Most Generous Countries For Paid Paternity Leave
Did you know that out of a sizable number of developed countries, the United States is the only one that lacks when it comes to offering paid parental leave? Believe it or not, the fact is that the United States is the only country out of 41 modern nations that doesn’t mandate any sort of paid leave for new parents.
Contrast most other countries, who offer at least a couple of months, and some countries, like Estonia, that offer 86 weeks of paid leave to their new parents. What’s more, there’s more than a few LA wrongful termination lawyers who could tell tales of parents who have been unfairly fired after trying to take time off for their families.
It’s almost like they don’t want us to take time off in this country, and with that in mind, let’s take a look at nations who go above and beyond for their citizens when it comes to mandating family leave
A Look At Paternity Leave Around The Globe
When it comes to collecting the data on family friendly leave policies around the globe, UNICEF is ahead of the pack. Their recent findings on policies across developed nations have revealed some interesting facts. When it comes to mandating paid time off for fathers with pay equivalent to their full-time salary, five countries lead the way:
- Japan — 30.4 Weeks
- Republic of Korea — 17.2 Weeks
- Portugal — 12.5 Weeks
- Sweden — 10.9 Weeks
- Luxembourg — 10.4 Weeks
Again, compare that to the United States, where fathers have no national paid leave policy. This isn’t to say that no progress is being made on that front, mind you. There are some encouraging signs that indicate that the US might be headed in the right direction, like recent propositions to mandate parental leave for Federal Workers.
While there are statewide parental leave plans in states like California, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and DC, there’s much work to be done on behalf of the government for America to reach the level of similar developed countries when it comes to establishing a fair family leave policy on a national basis.
There are barriers present which make it difficult for parents to take time off of work in general, and in the case of fathers, additional pressure from cultural norms that might dissuade them from taking advantage of any paternal leave offered.
