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"Maternity leave" redirects here. For the episode of Lost, see Maternity Leave (Lost).
Parental leave is an employee benefit that provides paid or unpaid time off work to care for a child or make arrangements for the child's welfare. Often, the term parental leave includes maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.
In most western countries parental leave is available for those who have worked for their current employer for a certain period of time.[1] Sweden is one country which provides generous parental leave: all working parents are entitled to 18 months paid leave per child, the cost being shared between employer and State. To encourage greater paternal involvement in child-rearing, a minimum of 3 months out of the 18 is required to be used by the "minority" parent, in practice usually the father, and some Swedish political parties on the Left argue for legislation to oblige families to divide the 18 months equally between both parents. Norway also has similarly generous leave. In Estonia mothers are entitled to 18 months of paid leave, starting up to 70 days before due date. Fathers are entitled to paid leave starting from the third month after birth (paid leave is however available to only one parent at a time). The amount paid depends on wages earned during previous calendar year - most will receive 100% or full wage but there is an upper limit of three times national average.
The maternal-leave only system in Bulgaria is even more generous, providing mothers with 45 days 100% paid sick leave prior the due date, 2 years paid leave, and 1 additional year of unpaid leave. The employer is obliged to restore the mother to the same position upon return to work. In addition, pregnant women and single mothers cannot be fired.
In 2000, parental leave was greatly expanded in Canada from 10 weeks to 35 weeks divided as desired between two parents. This is in addition to 15 weeks maternity leave, giving a total possible period of 50 weeks paid leave for a mother. There is still no paid leave for new fathers, however. In Canada maternity and parental leave is paid for by the Employment Insurance system.
In the UK, all female employees are entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave, 39 weeks of which is paid, with the first six weeks paid at 90% of full pay and the remainder at a fixed rate.
There is currently a push to expand paid maternity leave in countries such as Australia and the United States. One organization supporting paid maternity leave in the United States is Moms Rising.[2] It is doing so by appealing to each state legislature individually to obtain maternity leave in that state. The Center for Law and Social Policy is also a leader in the campaign for national paid leave policy and publishes often on the subject.
Contents |
Parental leave rights in different countries around the world
Africa
| Country | Paid maternity leave | Paid paternity leave | Unpaid maternity leave | Unpaid paternity leave | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 14 weeks 100% | 3 days | |||
| Angola | 90 days (approx. 12 weeks) 100% | ||||
| Benin | 14 weeks 100% | ||||
| Botswana | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Burkina Faso | 14 weeks 100% | ||||
| Burundi | 12 weeks 50% | ||||
| Cameroon | 14 weeks 100% | Up to 10 days paid leave for family events concerning workers' home | |||
| Central African Republic | 14 weeks 50% | ||||
| Chad | 14 weeks 50% | Up to 10 days paid leave for family events concerning workers' home | |||
| Comoros | 14 weeks 100% | ||||
| Congo | 15 weeks 100% | ||||
| Cote d'Ivoire | 14 weeks 100% | Up to 10 days paid leave for family events concerning workers' home | |||
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 14 weeks 67% | ||||
| Djibouti | 14 weeks 50% (100% for public employees) | 10 days family-related leave | |||
| Egypt | 50 days (approx. 7 weeks) 100% | ||||
| Equatorial Guinea | 12 weeks 75% | ||||
| Ethiopia | 90 days (approx. 12 weeks) 100% | Five days of unpaid leave in the event of exceptional or serious events | |||
| Gabon | 14 weeks 100% | Up to 10 days paid leave for family events concerning workers' home | |||
| The Gambia | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Ghana | 12 weeks 50% | ||||
| Guinea | 14 weeks 100% | ||||
| Guinea-Bissau | 60 days (approx. 8.5 weeks) 100% | ||||
| Kenya | 8 weeks 100% | ||||
| Lesotho | 12 weeks | ||||
| Libyan Arab Jamahiriya | 50 days (approx. 7 weeks) 50% | ||||
| Madagascar | 14 weeks 100% | 10 days of unpaid leave for family events | |||
| Mali | 14 weeks 100% | ||||
| Mauritania | 14 weeks 100% | ||||
| Mauritius | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Morocco | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Mozambique | 60 days (approx. 8.5 weeks) 100% | ||||
| Namibia | 12 weeks amount as prescribed | ||||
| Niger | 14 weeks 50% | ||||
| Nigeria | 12 weeks 50% | ||||
| Rwanda | 12 weeks 67% | Two days | |||
| Sao Tome/Principe | 60 days (approx. 8.5 weeks) 100% | 10 days | |||
| Senegal | 14 weeks 100% | ||||
| Seychelles | 14 weeks flat rate for 10 weeks | Four days of paid leave for "compassionate reasons" | |||
| Somalia | 14 weeks 50% | ||||
| South Africa | 12 weeks 45% | Three days paid family responsibility leave | |||
| Sudan | 8 weeks 100% | ||||
| Swaziland | 12 weeks | ||||
| Tanzania | 12 weeks 100% | 5 days fully paid paternity leave | Paid maternity leave may only be taken once every 36 months | ||
| Togo | 14 weeks 100% | Up to ten days of paid leave for "family events directly related to home" | |||
| Tunisia | 30 days (approx. 4 weeks) 67% | 1 day (private sector), 2 days (public sector) | |||
| Uganda | 60 working days (approx. 8.5 weeks) 100% | 4 working days 100% | |||
| Zambia | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Zimbabwe | 90 days (approx. 12 weeks) 60%/75% |
Americas
| Country | Paid maternity leave | Paid paternity leave | Unpaid maternity leave | Unpaid paternity leave | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua/Barbuda | 13 weeks 60% | ||||
| Argentina | 90 days 100% | Two days | |||
| Bahamas | 8 weeks 100% | One week family-related leave | Paid maternity leave may only be taken once every 36 months | ||
| Barbados | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Belize | 12 weeks 80% | ||||
| Bolivia | 60 days 100% of national min. wage + 70% of wages above min. wage | ||||
| Brazil | 120 days 100% | 5 days (Article 10, Paragraph 1, of Temporary Constitutional Provisions Act of Brazilian Constitution)[2] | |||
| Canada | 55% up to $413/week for 50 weeks (15 weeks maternity + 35 weeks parental leave shared with father) | 55% up to $413/week for 35 weeks parental leave (shared with mother) | 2 weeks | ||
| Chile | 18 weeks 100% | Article 66 indicates 1 day paid; Law N° 20.047 (2005) increased paternity leave to 4 days paid leave. (edward gonzalez-acosta, The New School) | |||
| Colombia | 12 weeks 100% | Law 755 (2002) appended a paragraph to Article 236 of the Labor Code to indicate that fathers have a leave of 4-8 days. (edward gonzalez-acosta, The New School) | |||
| Costa Rica | 4 months 100% | ||||
| Cuba | 18 weeks 100% | ||||
| Dominica | 12 weeks 60% | ||||
| Dominican Republic | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Ecuador | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| El Salvador | 12 weeks 75% | ||||
| Grenada | 3 months 100% (2 months), 60% for 3rd month | ||||
| Guatemala | 12 weeks 100% | Two days at birth of child | |||
| Guyana | 13 weeks 70% | ||||
| Haiti | 12 weeks 100% for 6 weeks | ||||
| Honduras | 10 weeks 100% for 84 days | ||||
| Jamaica | 12 weeks 100% for 8 weeks | ||||
| Mexico | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Nicaragua | 12 weeks 60% | ||||
| Panama | 14 weeks 100% | ||||
| Paraguay | 12 weeks 50% for 9 weeks | Two days | |||
| Peru | 90 days 100% | ||||
| Saint Lucia | 13 weeks 65% | ||||
| Trinidad/Tobago | 13 weeks 60%-100% | ||||
| United States | 0 weeks | 0 weeks | 6 weeks | 6 weeks | To be covered under FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act): Must work for a covered employer (all public agencies; private companies with 50 or more employees within 75 miles.) Must have worked for covered employer for at least 12 months prior, and at least 1250 hours in previous 12 months. Other restrictions apply. |
| Uruguay | 12 weeks 100% | Three days paternity leave for civil servants | |||
| Venezuela | 18 weeks 100% |
Asia/Pacific
| Country | Paid maternity leave | Paid paternity leave | Unpaid maternity leave | Unpaid paternity leave | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 90 days 100% | ||||
| Australia | 0 weeks | Available to some public sector employees | 52 weeks | Required to have completed at least 12 months of continuous service with their employer by the expected date of birth [8] | |
| Bahrain | 45 days 100% | ||||
| Bangladesh | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Cambodia | 90 days 50% | 10 days special leave for family events | |||
| China | 90 days 100% | ||||
| Fiji | 84 days Flat rate | ||||
| Hong Kong | 10 weeks 80% | ||||
| India | 135 days (Central Government) 90 days or 12 weeks in State Governments 100% | 15 days for Central Government[9][10] and a few states like Rajasthan[11] | Permitted only for employees with less than two surviving children[12] | ||
| Indonesia | 3 months 100% | Two days' paid when wife gives birth | |||
| Iran | 90 days 66.7% for 16 weeks | ||||
| Iraq | 62 days 100% | ||||
| Israel | 14 weeks 100% | 1 year | |||
| Japan | 14 weeks 60% | ||||
| Jordan | 10 weeks 100% | ||||
| Korea, Republic of | 60 days 100% | 1 year (400US$ per a month paid by Employment Insurance) | |||
| Kuwait | 70 days 100% | ||||
| Laos | 90 days 100% | ||||
| Lebanon | 49 days 100% | ||||
| Malaysia | 60 days 100% | ||||
| Mongolia | 101 days - | ||||
| Myanmar | 12 weeks 66.7% | Six days of "casual leave" that can be used by fathers to assist their spouses at the time of confinement | |||
| Nepal | 52 days 100% | ||||
| New Zealand | 14 weeks | 38 weeks | Fathers can share unpaid (extended) leave with the mother of the child. | ||
| Pakistan | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Papua New Guinea | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Philippines | 60 days 100% | Seven days paid paternity leave for married workers | |||
| Qatar | 40-60 days 100% for civil servants | ||||
| Saudi Arabia | 10 weeks 50% or 100% | One day | |||
| Singapore | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Solomon Islands | 12 weeks 25% | ||||
| Sri Lanka | 12 weeks 100% | ||||
| Syria | 75 days 100% | ||||
| Thailand | 90 days 100% for 45 days then 50% for 45 days | ||||
| United Arab Emirates | 45 days 100% | ||||
| Vietnam | 4-6 months 100% | ||||
| Yemen | 60 days 100% |
Europe
| Country | Paid maternity leave | Paid paternity leave | Unpaid maternity leave | Unpaid paternity leave | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 16 weeks 100% | ||||
| Belarus | 126 days 100% | ||||
| Belgium | 15 weeks 82% for 30 days, 75%* thereafter | 10 day (3 days are compulsory)[13] | 7 days but 82% paid out by health insurance fund | ||
| Bulgaria | 120-180 days 100% | ||||
| Cyprus | 16 weeks 75% | ||||
| Denmark | 52 weeks. 18 to be taken by the mother, 2 weeks by the father, the rest as they see fit. | ||||
| Estonia | 140 days (100%), 154 days in the case of multiple birth or medical complications[14] | 14 days, expires after 6 months after child's birth | 3 years | ||
| Finland | 105 days 80%, followed by share of 158 days with father | 18 days, can share 158 days with mother after maternity leave | Until child turns 3 | Until child turns 3 | |
| France | 16 weeks (100%) rising to 26 weeks (100%) for third child | 15 days | Share of 104 weeks (2 years) with father | Share of 104 weeks (2 years) with mother | |
| Germany | 14 weeks (100%) 6 before birth, 12-14 months (67%, but not more than 1.800 Euro/month) (14 only if shared with father) | 2 months | Share of 156 weeks (3 years) with father | Share of 156 weeks (3 years) with mother | Must have private health insurance for part of paid leave, rest of paid leave paid by employer |
| Greece | 16 weeks 75% | ||||
| Hungary | 24 weeks 100% | Five days | |||
| Iceland | 90 days 80% (based on average salary for the two previous years). Max. monthly payment for 2007: Íkr518,600 (€5,950, $8,100); min. monthly payment for 2007: Íkr100,604 (€1,150, $1,575)
+ 90 days to be shared between the parents |
As for the mother | 13 weeks | 13 weeks | Parents must have been working for a period of 6 months prior to taking the leave. Entitlement expires on the child's eighth birthday. |
| Ireland | 26 weeks (6½ months) | 0 | 16 (4 months) weeks that can be shared with father | 16 (4 months) weeks that can be shared with mother | |
| Italy | 22 weeks (5 months) (80%) 2 before birth | 13 weeks (3 months) (80%) | Maximum 26 weeks (6 months) (total for both parents maximum 44 weeks (10 months)) | Maximum 26 weeks (6 months) (total for both parents maximum 44 weeks (10 months)) | For paid leave, job contract must include social contributions (INPS) |
| Latvia | 10 calendar days | ||||
| Liechtenstein | 8 weeks 80% | ||||
| Luxembourg | 16 weeks 100% | ||||
| Malta | 13 weeks 100% | ||||
| Netherlands | 16 weeks 100% | 2 days 100% | 13 weeks 100% | 13 weeks 100% | For unpaid leave you have to have worked for an employer for over 1 year. Unpaid leave for children under 8. |
| Norway | 54 weeks (12.5 months) (80%) or 44 weeks (10 months) (100%) - mother must take at least 3 weeks immediately before birth and 6 weeks immediately after birth, father must take at least 6 weeks - the rest can be shared between mother and father. | 45 weeks (10.5 months) (80%) or 35 weeks (8 months) (100%) shared with mother - father must take a minimum of 6 weeks or else these weeks are lost as paid leave. | Each parent can also take an extra full year of unpaid leave after the paid period ends | Two weeks after birth (many fathers are paid for these weeks by their employers) plus right to take up to one year unpaid leave | To gain the right of paid leave, the parent must have worked for 6 of the last 10 months before birth, or the leave is unpaid (except for a lump sum benefit from the government) |
| Poland | 16-18 weeks 100% | ||||
| Portugal | 120 days 100% or 150 days 80% | 15 days 100% | Five days plus two weeks. | Of the maternity leave, 6 weeks is compulsory. The father may take the rest of the time the mother would have been entitled to. | |
| Romania | 112 days 50%-94% | Five days | |||
| Russia | 140 days 100% | ||||
| Slovenia | 12 months 100% | 11 days | |||
| Spain | 16 weeks 100% | 15 days (in the next years 30 days), independently of the mother. Up to 15 days of the mother's leave can be taken by the father (if the father takes all 15 days, the mother only has 97 days to take off instead of the full 4 weeks (112 days)) | Up to 3 years. | 2,500 € for every baby. 100 €/month for mother that worked. No free public day-care center from 0 to 3 years old infants. | |
| Sweden | 480 days (16 months) (80% up to a ceiling the first 390 days, 90 days at flat rate) - shared with father (minimum 60 days) | 480 days (16 months) (80% up to a ceiling the first 390 days, 90 days at flat rate) - shared with mother (minimum 60 days) + 10 working days in connection with the child's birth | |||
| Switzerland | 16 weeks (100%), 8 weeks mandatory | None | None | None | Pregnant women can't be fired |
| Turkey | 12 weeks 66.7% | Three days paternity leave in the public sector | |||
| Ukraine | 126 days 100% | ||||
| United Kingdom | 39 weeks (6 weeks at 90% of full pay and the next 33 weeks at a flat rate (as of 2007 = £112.75) or 90% of your salary if that is less than the flat rate) | 2 weeks at a fixed amount (as of March 2006 = £112.75) | 52 weeks | 0 | If a person has worked for their current employer for 26 weeks or more before the 15th week before the due date (and received a salary that is higher than a fixed minimum), they can claim Statutory Maternity Pay. This typically means that the child can not have been conceived before the mother starts a new job. They must give the employer notice before the 15th week before the child is due. People not eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay may be able to receive Maternity Allowance (for example if they have changed jobs while pregnant, are unemployed or self employed, or earn less than a fixed minimum, but they must have been working for 26 of the 66 weeks ending the week before the pregnancy and for 13 of those weeks they must have earned more than 30 pounds per week). People unable to receive either of these benefits may be able to receive other benefits, such as incapacity benefit. Maternity leave can be started up to 11 weeks before the due date. If a woman has a pregnancy-related illness in the last 4 weeks of her pregnancy, her employer can request that her maternity leave begins then, even if she is only off sick for one day. A mother may not start working again for 2 weeks (or 4 weeks if she works in a factory) after the child's birth.[15] Both parents can have an additional 13 weeks unpaid overall (maximum of 4 weeks per year) if they have worked for an employer for over 1 year for a child under 6. |
International Organizations
As international organizations are not subject to the legislation of any country, they have their own internal legislation on parental leave.
| Country | Paid maternity leave | Paid paternity leave | Unpaid maternity leave | Unpaid paternity leave | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Nations[16] | 16 weeks 100% (however, no less than 10 weeks must be after delivery, even if the pre-delivery leave was longer due to a late birth) | 4 weeks 100% (or 8 weeks for staff members serving at locations where they are not allowed to live with their family) | The fact that a staff member is or will be on parental leave cannot be a factor in deciding contract renewal. To ensure that this is enforced, if a contract ends while the staff member is on parental leave, the contract must be extended to cover the duration of such leave. |
Notes
- ^ Department of Business Enterprise & Regulation (2007)(ed.): Internal Review of Leave Policies and Related Research 2007, in: Employment Relations Research Series No. 80, p. 96, URL: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file40677.pdf
- ^ Moms Rising. Additional information about family leave policies and movements within the United States is available at PaidFamilyLeave.org.
- ^ All of the above tables are compiled from http://www.apesma.asn.au/women/maternity_leave_around_the_world.asp (compiled June 2001), with additional information in the European table from http://ec.europa.eu/eures/home.jsp?lang=en (taken from this page in February 2006) and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4837422.stm (March 2006).
- ^ Paternal leave rights compiled from International Labour Organization site at http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/condtrav/family/reconcilwf/specialleave.htm copyrighted 2006. This site does not list the amount paid for paid leave. Where information from the International Labour Organization disagreed with http://ec.europa.eu/eures/home.jsp?lang=en, the EU site has been given precedence
- ^ Please note that when entries are not listed in the table, it is because they were not known and not that they do not exist.
- ^ Information on Icelandic parental leave from http://www.althingi.is/lagas/132a/2000095.html
- ^ Information on Swedish parental leave from http://www.forsakringskassan.se/
- ^ http://www.workplace.gov.au/workplace/Programmes/WorkFamily/Parentalleave.htm
- ^ No. 13018/1/97-Estt.(L) Government of India Ministry of Personnel, P.G. & Pensions (Department of Personnel & Training) NEW DELHI, Dated 7th October, 1997.
- ^ Leave - Circulars
- ^ The Hindu : Other States / Rajasthan News : Maternity leave period increased
- ^ GO.No 237 Personnel Department dated 29.06.1993
- ^ Department of Business Enterprise & Regulation (2007)(ed.): Internal Review of Leave Policies and Related Research 2007, in: Employment Relations Research Series No. 80, p. 96, URL: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file40677.pdf
- ^ [1], accessed 06-22-2007.
- ^ The previous information is taken from http://www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/maternity.pdf and http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/index.htm
- ^ "UN legislation on maternity and paternity leave".
See also
External links
- BBC article on proposed parental leave in Germany designed to halt the decline in the birth rate and male/female workplace inequality - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4852040.stm
- BBC article on declining birth rate in Italy - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4739154.stm
- BBC article on declining birth rate in Poland and new schemes designed to increase it - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4852924.stm
- BBC article on success of Norway's parental leave scheme - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4786160.stm
- BBC guide to parenthood policies in Europe - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4837422.stm (n.b. In this BBC article parental leave means unpaid leave)
- Trends in Maternity Leave for First-Time Mothers in the U.S. - http://fycs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2006/05/family-album-radio-trends-in-maternity.html
- Maternity leave and maternity clothes information from iVillage.com - http://parenting.ivillage.com/quicklinks_maternity/0,,b6jmd0v4,00.html
- TUC page about maternity rights in the UK - http://www.worksmart.org.uk/rights/what_time_off_work_am_i_entitled
- Center for Law and Social Policy on need for reform in the US: http://www.clasp.org/publications/getting_punched_fullnotes.pdf
- Canadian Labour Standards Government website - http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/lp/spila/wlb/wppp/02leave_benefits.shtml
