For the same reason maternity leave and other family-oriented benefits are worthwhile in the private sector: organizational performance requires expertise; expe

For the same reason maternity leave and other family-oriented benefits are worthwhile in the private sector: organizational performance requires expertise; expertise requires experience be retained in the organization; experience remaining in the organization requires that people not leave when life happens. The issue isn't that an individual married Marine is worth more than an individual unmarried Marine. The issue is that a Marine Corps where good Marines stay when they start a family is better than a Marine Corps where good Marines leave.