Family Leave Around the World
Oct 19th, 2007 by nick
I knew that maternity and paternity leave opportunities in the US are meager compared to many European countries. But I had no idea things were this bad. It turns out that the United States is one of only five countries in the world that does not guarantee some paid maternity leave. That puts us in the company of Lesotho, Liberia, Papua New Guinea, and Swaziland.
Furthermore, 66 countries around the world guarantee paid paternity leave. The US, of course, guarantees nothing in that regard.
All we have at the national level is the Family Medical Leave Act, which guarantees up to 12 weeks of unpaid maternity or paternity leave for some workers, depending on the size of the company, how long they’ve worked there, etc. The New York times estimates that 40% of workers in the US don’t qualify, and that 78% of those who did qualify couldn’t afford to use it. While I’ve been lucky enough to be able to make use of the FMLA following the birth of both my children, I can certainly sympathize with the difficult position of people who really want to stay home with their infants, but just can’t afford it.
Luckily there’s been some progress at the state level. California, for example, instituted paid family leave in 2004 (for which I was pleased to vote, as I lived in California at the time). However, I think we can do better at the national level. Time at home with newborns is so important for both the parents and children that it’s a shame we can’t raise our standards in the United States a little to match the rest of the world.
You can take a look at the report itself (PDF file).