Here’s What Women Around the World REALLY Think of U.S. Maternity Leave

By Kristen Tea

Every developed country in the world offers its families some form of paid parental leave. Every country except the United States, that is.
American mothers are offered 6-12 weeks of unpaid leave, if they are lucky. Not everyone can afford unpaid leave. In a survey by the International Labour Organization, of nearly every country in the world — countries with a wide variety of income levels — only the United States and Papua New Guinea failed to offer any form of paid parental leave.

While paid parental leave is considered an intrinsic part of many societies, it is a controversial topic in the U.S.

In every developed country around the world except the U.S., the government implements a social insurance program, employer liability, or a combination of both to fund maternity leave. Vocal Americans often respond to this notion by saying something along the lines of, “Why should I pay for you to have a baby?”

To that I would ask, why do we pay for roads, the post office, the fire department, public parks, property taxes, garbage collection, and more?

The answer is: for the betterment of society.

This article was originally published in Mothering Magazine. To view the full article, click here.