Top 10+ Nations Offering the Best Parental Leave vs. 5 That Offer Nothing

Bulgaria: The World Champion of Maternity Leave

Bulgaria is the country with the best maternity leave in the world, offering new parents an incredible 410 days of paid time off. Not only do they have one of the longest maternity leaves, but Bulgaria also covers 90% of the employee's salary and starts 45 days before the due date.

This Eastern European nation shows how government investment in family support can create a truly comprehensive system for new parents. While Bulgaria has a fairly traditional attitude with mothers taking the lion's share of the time off, their statutory maternity leave is extremely generous.

All 410 days are funded at 90% of the mother's wage, starting 45 days before the due date. When the baby is 6 months old, mothers can transfer their remaining maternity leave to the father, giving them an opportunity to take time off to bond with their baby.

Sweden: The Pioneer of Equal Parental Rights

Sweden has one of the most family-friendly policies in the world. With 480 days' total leave — 1.3 years — offered at 80% pay, most parents can easily afford to take this time and spend it with their new child.

Sweden stands out for its progressive approach to gender equality in parenting. New parents in Sweden are entitled to 480 days of leave at 80% of their normal pay.

Sweden is unique in that dads also get 90 paid paternity days reserved just for them. The idea is to promote bonding between father and child during a time when moms are getting most of the attention.

Sweden today has the most generous system based on the duration of paid leave, with parents able to share 480 days, or over 69 weeks of leave.

Finland: Leading Gender-Neutral Parental Support

Parents in Finland can transfer up to 69 days of their leave to the other parent if they want to, making this one of the most flexible parental leave policies in the world. Single parents can use both parents' entitlements, giving them 328 days of parental leave.

Scandinavian countries are champions when it comes to their parental leave, and Finland's leave policy is no exception. Starting in 2021, Finland gave all parents leave, regardless of their gender or whether they are a child's biological parents.

Under the new law, each parent is given 160 days or about seven months. The first 16 days are paid at 90% of their earnings, and the following days are paid 70% of their income.

Norway: Flexibility at Its Finest

In Norway, parents are entitled to a total of 12 months of parental leave. The leave period is shared between the parents, with specific quotas reserved for each.

What makes Norway special is the choice they give parents in how to structure their time off. Parents can choose between 49 weeks of leave with full pay or 59 weeks with 80% of pay.

There is a minimum benefit for parents with low or no income. If you are willing to shorten your leave to 49 weeks rather than 61 weeks, Norway will pay you 100 percent of your salary, although this is capped at a salary of 62,014 Norwegian kroner a month (€5,269).

If you instead opt for 61 weeks, you can be paid at 80 percent of salary up to 49,611 Norwegian kronor (€4,215) a month.

Iceland: Small Nation, Big Heart for Families

Even though fewer than 340,000 people live in Iceland, it has one of the most generous parental leave laws. Parents are allowed 39 weeks of paid leave that is given out of 80% of the worker's salary.

Each parent gets 13 weeks off from work. The remaining 13 weeks can be split between both parents or as they deem fit.

In 2000, Iceland was the first country to provide both parents with an equal, three-month quota of parental leave. This was supplemented by an additional three months that could be shared by the parents but were mainly taken by the mother.

This policy led to a marked increase in men taking parental leave in the country, and set the path for policymaking in the area even up until today.

Estonia: Full Pay, Full Support

Estonia pays maternity leave at 100% of the mother's wage, making this eastern European country a standout option. At 140 days, mothers get almost 5 months maternity leave at full pay, so they can focus on caring for their new baby without worrying about finances.

Mothers in Estonia are given 140 days of fully paid pregnancy and maternity leave, which may begin 30-70 days before the expected delivery date. Similar to the Nordic countries to the north, fathers in Estonia are given two weeks of paid time off to promote extra bonding with their child.

They can also chose to take some of the time off during the final two months before the expected delivery date.

Germany: European Leader Outside Scandinavia

Germany is the only country outside of Scandinavia to have some of the most generous parental leave laws in the world. It has successfully managed to bridge the gender gap, even though Germany is a country that traditionally has expected mothers to stay at home.

In the mid-2000s, this mindset changed as laws were passed to encourage women to get back into employment. Employees are entitled to parental leave for their natural or adopted child and can request up to 3 years of parental leave to take care of a newborn until the child turns 3 years old.

This time can be claimed by both parents at the same time, or separately. While on parental leave, employees may work up to 30 hours per week.

Additionally, parents of children born after July 1, 2015, can access the Parental Allowance Plus, which gives them the right to receive a parental allowance from the government for up to 24 months or up to 28 months if both parents decide to take parental leave at the same time.

Spain: Equal Rights for All Parents

Spain's leave laws have offered 16 weeks of paternity leave, equal to maternity. Also, fathers can take this leave at the same time as maternity leave, with the first six weeks mandatory post-delivery and the remaining 10 weeks flexible within the baby's first year.

Same-sex couples are granted equal rights, allowing one partner to opt for paternity leave and the other for maternity leave. 100% of the salary is paid. Spain stands as an example of how progressive policies can ensure equality regardless of family structure or gender identity.

Lithuania: The Hidden Nordic Rival

Nordic countries get a lot of attention for their generous leave policies, but Lithuania may beat them all. New moms get 18 weeks (126 days) of partially paid leave, and new fathers get 30 days.

Both parents get parental leave until the child is 3 years old (fathers are guaranteed two non-transferable months). During this period, they can receive 18 months at 60% pay or 24 months at 45% and 30%.

The remaining days are unpaid. This Baltic nation proves that generous family policies aren't limited to the wealthy Nordic region.

Croatia: Full Pay for Early Bonding

Croatia provides mothers with paid leave until the child is 6 months old, paid at 100%! Their leave starts as early as the 45th day before her due date, and they have compulsory leave until the 70th day after the child's birth.

Croatia's approach emphasizes the critical early bonding period while ensuring mothers don't face financial hardship during this crucial time.

The United States: Developed World's Biggest Failure

The United States is one of the few developed countries that doesn't have a national policy on paid parental leave. The only other countries that don't guarantee mothers time off are Papua New Guinea, Suriname, Micronesia, The Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, and Tonga.

Clearly, in comparison to other high-income countries, the US is extremely behind when it comes to paid time off. The minimum required paid maternity leave in the U.S.

is zero weeks. Moreover, the U.S.

has fewer maternity leave protections and benefits than any other country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an international alliance that includes many of the world's most developed and highest-income countries. In the United States, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a law that requires covered employers to provide at least 12 weeks of unpaid family leave time after the birth or adoption of a child.

Multiple exceptions to this law exist, such as when an employer has fewer than 50 employees, when the expectant parent has been employed by the company for fewer than 12 months, and when the employee earns within the top 10% of wages in the company. While FMLA requires a minimum of 12 weeks of unpaid leave for new parents, employers have the option to extend the number of weeks and offer a partial salary to parents if desired.

Papua New Guinea: Public vs. Private Divide

United States: The US is the only first-world country that doesn't mandate paid parental leave. Papua New Guinea: Public sector employees are allowed to take 6 weeks off before and after delivery with no deductions to their salary.

For private sector employees, it depends entirely on their company. This Pacific island nation illustrates how inconsistent policies can create inequality even within the same country, leaving private sector workers vulnerable while protecting government employees.

Marshall Islands: Minimal and Means-Tested

Marshall Islands: Marshall Islands technically has paid maternity leave, but it's only for 20 days at the national minimum wage and is applicable only to the public sector. This tiny Pacific nation offers what amounts to less than three weeks of barely paid leave, making it one of the world's most restrictive systems.

The combination of extremely short duration and minimal pay creates significant hardship for new families.

Palau: Unpaid Leave Only

Palau: Female employees who have a permanent status at work can take a maximum of 30 days of unpaid maternity leave. This island nation offers no financial support during what should be a precious bonding time with a new baby.

Even the duration is severely limited, forcing mothers back to work within a month of giving birth without any income support during their absence.

Nauru and Micronesia: Public Sector Privileges

Nauru: Only public sector employees who have worked for at least 6 months are entitled to 12 weeks of paid maternity leave. Micronesia: In 2022, the Micronesian state of Kosrae passed a law mandating 12 weeks of paid leave to female employees in the public sector, regardless of contract type.

Both these Pacific nations create a two-tier system where government workers receive protection while private sector employees get nothing. This approach leaves the majority of working mothers without any support during one of life's most important transitions.

The stark contrast between countries offering over a year of paid leave and those providing nothing reveals how policy choices reflect national priorities. While some nations invest heavily in supporting families during this crucial period, others leave new parents to navigate one of life's biggest challenges entirely on their own.

What does this say about how we value the next generation?

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