The Need to Change Army Policies Toward Single Parents and Dual Military Couples With Children
Abstract
The purpose of this report is to identify the key challenges with current Army personnel policies and to provide recommendations that would reduce the impact of single parents on Army unit readiness and to best manage our single parent service members and dual-military couples. There is a need to address the Army regulations that are ambiguous and contradictory toward enlisting and retaining single parents. Additionally, the demographic data collected by the Army does not provide the information needed to make decisions at the organizational level, hiding the impact a high number of single parents might have on an organization, nor does it capture the appropriate demographic variables to allow the development of effective Army-wide personnel policies. Policies that could retain highly trained, experienced single parent and dual-military couples and reduce that portion of the single parent population who are least likely to be able to cope with single parenting in the military and are most likely to degrade unit readiness are consequently proposed. These policies include Parental Leave of Absence, incentives to not become a single parent, and finally honorably discharging first term single parents.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 18, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA432289
Entities
People
- Carolyn Carroll
Organizations
- United States Army War College