Status of Maternity Leave Laws

What is maternity leave and why are maternity leave laws important?

The rights and social role of women are continuing to progress and evolve as more women are working across the globe. Therefore, maternity leave rights are becoming an even more important and needed right for women in the workplace. Maternity leave is described as a temporary leave that provides time off to women for childbirth and childcare. It permits mothers to bond with the child without fear of losing their current employment when they return.

Maternity leave laws vary from country to country. When reviewing maternity leave, there are two important factors to consider: the amount of time a woman has available with her child before having to return to work and whether the woman is paid or unpaid during the granted leave time. Some countries offer no maternity leave at all. Most countries offer maternity leave laws which can range from a few weeks to over a year. Some countries have even more generous laws that ensure that all or some of that time must be paid by the employer. So depending on the country, having a baby may be a financially secure event or may come at a high price to the future of the new family.

The extent of maternity leave laws matters as it directly impacts the health of the newborn and the mother as parents can take better care of themselves with the necessary time and funds. For example, it has been shown that paid maternity leave “can reduce infant mortality by as much as 10%” […] It also increases the likelihood of infants getting well-baby care visits and vaccinations”. Even though unpaid maternity leave can provide benefits to financially secure parents by allowing them to retain their job, unpaid maternity leave often forces poor mothers to return to work prematurely in order to support their children. This early return to work can also have direct negative impact on the children, for example, “maternal employment during a child’s first year appeared to negatively affect subsequent cognitive test scores and was associated with increases in behavioural problems”. Children weren’t the only ones affected by unpaid maternity leave laws, “women who took longer than 12 weeks maternity leave reported fewer depressive symptoms, a reduction in severe depression and improvement in their overall mental health”. Paid maternity leave can also have long-term impacts such as a higher life expectancy for children and the benefits of breastfeeding for a longer period for both mothers and children. Breastfed children are “less likely to get a variety of infections and are also at a lower risk for asthma, obesity, and sudden infant death syndrome”. In like manner, breastfeeding mothers are “less likely to get breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease”.

Best vs. worst maternity leave laws

5 countries with some of the best maternity leave laws in 2016:

Finland has 105 days of paid maternity leave at 100% salary, which can start at 7 weeks prior to expected birth. An additional 16 weeks post birth of paid maternity leave, which applies to all Finnish women, regardless of their employment status, by way of a maternity grant. “Thanks to the maternity grant, Finnish mothers gained access to public health services. Finland has long had one of the lowest levels of infant and maternal mortality in the world”. There is also 8 weeks of paid paternity leave, and a paid part-time parental leave once the child is 3 years old until the beginning of 2nd grade.

Denmark has 18 weeks of paid maternity leave, 4 weeks prior to expected birth and 14 weeks post birth. During the post birth maternity leave, there’s an additional 2 consecutive weeks paid paternity leave, along with an additional 32 weeks of parental leave which can be split up. The 52 weeks are paid, but may not be at 100% of the parents’ salaries.

Sweden has 18 weeks of paid maternity leave, 90 days of paid paternity leave, and an additional 480 days of parental leave at 80% of parent’s salaries which can be split up between parents.

Serbia has 72 weeks of paid maternity leave, 46 weeks at 100% salary, 13 weeks at 60%, 13 weeks at 30%, and a week of paid paternity leave at 100% salary.

Norway has the choice between 35 weeks of paid maternity leave at 100% salary, or 45 weeks at 80% salary, between 0 to 10 weeks of paid paternity leave depending on wife’s salary, and an additional 46 weeks of paid parental leave at 100% salary or 56 weeks at 80% salary.

5 countries with some of the worst maternity leave laws in 2016:

Papua New Guinea has 6 weeks of unpaid maternity leave.

The United States, Swaziland, and Lesotho have 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave.

Tunisia has 4 weeks of paid maternity leave at 50% salary “for women in agriculture”, 67% salary “for women covered by Labour Code”, and 100% salary “for civil servants”.

The United States – a closer look

The United States is the only industrialized nation without paid maternity leave. Not only does the United States not have paid maternity leave, the amount of time off is also among the lowest in the world.

Research says that among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, the United States “is one of the worst performing in terms of neonatal and infant mortality rates”. The United States ranks among the highest in infant mortality rate for full-term babies when compared to other industrialized countries. Its infant mortality rate is “about twice the rates in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden”, all countries that have some of the best maternity leave laws in the world.

The United States also ranks 60th in the world for maternal mortality rate, worse than “virtually every other developed nation”. Research shows that millions of American women “can’t afford the pre-natal care that would keep them and their babies healthy after delivery”.

To conclude, the United States still has a long way to go.

References

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Rettner, Rachael (24 September 2014). "US Ranks Behind 25 Other Countries in Infant Mortality". Live Science. Rettner, Rachael (24 September 2014). “US Ranks Behind 25 Other Countries in Infant Mortality”. Live Science.

Almendrala, Anna (19 May 2014). "The U.S. is the Only Developed Nation With a Rising Maternal Mortality Rate". The Huffington Post. Almendrala, Anna (19 May 2014). The U.S. is the Only Developed Nation With a Rising Maternal Mortality Rate”. The Huffington Post.