How The U.S. Parental Leave Policy Stacks Up Against The World
Parental leave is one of the more controversial topics in the U.S.
Unlike many other countries, the U.S. offers no paid parental leave which puts many young parents in a financial pinch. The alternative to paid parental leave provided is the Family and Medical Leave Act. If an employee qualifies, they can take up to 12 weeks off after the birth of a child or a family medical emergency.
Unfortunately, many employees can’t afford to go 12 weeks without a paycheck. To make matters more complicated, only 60% of workers qualify for FMLA. To be eligible for FMLA, an employee needs to work full-time for a company for a year, and that company needs to employ 50 employees within 75 miles. This means most parents end up going back to work early or falling back on credit cards during their parental leave.
Don't leave your career to chance- download our post-maternity leave career guide to help you in this time of transition.
While certain states such as California and Rhode Island make changes at the state level and select companies such as Spotify and Netflix are increasing the time off, it still falls short of many other countries. The United States is part of the roughly 4% of countries in the United Nations that does not provide any paid parental leave. Parents are forced to earn extra money ahead of time to try and offset the difference.
Why it would be beneficial for the U.S. to provide paid parental leave
Recent research has shown that paid parental leave has several benefits including lowering infant mortality rate, improved breastfeeding rate, and a lower risk of depression for women that get more than 8 weeks of paid leave and 12 weeks of maternal leave.
Developing a paid parental leave program would provide several benefits to those employed in the United States. Check out the infographic from Investment Zen below to learn more about how the U.S. stacks up to other countries in parental leave. You might be surprised how much other countries provide for parental leave as well as learn some interesting facts in the process.
After a gap away from work it can sometimes feel daunting to go back. Take a look at our online workshop Building your Confidence to prepare you for your return.
Are you supporting the Female Talent Pipeline? For support and coaching, take a look at our Corporate Services
Found that interesting?
Learn more about our services
Individual services
Make your dreams a reality with a professional evaluation of your career to date.
Corporate services
The evidence is in. More women in your company can deliver 35% greater financial returns. (Catalyst)
Upcoming events
Dates for the Diary
November 12th European Commission DG GROW
Informal talk on how to deal with sexism - 12.30 - 1400
November 25th Council of the European Union - Corporate Event
How to deal with sexism and harassment in the workplace
Download and listen free podcasts

Facial Movements: Do you Freeze, Flight or Fight?

How to Create an Effective USP
How to Create an Effective USP What is a USP? Our Unique Selling Point or UVP (Unique Value Proposition) is our key core message about where...
read more
How to Rethink the Modern Workplace for Gender Equality
How to Rethink the Modern Workplace for Gender Equality New research shows that diversity and inclusion is a top priority for leaders. So why...
read more
Menopause in the workplace
Menopause in the workplace In this podcast with Nicki Williams award winning author, keynote speaker and Founder of Happy Hormones for Life,...
read more
How to Cultivate Empathy in the Workplace
How to Cultivate Empathy in the Workplace Nancy Milton, international business communications expert, keynote speaker and author, share some vital...
read more
Taking Care of your COW
Taking Care of your COW Tanvi Guatam, international Personal Branding expert says there is a misconception out there that a personal brand is...
read more
The importance of Hard Talk
The importance of Hard Talk Dawn Metcalfe, author of Managing the Matrix and Hard Talk, shares with us tips to achieve the lasting communication...
read more
When Does Female Rivalry Turn into Sabotage
When Does Female Rivalry Turn into Sabotage There’s a lot of stuff written on social media about female rivalry and competition between women. Some...
read more
Goal setting tips to boost your career
Goal setting tips to boost your career The happiest people are those that really love their jobs. Those that don’t, dread Sunday nights and...
read moreSexism: How to stage a Bystander Intervention in the Workplace
Sexism: How to stage a Bystander Intervention in the Workplace In this power coaching podcast, we're going to tackle one of the questions...
read more
How to Get Noticed by Head Hunters & Recruiters
How to Get Noticed by Head Hunters & Recruiters In this power coaching podcast, we're going to tackle one of the questions asked multiple...
read more
Why all women need a strong LinkedIn profile
Why all women need a strong LinkedIn profile Data on women on LinkedIn has always been hard to get and analyse, but some new information sheds...
read moreRelated articles
Are conference swag bags obsolete?
Conference swag bags no longer feel like a welcome gift, and instead tend to feel like a waste of resources and effort. Here are some tips to improve them.
read more5 ways to make your employer brand attractive to women
Make your employer brand attractive to women so that you can attract the top potential candidates.
read moreSocial Media Etiquette for Professional Use
We use it casually every day, but now we need to work out the best social media etiquette for professional use. Remember, your whole reputation could be gone with just one click.
read more