Expectant mothers in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are now entitled to 18 weeks of paid maternity leave in the first year after childbirth.
The policy triples paid time off for new and expectant mothers in the Navy and Marine Corps from the previously allotted 6 weeks. The change comes just months after President Barack Obama directed all federal government agencies to allow workers to use 6 weeks of paid sick leave to bond with a new child.
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According to Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, providing mothers with maternity leave ensures a “safeguard against losing skilled service members.”
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“In the Navy and the Marine Corps, we are continually looking for ways to recruit and retain the best people,” Mabus said in a Navy press release. “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. We can do that for them. Meaningful maternity leave when it matters most is one of the best ways that we can support the women who serve our country.”
According to Mabus, providing increased maternity leave allows women to return and stay in their careers while not missing the critical bonding time with a new baby.
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“When the women in our Navy and Marine Corps answer the call to serve, they are making the difficult choice to be away from their children—sometimes for prolonged periods of time—so that they can do the demanding jobs that we ask them to do,” he said.
The change went into effect on Thursday, July 2, but will be retroactive to January 1, 2015.