Militarized Households and Institutionalized-Produced Precarity in Eastern DRC

Military spouses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo occupy a structurally ambiguous position: formally recognized as beneficiaries of military welfare, yet often excluded in practice. Drawing on ten focus group discussions with over 100 spouses and 12 key informant interviews across three military camps in South Kivu (2023–2024), this article examines how military and civilian institutional arrangements jointly produce this gap. Using thematic analysis informed by feminist institutionalism and Butler’s precariousness/precarity distinction, the study shows that formal entitlements to housing, health care, and social protection are systematically undermined by informal practices, gendered hierarchies, and resource constraints, while civilian aid systems exclude spouses due to their military association—rendering them institutionally invisible across both domains. The article argues that this precarity is co-produced through the interplay of military governance, civilian aid logics, and liminality. Centering spouses’ voices, the study contributes to debates on vulnerability and civil–military relations, calling for greater recognition within reform and humanitarian frameworks.