The year was 2006; I was the reactor officer in the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) and a group of female junior sailors in my department asked if they could attend a women’s leadership conference in Washington, D.C. It seemed like a stretch, but they were leaders in the department and adamant about attending, so we arranged a van and approved the trip. When they returned, they were motivated and excited; one told me “This was the most important week of my career.” They signed a book called She Captains by Joan Druitt for me as a “thank you” for supporting their professional development, a gift that I still treasure.
In the ensuing years, I also supported, but never attended, the Joint Women’s Leadership Symposium (JWLS, or Jewels)—until now. A friend invited me to join the Sea Service Leadership Association this year, a nonprofit dedicated to the mentorship and development of women, and I attended the Norfolk event. It was incredible experience, with superb panels and presentations, many very senior leaders on both the officer and enlisted side, and an excitement that permeated the 1,000-plus attendees, of which I was one of about 10 males. It was an emotional day, with many of the junior sailors, airmen, and Marines sharing stories and challenges in honestly and vulnerably. I wish there had been an entire row of male captains, colonels, E-9’s, and flag/SES in the back—listening—but there were not, so here is a summary of many key issues and innovative solutions I heard at the event.
Health Care. Foremost on many minds was reproductive health care. While I have seen peers (mostly white men) call this a political issue, in this forum, it was clearly a readiness issue, with an overarching question: “Why is the first ‘solution’ in the discussion of servicewomen and family planning always off ramps/pauses rather than solutions and policies for continuous service?” Some of the key issues:
How is the overturn of Roe v Wade going to affect us as women in the military? Will we have to travel to different state than where we are stationed to receive care? Will we get to have more say in our duty stations based on the restrictive laws of some states?
Tricare is prohibited from covering most infertility services for military members. What are the Department of Defense (DoD) and military services doing to change this?
Could miscarriages get a clearer instruction? I have had many sailors who lost pregnancies 15 weeks and below and there is no instruction for convalescent leave. Many of my friends have been expected to return to work the day after—this is unreasonable. Is there something in the works to increase the convalescent leave for members that experience miscarriages, as well as an increase in the PT deferment?
Are there any talks regarding funding egg-freezing for military women who cherish their careers, but do not want to miss the opportunity to have children later in life? Female aviators are at a huge disadvantage if they do not have children at very specific times and many miss their opportunity. How do we fix this?
Childcare. Many of participants noted the challenges parents in the military face, especially single parents. This was acknowledged by the leadership, but some of the suggestions were novel.
There is a lot of talk about dual military families but, what about single-parent families? Single-parent families also need are also special considerations. In addition, not everyone believes in marriage, but mays still be involved in serious partnerships. Does the military have a place for this, re: similar benefits?
What is being done to address the cost of childcare? The Navy Child and Development Center in Virginia waiting list is too long. Sailors are affected economically. This is a retention and recruitment issue.
Since the military is a 24/7 operation, are there any discussions to transition childcare to be 24/7, or at least open early so parent members can start their day at PT with the rest of the command? Has DoD calculated what it really cost and asked for the funding to make it happen?
Can the military develop programs to do wellness checks on and provide more support for new mothers going through post-partum depression? Being a new mother and returning to work is tough. One participant related being forced to take an advancement exam the week after returning from maternity leave” “You could have studied on leave” her (male) supervisor told her.
Can we speak to policy on adoption and the lack of support from the military when it come to the financial cost of adopting a child?
What is the military doing in regard to accessibility to birth control? Constant waiting for appointments just to attain birth control which does not accommodate long deployment/constant TDYs.
Physical standards and uniforms Many of the participants noted the unique challenges that women face in this area:
Who is fighting for a policy behalf of all services to change DoD BMI guidance that max BMI to a realistic number that is not based on 1940s research? What about some accounting for post-pregnancy weight gain? Can the military get rid of height/weight standards? If someone meets the physical demands of service, why does their height/weight matter?
Can the military revisit the gender-neutral approach to women’s uniforms? The current designs, from cover to pants to blouses, make it almost impossible to present a professional appearance and can subject the wearer to ridicule. Let women be a part of the decisions about the uniforms they wear.
Could black leggings be considered for PT bottoms? Navy PT shorts do fit comfortably when exercising.
Colocation and permanent change of station (PCS). Many discussed the challenges of unique relationships and entitlements such as PCS moves, colocation, etc. A few:
“I’ve been told numerous times that for my joint relationship to be taken seriously I need to get married.” How can the military offer consideration long-term relationships instead of forcing marriage? Service members may have different priorities and lifestyles than in the past.
How can we best support our LGBTQIA+ service members and their rainbow families (especially in some states that may not be supportive of their families)?
There is minimal support is available in PCS of pets. This is a hardship sometimes in the thousands on overseas moves.
Sexual harassment and sexual assault. his was the topic of a panel and prompted much discussion. Some examples:
How is the military helping victims of sexual trauma when it make changes such as “forcible kissing” being classified as harassment rather than assault?
The legal system has junior officers on the victim’s side and higher-ranked/experienced lawyers on the defendant’s. How can the services make up for this imbalance in court?
How can women in the military trust harassment policies when leaders of higher ranks just get off with a slap on the wrist, able to retire or transferred to another command. Why aren’t commanding officers held accountable for command climates that tolerates sexual harassment?
What is the military doing about the lack of counseling services available for sexual assault/harassment victims? There is too much focus on the perpetrator and not the victim. The military must stop the use of the silent “only” when addressing sexual harassment as compared to assault. Both have traumatic consequences.
Why are there no clear regulations in place against online sexual harassment? After the Marines United scandal there should have been actions taken to allow prosecution for online or social media harassment, but that does not seem to be in place.
Other good ideas. There were some additional suggestions worth consideration:
Why is there no standing DoD panel like this forum to allow junior servicewomen to voice their concerns to leadership? Most often, the decisions are made by older white men, and even if there is a senior person in the room, their experience may be different from this generation.
Why are we not looking across DoD to decrease PCS moves? This would assist with several issues: childcare, spousal employment, family stability, and could decrease stress while increasing retention.
Why is the military not doing more to address the stigma of getting help for mental health? The stigma is decreasing, but service members need more resources. Most appointments are booked out three to six months. What is being done to solve this problem?
Many flag and general officers have official service “mentors.” Can the services establish similar programs for more junior personnel, especially women and minorities?
A very senior panel on the second day took in many of these concerns, and there seemed to be high level acknowledgement, understanding, and an imperative to act. It was clear that these are not “women’s’ issues” but a readiness issues. As one panelist commented, “All the fancy equipment in the world is worthless if we can’t recruit and retain the best people to operate it.” In the end, there was a common theme for the week: “As female service members, we are not in competition with our male counterparts. There is room for all to succeed. We are different, sometimes better, but we want to be valued, respected, and treated as equals—for our service. And we want to be heard.”
Fellas, thanks for listening!
Author’s Note: SSLA was established in 1978. It is currently the only non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to providing professional development through networking, education, and mentorship of women from all three maritime armed forces – the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. SSLA is a national non-profit and non-political organization and an officially recognized affinity group for the sea services, continually advising the services about issues affecting Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel and their families. SSLA also maintains partnerships with the Navy’s Women’s Policy Office and the Coast Guard’s Gender Policy Advisors, as well as the United States Marine Corps’ Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management Branch and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Women’s Association (NOAAWA). More information available at www.sealeader.org.”
