The Foreign Service Journal, December 2009

W e’ve all heard the expression, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” This certainly pertains to my family and, according to Dr. Kenneth Dekleva, the regional medical psychiatrist based in Vienna, it applies to a lot of other Foreign Service families, too. Speaking to a group of Embassy Athens employees in September, Dr. Dekleva stated that “Family-member employment is the biggest morale issue facing the State Department.” Of course, not all spouses are “mamas” (19 percent are male), or even parents; but the issue remains very important. “If spouses or partners are unhappy about the inability to find meaningful work, family life suffers as well,” says spouse Lynne Madnick, an attorney currently posted to St. Petersburg. In our family, no one feels settled until “Mama”has found her raison d’être— whether it’s editing the embassy newsletter in Kampala, teaching in Kingston, volunteering at an orphan- age in Niamey or writing magazine ar- ticles in Athens. As one experienced spouse advised on a popular Foreign Service networking site: “Rethink what you want to be when you grow up.” While the Department of State has made efforts to ad- dress the issue, negotiating bilateral and de facto work agree- ments with 109 countries, employment opportunities for spouses remain limited. According to the June 2009 Family Member Employment Report, issued by the Family Liaison Office, only 39 percent of spouses are working, either inside or outside of the mission. This contrasts with Department of Labor statistics for 2008 indicating that in 51.4 percent of marriages, both spouses were employed. In addition, ac- cording to FLO’s Employment Options for Foreign Service Family Members , the majority of FS spouses — more than 80 percent — hold college degrees. Despite its efforts, the Department of State has yet to take full advantage of this educated talent pool. “If posts can pay someone $30,000 a year to escort painters or answer tele- phones, why can’t they pay me $30,000 to use my education and skills to do substantive work?” asks a long-term FS spouse who wishes to remain anonymous. In fact, the de- partment is already funding programs to do that —but not for diplomatic spouses. It has eight programs to assist col- lege and high school students with paid fellowships or in- ternships working within the department, and recently launched a new Virtual Foreign Service Program to involve college students in current diplomatic initiatives. If it can utilize and support students, surely the depart- ment can use the talent, expertise and experience of its diplomatic spouses to help fulfill the need for “dedicated, energetic and skilled people to help us succeed ... and to help renewAmerica’s global leadership and put us and our world on a path of peace and prosperity,” as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton declares on the department’s Web site. One idea is to radically expand the department’s Pro- fessional Associates program opportunities by having spouses with particular expertise, in conjunction with of- fices at post and the bureaus in Washington, write propos- als for new initiatives or projects that advance posts’ objectives. Artists, art historians or curators could work with local artists and museums to plan exhibitions and hold professional workshops. Li- brarians could instruct schools, universities and organizations on how to set up their own libraries. Archaeologists could assist muse- ums and local dig teams, giving tours and lectures. Computer spe- cialists could advise local nongovernmental organizations on how to use technology to advance their work. Lawyers, management, human resource and financial specialists could support startup businesses, universities and even local governments. Spouses could be the answer to a dramatically expanded community outreach program; and most of these profes- sionals could just as easily work in our own embassies. Democracy-building, promoting the rule of law, pursuing anticorruption efforts and human rights, and encouraging volunteerism are all areas where State could utilize the pro- fessionally educated and experienced talent already present at posts worldwide. It also makes financial sense not to hire new people for whom the department must pay housing, transportation, security and medical costs, and instead use those already in place and familiar with the way overseas missions work. Sec. Clinton’s vision is that the State Department “will play a vital role in ushering in a new era in American diplo- macy by advancing a foreign policy that is both smart and sound, pragmatic and principled.” A spouse employment program is also smart, sound, pragmatic and principled: a win-win situation for everyone involved. And that would make Mama very happy. ❏ Dawn Sewell McKeever is on her seventh overseas assignment and her 17th “job” since she and her husband joined the Foreign Service 21 years ago. Surely the department can use the talent, expertise and experience of its diplomatic spouses. Employing Spouses Makes Everyone Happy 60 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9 A F S A N E W S FS VOICE: FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS ■ BY DAWN SEWELL MCKEEVER