Information about Parental Leave

Parental leave is the right to take time off work, paid or unpaid, 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.

An example of generous parental leave is Sweden, where 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.

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 between the two parents, which can be expanded to a year. In Canada 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.^[1] It is doing so by appealing to each state legislature individually to obtain maternity leave in that state.

Parental leave rights in different countries around the world

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Africa

Country	Paid maternity leave	Paid paternity leave	Unpaid maternity leave	Unpaid paternity leave	Restrictions
Algeria	14 weeks 100%	3 days
Angola	90 days 100%
Benin	14 weeks 100%
Botswana	12 weeks 25%
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 100%
Equatorial Guinea	12 weeks 75%
Ethiopia	90 days 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 100%
Kenya	2 months 100%
Lesotho			12 weeks
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	50 days 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 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 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 partenity 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 67%	1 day (private sector), 2 days (public sector)
Uganda	60 working days 100%	4 working days 100%
Zambia	12 weeks 100%
Zimbabwe	90 days 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)[1]
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	12 weeks	12 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		1 year
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[7][8] and a few states like Rajasthan[9]			Permitted only for employees with less than two surviving children[10]
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%
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	0		6 weeks
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
Bulgaria	120-180 days 100%
Cyprus	16 weeks 75%
Denmark	1 year. To be shared between the perents as they see fit.
Estonia	140 days (100%), 154 days in the case of multiple birth or medical complications[11]	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
France	16 weeks (100%) rising to 26 weeks (100%) for third child	2 weeks	Share of 104 weeks (2 years) with father	Share of 104 weeks (2 years) with mother
Germany	14 weeks (100%) 6 before birth, 12 months (67%) shared with father (minimum 2 month)	0 weeks	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% 150 days 80%	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		90 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.[12] 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[13]	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.

References and footnotes

See also

• parenting
• Sick leave

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