The Military Moms Matter Act & Parental Leave: Supporting a New Generation of Servicemembers

Today’s military is the most diverse and most integrated along gender lines in our nation’s history. With that in mind, Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and then-Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) —both For Country Caucus Vice-Chairs — as well as Rep. and Caucus Member Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and other House members recently relaunched the Servicewomen and Women Veterans Caucus to focus specifically on the unique needs of our women servicemembers. 

In the same spirit, With Honor worked alongside Rep. Houlahan to pass the bipartisan 2021 Military Moms Matter Act, which seeks to address disparities in maternal healthcare, parental leave, and postpartum physical fitness standards between men and the nearly 230,000 women who serve on active duty. Specifically, the Act provides:

• A standard 12 weeks of parental leave for parents and caregivers across active-duty services.
• An additional six weeks of convalescent leave for mothers.
• A requirement for greater postpartum health services for mothers and newborn infants.
• Standardization of service branch policies on body composition and physical fitness, allowing women one year of recovery before they must meet physical fitness standards.

As of February 1, 2023, all military services have implemented the new leave policy, standardizing parental leave for the over 1.3 million active-duty servicemembers and their families.

To learn more about the issue, watch the video below: