Maternity Leave by Country 2022

Mothers take time off work after the birth of their child, usually in the form of maternity leave. Paternity leave, which is offered by many businesses, is often referred to as such.

You may or may not be compensated while on maternity and/or paternity leave. An expecting parent’s income can be reduced while on leave, and the additional expenses of a newborn baby may also have to be considered.

Governments throughout the globe frequently set minimum requirements for paid maternity leave—and pay it—with companies free to provide higher benefits if they so want.

Consequently, the length of maternity leave and the salary earned during that period varies from nation to country, state to state, and company to the employer.

There are 10 countries with the longest minimum maternity leave periods (in weeks).

1. Bulgaria — 58.6 weeks
2. Greece — 43 weeks
3. United Kingdom — 39 weeks
4. Slovakia — 34 weeks
5. Croatia — 30 weeks
6. Chile — 30 weeks
7. Czech Republic — 28 weeks
8. Ireland — 26 weeks
9. Hungary — 24 weeks
10. New Zealand — 22 weeks

In many countries, parents may extend their maternity leave beyond the six weeks specified above. There are 62 weeks of extra parental leave available in Estonia once a woman has taken full-time, fully paid maternity leave for 20 weeks.

For example, Austria gives a minimum of 16 weeks at 100% pay, followed by an extra 44 weeks at 73.1 percent pay for those who choose to extend their parental leave beyond that.

Mothers in certain nations, including Chile, begin maternity leave months before the due date.

After the birth of a child, women in Chile must take a 12-week leave of absence from work, which they must begin six weeks before their due date (with possible adjustments if the due date proves incorrect).

Mothers in Austria must take leave from the date of their due date until the day of their child’s birth.

United States of America: Maternity Leave

When a child is born or adopted in the United States, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires eligible employers to offer at least 12 weeks of unpaid leave.

For example, if a firm has less than 50 workers, if the pregnant parent has been working for less than 12 months, or if an employee earns more than the company’s top 10% of compensation, this regulation does not apply to the employee.

Employers can extend parental leave beyond the 12 weeks mandated by the FMLA and give a portion of a parent’s pay if they so choose.

Zero weeks of paid maternity leave are the minimum in the United States. It’s also the only OECD member country that doesn’t have the most generous maternity leave policies and benefits, making it one of the least generous nations in the world regarding maternity leave policies and benefits.

Also See: LGBT Rights by Country 2022

State-specific maternity leave programs have been established in numerous states (California is one) and the District of Columbia (which is not a state).

Full-Rate Paid Maternity Leave in Various Countries

Pregnant women in the following nations must earn their full-rate wages or salaries while on maternity leave: Portugal, Croatia, and the United States.

Payouts in other nations may not be 100% of the mother’s typical salary, but they still represent a very high proportion of the mother’s income. For example, Norway has 94%, France has 90%, and Bulgaria has 90%.