While each parent is entitled to unpaid job-protected leave, only one parent can take it at a time. Only one developed country — the United States — offers zero paid maternity leave. The US has no federal law guaranteeing women (or men) paid time off after they have a baby. Despite this policy, the rates of birth and marriage in Japan are at a record low, according to The Diplomat. At the federal level, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would provide federal workers – both women and men – with 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child. In Austria, mothers are obligated to take leave eight weeks before birth and eight weeks after. Maternity leave is available at two-thirds of a woman’s average earnings for 14 weeks – six of which are compulsory. FMLA applies only to workers in companies with 50 or more workers. Some countries offer mothers their full-rate salary for the weeks that they take maternity leave. Another trend, closely related to the first, has been the move toward protective measures better adapted to the needs and personal preferences of individual workers at different periods in their working life, rather than imposing involuntary restrictions for wide categories of workers, such as women of child-bearing age. Minimum contribution levels may be required to qualify for social security payments. Currently, 119 countries meet the ILO standard of 12 weeks with 62 of those countries providing for 14 weeks or more. In Sweden, the government provides almost 16 months of paid leave to be used between two parents however they choose. Mothers in France get 16 weeks off after the birth of their baby, paid at an average of 94.2% of their previous salary. The report stresses that much still must be done: maternity protection in the last half century has been marked by progress in law, an evolution in workplace practice and rising social expectations regarding the rights of working women during their child-bearing years, says the ILO report. The OECD statistics classify the total amount of leave available to new parents into three categories: 1) maternity leave, available to mothers around the time of a birth or adoption; 2) paternity leave, available to fathers around the time of a birth or adoption; and 3) parental leave, which is typically available after maternity or paternity leave. 33% Employer / 67% S.S. 100 for 6 weeks, 100 for 84 days, 100 for 8 weeks, 50 for 9 weeks, 66.7 for 16 weeks, Social Security or health insurance, 100 for civil servants, 100 for 45 days then 50% for 15 days, Employer for 45 days, then Social Security, 82 for 30 days, 75%* thereafter, 100* 10 more weeks may be taken by either parent, S.S.to ceiling; employer pays difference, 70* or fixed rate, 100, and 26 extra paid weeks by either parent, 450 days paid parental leave: 75%, 360 days; 90 days, flat rate, 90 for 6 weeks, flat rate after. Some examples include a minimum of three months of employment in Switzerland; six months in Libya, Syria (in agriculture) and Somalia; six months during the year preceding the birth in Egypt and the Philippines; one year in Australia, Bahamas, Jamaica, Mauritius, Namibia, New Zealand and United Arab Emirates, and two years in Gambia and Zambia. 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you. The US is the only OECD country without a national statutory paid maternity, paternity or parental leave. In the United States, discrimination is prohibited against pregnant women, women at childbirth and women who are affected by a related medical condition, but only in companies with 15 or more workers. According to a 2019 report by Unicef, which analysed which of the world’s richest countries are most family friendly, Estonia leads the field for new mothers with over 80 weeks of leave at full pay. Rep. of the Congo, 50 (100% for public employees), Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, 100 for 60 days, flat rate for 10 weeks, 100 for one month, S.S. and possible employer supplement. Australians get 18 weeks of paid maternity leave at the average pay rate of 42% of their former salary, which. In Finland, a woman is required to inform her employer only if she wishes to take leave more than 30 days before the expected date of birth. Note: This is an updated version of a post originally published on Dec. 12, 2013. Mothers in the U.K., for example, get a whole year (52 weeks) of maternity leave. What Countries Have Paid Maternity Leave? Some of these countries offer paternity leave policies for fathers, but we're just looking at the moms. There has been a clear evolution away from generalized employment prohibitions for women towards more targeted protection for groups at risk, such as women before and after childbirth. In fully-paid time off, this would amount to 15.3 weeks. In the United States, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 provided a total of 12 work weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for the birth of a child and the care of the newborn. Report to Congress on Family and Medical Leave Policies. To date, just 36 countries, mainly industrialized ones, have enacted legislation governing parental leave. With the equivalent of around half a year’s pay, Chile has a comparatively generous maternity leave package. All rights reserved. The report, which used data from the 41 countries from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and European Union, found only half offered mothers a minimum of six months full pay. Netflix, for example, offers employees a full year of paid time off after the birth of their child, according Business Insider. They add up to a whopping 166 weeks, which work out at 85 weeks at full pay, according to the OECD.