In honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Day, Team AgLearn would like to provide resources and event information to highlight the important roles military spouses play in the Federal workforce and across U.S. life.
About Military Spouse Appreciation Day
On April 17, 1984, President Ronald Reagan established Military Spouse Appreciation Day with Proclamation 5184, recognizing the countless sacrifices and contributions made by military spouses since the days of the Continental Army and Navy.
In 1999, Congress officially made Military Spouse Appreciation Day part of National Military Appreciation Month to recognize the many sacrifices military spouses make as they put their personal and professional aspirations aside for their service member.
Military spouses are recognized under President Biden’s Executive Order on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce External Link, as well as First Lady Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative External Link. Research and Military Spouse Employment Policies show military spouses are a versatile workforce, yet they face the highest unemployment rates in the country at 22%, and for those who are employed, a 26% wage gap is experienced when compared to their civilian counterparts. Military spouses face unique challenges related to employment, job retention and work/life balance as a result of military mission priorities of their service member, resulting in frequent moves, deployments and mission critical responsibilities that affect the military spouse/military family unit. Employee veterans and military spouses comprise roughly 10% of USDA's workforce.
AgLearn Resources
From LinkedIn Learning: Learning Path – Get Ahead as a Military Spouse External Link
Additional Resources
- Military Spouse Appreciation Month External Link, from Military OneSource
- DOD Celebrates Military Spouse Appreciation Day External Link
- Narrative spotlight on Military Spouse Appreciation External Link from the Department of Defense
Events
- Military Spouse Appreciation webinar External Link event – hosted by the USDA – on May 6, 2020, at 1:00PM Eastern Time
- Annual Virtual Military Spouse Symposium External Link, events to be held May 10-12, hosted by the Department of Defense