An empirical test of the theory of relative deprivation among military reservists

A survey of 679 military reservists revealed that a significant number of them perceive and allege incidents of discrimination in the civilian employment sector. These perceptions and alleged incidents of discrimination among reservists were found to vary based on social, economic, and demographic factors, and they were also determined to be primary causal factors leading to feelings of relative deprivation. The concept of relative deprivation suggests that people will feel relatively deprived when they compare their predicament to that of others in their reference groups and conclude that their expectations of being rewarded for their efforts will not be realized, while others are. In spite of the many laws and programs designed to alleviate discrimination against reservists, it continues to be a factor that affects their ability to compete in the civilian employment sector. This also has a profound effect on national security.