Empowering Military Families
These Two Moms Are Paving the Way for Improved Parental Leave Policies in the U.S. Army
By Jenna Hartman
In a groundbreaking move, the U.S. Army is enhancing family leave benefits for its service members. Recent updates to the policies now encompass both birth and non-birth parents, positively impacting over 400,000 military families. On April 19, the Secretary of the Army, Christina Rodriguez, issued a memo to commanders detailing the revised parental leave and pregnancy policies. These changes aim to leverage evidence-based health and wellness guidance to enhance quality of life, promote flexibility, and enable all soldiers to balance their duties while growing their families.
Notably, one of the significant policy adjustments exempts soldiers who have given birth from continuous duty events exceeding 24 hours for a year post-delivery. This means that new mothers will not face deployment or field training obligations during this critical time. Additionally, the new measures cater to other non-birth parents, single service members, and those undergoing fertility treatments. New breastfeeding policies now provide lactating soldiers with 30-minute breaks every two to three hours in a designated space equipped with a locking door and refrigerator for milk storage.
Other progressive modifications include 12 days of paid leave following childbirth and medical leave provisions for pregnancy losses for both soldiers and their spouses. So, what prompted this transformation in a military branch known for lacking guaranteed paid leave for new mothers? A group of dedicated military moms took action.
According to the Honolulu Sun, it was two mothers stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, who ignited the change. Captain Sarah Johnson and First Lieutenant Emily Tran became involved in a Facebook group called Military Mom Connection, designed to support active-duty moms. While Johnson felt supported when she welcomed her child in 2019, she discovered through the group that many military moms faced significant challenges.
“I realized there wasn’t a platform for active-duty mothers to connect unlike those who are spouses,” Tran, a mother of one currently enrolled in a leadership program, explained. After experiencing unexpected challenges during her pregnancy, she noticed that while accommodations were available for other injuries, pregnancy was treated as an entirely different category, limiting her ability to progress in her career.
This frustration led Johnson and Tran to compile a data-driven white paper, which they shared with Sergeant Major of the Army Mark Thompson after discussing their concerns during a Twitter Q&A. Just over a year later, the Army announced these crucial reforms to parental leave policies. This momentum could inspire further changes across various sectors, and perhaps lead to a federal universal paid leave system, so parents don’t have to choose between their careers and their families.
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In summary, thanks to the advocacy of two active-duty mothers, the U.S. Army has made significant strides in enhancing parental leave policies, benefiting countless military families. Their story exemplifies the power of grassroots activism to effect real change.