With memories of apple pie and our star-spangled forefathers still fresh in our holiday weekend’s mind, we have found yet another reason to be proud to be an American: 18 weeks paid maternity leave for US Navy & Marine Corps troops.

Sure, the US is lagging behind most industrialized nations when it comes to its maternity leave (keeping company with Papa New Guinea at the bottom of the list), but this is a huge step forward in a place you might least expect it.

While women currently only make up about 7 percent of the Corps, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus wants to increase that number to 25% (a 1 in 4 ratio). And he knows there’s no better way to show talented female troops his commitment to their ability to serve both their country and their families, than to make it possible for them to come back to work with ease, as a matter of course, and with a sense of pride. We couldn’t agree more!

If you’re proud of the US Navy & Marine Corps for this progressive new policy, snap a photo in front of an American flag or landmark #ItsWorkingInTheUS.

Even celebrity moms see the problem with how It’s Working for working parents in the United States. A-list actress and Guardians of the Galaxy star Zoe Saldana says studios “spend more money sometimes ‘perking up’ male superstars” suggesting that they are showered with lavish benefits such as jets and yachts, “But then a woman comes in going, ‘OK I have a child… And then they go ‘Nope, we don’t pay for nannies.’”

After nearly losing her job as a result of her pregnancy, she was stuck working long hours without paid child care for her newborn twins. If someone as successful as Saldana is struggling with coming back to work with ease and as a matter of course, isn’t it time for a change in employer priorities?

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Changes may be afoot for the GOP on how they handle a growing group of voters: working women.

“Every parent who works has been through the day-care nightmare,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, who was the senior economic policy adviser to McCain (R-Ariz.) during the 2008 election. “This has been underappreciated by Republican candidates in part and conservatives in general. They think this stuff is automatic.”

And working mothers are changing the way they vote: “Three elections ago, nearly half of all working mothers chose George W. Bush. In 2008, the share dropped to 40 percent for Sen. John McCain. By 2012, only about a third backed Mitt Romney.”

The best way to connect with working women? Come up with some family-friendly proposals, say both voters and consultants alike. Then start owning the issue, rather than assuming each family has a stay-at-home parent and it’s always the woman opting in to do so.

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Maybe this Father’s Day we should think about getting our dads something a bit more long lasting, a little more meaningful: like a true paternity leave policy.

In today’s Roll Call, Rebecca Gale speaks with author Scott Behson about how more men can speak up within their workplace to ask for paternity leave. There is a lot to be said for leading by example, more men are likely to take paternity leave if they see a supervisor do it.

Behson’s advice: “Take the initiative to help plan how the company will handle your absence, including working ahead, training temporary replacements or delegating tasks now, so people can operate without you for a few weeks.”

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“FLEXIN’ on Fathers Day,” the musician, 34, captioned the photo. “#HappyFathersDay to ALL of the Dads out there from the newest member of the Daddy Fraternity.’

Silas, son of Timberlake and his wife, actress Jessica Biel, is decked out in blue KicKee Pants coverall with an adorable “I Love Dad” stitched over his tush.

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