# Linking Spouses, including Occupation Codes
**URL:** https://forum.ipums.org/t/linking-spouses-including-occupation-codes/3390
**Category:** General
**Created:** [February 27, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/linking-spouses-including-occupation-codes/3390 "2020-02-27T22:56:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Nicholas\_Marquiss](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Nicholas_Marquiss)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/linking-spouses-including-occupation-codes/3390/1 "2020-02-27T22:56:47Z")
Hello,
I am interested looking at labor market outcomes for military spouses. To that end, I am wondering if its possible to create a data abstract that (1) lets me link spouses together and (2) has occupational and labor market information for both spouses (so I can identify whether one spouse is in the military as well as how the other spouse is doing in the labor market). Based on other papers I have read in this vein, I believe this is possible with the ACS dataset, but I haven’t used the ACS much so I am wondering what the best way to do this is.
Thank you very much for your help!
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### Author:  [@JeffBloem](https://forum.ipums.org/u/JeffBloem)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/linking-spouses-including-occupation-codes/3390/2 "2020-02-28T17:02:52Z")
As long as I correctly understand what you are trying to do, this task is possible using ACS data. In fact, the task of linking spouses together is made easy within the [IPUMS USA](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/) data extract system. The [attach characteristics tool](https://usa.ipums.org/usa-action/faq#ques38) uses the IPUMS-generated [family interrelationship pointer variables](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/chapter5/NewfamilyinterrelationshipvariablesinIPUMSUSA.shtml) to automatically generate a dataset where information about probable spouses are linked. For more information on how to use these features, [here are a list of video tutorials](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/tutorials.shtml) including a specific tutorial on using the attach characteristics tool.