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Baby on board

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced in May that he was planning to increase paid maternity leave for sailors from six to 12 weeks. It was one of a number of changes designed to make his branch of the armed forces more attractive to women--and to keep them once they signed up.

Then he doubled down. When Mabus finally unveiled his new policy this month, it was even more generous than promised--18 weeks, effective immediately and retroactively to the beginning of 2015.

Eighteen weeks of paid leave might seem like a financial burden for employers. But the Navy's calculation is that the one- or two-time cost (the typical American mom has two kids) is a long-term bargain that pays off in savings from not having to retrain replacement workers.

Women make up about half of the U.S. workforce but only about 25 percent of new recruits and only 18 percent of the Navy's workforce. Female sailors leave the service in great numbers in years five and six, and the top reason is "family."

Editorial on 07/31/2015

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