Paid Maternity Leave is Common Everywhere But....
Paid maternity leave is virtually nonexistent in the US. Even unpaid leave is not a given. Since, the Family Medical Leave Act only applies to employers with 50 or more employees. A worker must have worked for the employer some 12 months prior to requesting the FMLA leave. According to one public agency, the FMLA covers 60% of the workforce.
One mother, Anna, describes her two births. See post. She was an independent contractor both times. So, the only leave she received was what she could squeeze in between births. Every Western country, except Australia and the US, offer paid maternity leave according to Anna. So much for family values.....
Thanks for linking to my post on the sad state of parental (paid and unpaid) leave for the birth/adoption of a child in the U.S. It is truly amazing that countries like China, Ethiopia and Afghanistan, just to name a few, provide better PAID benefits and job protection to new parents than the United States of America.
Thanks, Anna from Motherly Law
Yes, and FMLA leave is often not available. You cited the 60% statistic, but I bet it is lower than that. Especially for younger mothers, new in their careers and jobs. Folks have to work 1250 hours in the preceding months to qualify.