IntroductionThirty-two years after Spain first allowed women to join the armed forces, 12% of active troops are women, although there are no data on how many of them are mothers. There is a lack of research related to the impact of motherhood on their careers and the challenges they face as well. Previous quantitative research, within North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces, has focused on the increased vulnerability and reduced performance of women returning to service after childbirth. However, no study to date has examined the narratives of these women.MethodsA qualitative, cross-sectional study was carried out by means of individual interviews which were subsequently analysed employing the interpretative approach of hermeneutic phenomenology. All the interviews were conducted by videoconference, being recorded for subsequent transcription and analysis with MAXQDA v.2018.ResultsServicewoman reported experiencing fear of informing their command chain of their pregnancy. Many women described feelings of constantly having to prove their worth, and thus perceived the physical restrictions associated with pregnancy and/or postpartum as a threat to their previous achievements. This sometimes led to behaviours that posed a risk to the health of mothers and babies, or eventually resulted in both acute and chronic conditions.ConclusionsSome restrictions put in place to protect them during their pregnancies become a source of additional anxiety. Returning to active service, we found that women’s desire to fulfil their duties can cause long-term damage to their physical and psychological health. The attitudes servicewomen perceive towards pregnant women and mothers seems to exert a strong influence on the risks they are willing to assume. Understanding and addressing the needs of servicewomen after childbirth, either now, as active members of the Armed Forces, or in the foreseeable future, as veterans, is crucial to both military and civilian healthcare providers.

El confinamiento, impuesto durante la primera ola de la pandemia causada por el virus SARS-CoV-2, ocasionó el cierre de centros educativos complicando la situación para las familias con menores a cargo. El desafío fue aún mayor entre los trabajadores denominados «esenciales», como el personal de las Fuerzas Armadas españolas (F.A.S.). Dada la distribución asimétrica de las tareas de cuidado en España y la posición minoritaria de las féminas en la institución armada, la situación de las mujeres mil-itares era potencialmente crítica. Objetivo. Analizar el uso de las medidas extraordinarias de conciliación, implementadas por el Ministerio de Defensa durante el estado de alarma. Material y método. Se realizó un estudio cuantitativo, transversal y retrospectivo a través de un cuestionario electrónico, anónimo y autoadministrado a una muestra de 473 mujeres militares. Resultados. Durante el periodo analizado, aumentó ligeramente el porcentaje de mujeres militares que hacían uso de medidas de conciliación familiar. Sin embargo, en casos de parejas/exparejas donde ambos progenitores son militares, se duplicó el número de padres que disfrutaron de ellas. Por su parte, las familias monomarentales optaron por la permanencia de la madre en el domicilio. Conclusiones. El confinamiento cambió el perfil de uso de la conciliación familiar en las F.A.S., con mayor presencia de las madres en hogares monomarentales, pero también mayor corresponsabilidad en hogares con ambos progenitores militares. Nuevos análisis sobre los factores que han propiciado esta mayor corresponsabilidad podrían aportar valiosa información para lograr reducir las consecuencias profesionales de la maternidad en las mujeres de las F.A.S.