{"id":27296,"date":"2021-07-02T00:31:42","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T00:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/07\/02\/the-navy-has-a-problem-with-unpaid-labor\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:32:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:32:27","slug":"the-navy-has-a-problem-with-unpaid-labor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2021\/07\/02\/the-navy-has-a-problem-with-unpaid-labor\/","title":{"rendered":"The Navy has a problem with unpaid labor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s an open secret: The Navy thrives not just on the labor of sailors, but also on the unpaid labor of military families. This has become more glaringly obvious to me as my spouse has risen now to the rank of commander, and there has been an increasing expectation that I will devote my my time in support of his career, most notably with my invitation to attend a week-long course on how<\/i> to be the spouse of a commanding officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, there has been an expectation in the Navy that the CO\u2019s spouse would act as a mini-CO to the ship\u2019s spouses. They organize get-togethers during deployments and hold an honorary role in the ship\u2019s Fleet Readiness Group. They are often expected to play a part in ship events, help plan certain events and act as a resource to sailor and officer spouses alike. To me, this sounds like a lot of unpaid labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have no interest in knocking Navy spouses, overwhelmingly women, at any level who are interested in volunteering their time and energy to supporting a command. I commend them. As a human being, I also want to spend my time creating a vibrant community in my spouse\u2019s command and sharing whatever resources I can with those around me. What I have a problem with is the pervasive unstated expectation that spouses should<\/i> participate in unpaid labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\t