44 SEPTEMBER 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Significant Strides Recently, the State Department has made some significant strides in incorporating measures that improve the lives of SPiFS. The department’s Employee Consultation Services currently offers a once-a-month virtual discussion group for single parents in State, USAID, and other federal agencies under chief of mission authority. In 2021 the department recognized Singles at State as an employee organization; it raises awareness of and advocates for single employees, including single parents. And in late 2022, the department announced a change to housing space authorizations starting in 2023 that would better accommodate the needs of single parents. For years, single parents were assigned accommodation based solely on the number of family members and not family roles. For instance, my daughter and I were on two occasions given one-bedroom apartments in PCS Lodging. Noting that previous “space authorization did not account for the practical reality that a single-parent household generally has the same effective space needs as a dual-parent household,” single parents are now counted as two parents in housing considerations. These are welcome changes, but there is more that can be done to better include single-parent employees. For instance, several SPiFS have mentioned their interest in taking on longer temporary duty opportunities. However, though the employee pays out of pocket for the air tickets, lodging, and meals, the children are not granted access to the health unit of a diplomatic mission of temporary assignment. This limits some excellent officers from taking on assignments that fill critical gaps. Although marital and parental status do not fall under the protected classes covered by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, protections against discrimination in the federal government based on these statuses are covered under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, and Executive Order 13152. n Single Parents in the Foreign Service (Facebook group)—a group for single parents in the U.S. Foreign Service or U.S. Foreign Affairs Agency to share ideas, seek support, or just vent. To join, send an email to Tamara Shie in the GAL or a message on Facebook with request to join. Please include your foreign affairs agency affiliation and parental status. n Balancing Act @ State—employee organization at the State Department, welcoming men, women, Civil and Foreign Service, and all ranks to discuss and advocate for work-life balance and employee-friendly policies. Add your single-parent voice! (Facebook group available.) n FSO Moms (Facebook group)—a place to share tips, thoughts, and questions about being a Foreign Service officer mom. n Singles at State Employee Organization—contact SinglesatState@state.gov to join the Teams group, raise any issues, or ask questions. n 3 FAM 3750 Travel of Separated Families—provides payment for one round-trip ticket per year for each child below age 21 of a Foreign Service member to visit the other parent or for the parent with whom the children do not normally reside to visit the children abroad. Resources Every diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) group at the State Department should integrate single-parent voices, and DEIA policies, programming, and training should incorporate single-parent needs. The bottom line is, single parents are serving! We serve alongside you at home and abroad, representing America in every foreign affairs agency and every rank from entry level to the front office. We are generalists in every cone and specialists in every field, from office management specialists and political officers to information specialists and general service officers, from regional security officers and deputy chiefs of mission to consular and medical officers. Single parents are your neighbors, community members, and colleagues. n There are nearly 11 million single parents in the United States raising nearly a quarter of our country’s children.
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