Lt Col Jessica Ruttenber discusses parental equality and the need for the military to catch up with the private sector when it comes to allowing parents, both parents, more time at home to bond after birth, adoption, or foster placement.
Under current military regulations, women after birth are allowed up to six weeks of maternity convalescent leave, and a household’s primary caregiver can receive an additional six weeks of leave. Secondary caregivers in the Army and Air Force can take three weeks of uncharged parental leave, while Navy and Marine Corps members are eligible for only two weeks. Under the new proposal with Congress, primary caregivers (which are designated by the family, not the service) would be granted 12 weeks of uncharged leave in addition to any available convalescent care to be used within a year of the child’s arrival. AND secondary caregivers would also get six weeks. Parents would be able to use the time off in multiple increments if they do not want to take all of the time at once.
Learn more at Lt Col Ruttenber’s site, Hidden Barriers, where she has several blog posts including: One leave to rule them all: how the military can create parental equality
Check out the Parenting in Uniform Facebook page
Follow on Twitter: @MomInUniform
Email: ParentingInUniform@gmail.com
Editing, voiceover, and music by audiblelemonade.com .
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