s acting director-general.

“Although the data show that the divorce rate among the reserve corps is the same as the national average, it is important to pay attention to the clear challenges and great complexity that prolonged service places on the family unit.”