Understanding military motherhood: How the Armed Forces' childcare and family leave policies impact servicewomen with young children

Abstract: Active-duty servicewomen's experiences of motherhood provide an important window into the impact of DOD family leave policies, as servicewomen are expected to meet gendered expectations attached to mothering and military service, which negatively impacts career longevity and job performance. Considering the stakes of work-family conflicts and social reach of the armed forces, servicewomen's experiences of work-family conflict warrant further investigation. Accordingly, 21 semi-structured interviews with active-duty mothers from the Marines (7) and Air Force (14) were conducted. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Family systems and organizational culture theories structured analyses. Participant accounts were organized into three themes: Childcare Woes, Inconsistent Leadership, and Policy Solutions. Childcare issues were a pressing concern for all participants, who described three work-family conflicts related to childcare. To navigate work-family conflicts in their male-dominated profession, participants enacted a range of strategies we termed military motherhood. Study implications for policy and research are discussed.

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