Maternity and paternity leave are two of the fundamental family-friendly rights that can be provided in the workplace. Yet, the period and the payment given for maternity leave varies greatly between nations and organizations with some not offering this at all.
Pregnancy-related legal protection in terms of leave was first established in Germany in 1878, but this was initially only for three weeks and applied to a limited number of women. In 1919, the International Labor Organization established the Maternity Protection Convention, the first international norm designed to safeguard working women before and after pregnancy.
Even though maternity leave represents one of the fundamental rights, having huge benefits for both mothers and fathers, it still has some drawbacks that could push women into a gender gap.
What is maternity leave?
Numerous organizations choose to adopt a more accepting stance on family leave. Thus, they attempt to promote a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture.
A mother often takes maternity leave after she gives birth or adopts a baby. Although it is an obligatory employee benefit in almost every nation, each country has its own set of rules regarding maternity leave.
What is paternity leave?
A standard legal privilege in almost every country, paternity leave provides spouses and fathers with job-protected days off from work after their partner gives birth or the couple adopt a child.
Each region has its own rules for who is eligible for paternity leave, as well as its duration and payment options.
It is worth mentioning that some nations allow both parents to share their leave, thus making it possible for each parent to spend time with their newborn.
Paid maternity leave by country
Surprisingly, among all the member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, only the United States does not offer paid maternity or paternity leave. This is either deducted from the employee’s personal payments or sick leave or provided as an additional benefit by the business.
Here are some facts about maternity leave you probably did not know:
- The highest-paid maternity leave is registered in certain European countries.
- Some nations may offer over two months of paid leave, but do not guarantee the same level of pay, while other provide less time off but with a 100% salary compensation.
- Nations that provide full payment for maternity leave (although for different timeframes) include Austria, Estonia, Mexico, Chile, Germany, Netherlands, Costa Rica, Israel, Poland, Croatia and Lithuania.
- Other nations such as Norway, France and Bulgaria provide compensation that may fall short of 100% of the standard pay but which nevertheless account for a sizable portion of the mother’s normal income (94%, 90%, and 90%, respectively).
- Even poor countries provide family leave. For example, in Moldova parents are eligible to take up to three years of childcare leave.
How long is maternity leave?
There’s no single standard for maternity leave. This may vary between countries and from one organization to another. Maternity leave rules are usually governed by legislation and financed by the government.
Top 10 nations that boast the longest maternity leave offered:
Source: World Population Review
Top 20 countries in terms of paid maternity leave
The most beneficial maternity leave regulations are found in Greece, where women are guaranteed 43 weeks of leave with an average pay rate reaching 61.8%, an equivalent of 26.6 fully paid weeks.
- All OECD nations, except for the US, give at least six weeks of paid maternity leave.
- Just four nations out of 20 pay less than 50% during maternity leave: the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada.
Source: Business.org
On the opposite side, stand the countries that do not offer any paid maternity leave at all.
Based on data from the NY Times, apart from the US, family leave payment is not provided in certain nations in the Asia-Pacific:
- Papua New Guinea
- Micronesia
- The Marshall Islands
- Nauru
- Palau
- Tonga
Maternity and paternity leave benefits
Not every organization is willing to cover an absent employee’s workload, and parents may thus find it challenging to find the balance between their job and childcare. Along with the inherent stress of childbirth and child raising, many mothers also risk postnatal depression.
The National Partnership for Women & Families have listed a number of benefits that maternity leave offers:
- It enhances the physical and psychological wellbeing of mothers and their children.
- Infant mortality rates drop.
- The frequency of brain injuries brought on by maltreatment in children under the age of two decreases as a result of lower stress levels.
- A mother’s mental health improves.
- The more time a mother breastfeeds her baby, the more benefits there are for both her and the newborn. It is known that breastfeeding benefits the child’s digestive and immune systems and reduces the mother’s chances of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
- Paid leave for fathers can enhance heterosexual couples’ engagement with their infants, lessen the severity of the mother’s depressive symptoms, and enhance the development of the child as a whole.
The downsides of maternity and paternity leave
Family leave may also have negative consequences, but these are apparently related more to businesses and co-workers, rather than mothers and fathers.
- Paid family leave means paying someone who is not working and this is a drawback for many businesses.
- There can be some variations in maternity pay depending on the jurisdiction. To remain compliant when recruiting internationally, an organization must be aware of all the relevant laws – and that is a rather challenging task.
- Other employees may show signs of frustration when new mothers receive paid maternity leave.
- Experts believe the duration of maternity leave has serious consequences in terms of gender equality. However, there are various views on the ideal length of maternity leave and the way it can affect other workers.
- Mothers may not feel prepared to return to work if their leave is too short. On the other hand, a protracted absence from the workplace can impact women’s ties to the labor force.
Final world
Family leave may have drawbacks for companies and employees, but it undoubtedly has many more positive effects, especially in terms of mothers’ and babies’ health. Each country has its own set of rules on this but most provide paid leave with just a few nations, including the U.S., not doing so. In these states, mothers have to rely on businesses that decide independently whether to provide maternity leave or not. The countries boasting the longest and best-paid maternity leave are found in Europe and Latin America.
