Effective immediately, female sailors and marines can now take up to 18 weeks after the birth of a child.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus directed the U.S. Navy to triple the amount of paid maternity leave it offers, making the Navy the first military service to provide more than six weeks of leave. Because a Navy study discovered about 9 percent of enlisted women and 5 percent of women officers are pregnant at any one time, the change will have an impact on a significant portion of the workforce. Some 5,000 women — including 500 officers — will be eligible for the benefit each year.
MILWAUKEE (Nov. 8, 2008) Ship’s Navigator Lt. j.g. Shaina Hayden renders honors to the national anthem during the commissioning ceremony for the littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) at Veterans Park in Milwaukee, Wis. Freedom is the first of two littoral combat ships designed to operate in shallow water environments to counter threats in coastal regions. (U. S. Navy photo Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kevin S. O’Brien/Released)
In a statement, Mabus said the Navy and Marine Corps make it a practice to look for ways to recruit and retain good people.
“We have incredibly talented women who want to serve, and they also want to be mothers and have the time to fulfill that important role the right way,” Mabus explained. “Meaningful maternity leave when it matters most is one of the best ways that we can support the women who serve our county.”
A Life Not Grey 