Postpartum Leave Policies Worldwide: How the U.S. Stacks Up

In February 2024, I gave birth to my first child. As a self-employed full-time freelance writer, I knew my maternity leave was entirely in my hands. This meant no paid leave, no employee benefits (since I’m my own employer) and perhaps most worrisome, not knowing if my steady gigs would be available upon my return. Still, I had no choice if I wanted to start a family.I initially planned for six weeks off, which still falls short of the national maternity leave average of 10 weeks taken by new mothers, according to recent estimates. In the months leading up to my daughter’s birth, I worked extra and overtime (not always the easiest feat when pregnant) to guarantee we would have enough income to cover my six weeks of unpaid leave. I also wasn’t eligible for FMLA, or the Family and Medical Leave Act, as a self-employed new mother.Fast forward to February, and my daughter was expected to arrive two weeks early. I started my six weeks of maternity leave two weeks before my daughter’s due date, but unbeknownst to me, my daughter had other plans. She arrived nearly a week late, which meant I had already burned three weeks of the amount of time I had allotted to recover. I still gave myself a full four weeks before returning to work but picked my business back up just one month after giving birth. This tough decision wasn’t out of choice, but out of necessity to guarantee we could pay our bills.While going back to work one month postpartum was a challenge physically and emotionally, I know I’m not alone—and many women go back to work much sooner, some in as little as two weeks. Since the U.S. has no national standard for postpartum leave policies, time off varies greatly from parent to parent. Out of my two close friends who also gave birth this year, one mother received seven months of paid time off, and the other three. So, why the discrepancy?As the only high-income country in the world that doesn’t mandate fully paid maternity leave, and with only 32% of employers providing paid parental leave, the U.S. falls short compared to other postpartum leave policies worldwide. Here’s how the U.S. stacks up on a global level.

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International postpartum leave standards

In recent statistics, the U.S. ranked last in government-mandated paid leave for new parents. The number of paid weeks offered for new parents by the U.S. government—a staggering zero weeks total—may or may not come as a surprise, depending on whether you’ve been affected. Estonia tops the charts, offering 86 weeks of fully paid leave for new parents, or roughly a year and a half. This makes the U.S. the only country among 41 nations without mandated postpartum leave.Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Lithuania, Austria, Slovakia, Latvia, Norway and Slovenia also offer more than a year’s worth of paid leave to new parents. While most paid leave worldwide is allocated for maternity leave (rather than paternity leave for new fathers), some countries, like Japan, make an exception with 30 weeks of paid parental leave offered to new dads.Joining the U.S. with no federal paid maternity leave are only a small group of countries: Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau and Papua New Guinea. Even Canada, our northerly neighbor, offers at least 50 weeks of postpartum leave at 55% pay, beating out the U.S. by far.Related: Paid and Unpaid Leave of Absence: Definition and Examples

Discrepancies in postpartum work leave in the U.S.

Since many employers call the shots on postpartum leave policies, there’s a good chance maternal or paternal leave will look completely different from parent to parent. Numerous research shows at least 12 weeks or more of maternity leave offers the greatest benefit for mothers and their infants, so why does the U.S. continue to offer zero mandated weeks?While there’s no clear-cut answer, mandated paid leave could increase costs for employers, according to some public policy experts. Others point to the post-war landscape in the U.S. as being a major contributor to today’s postpartum leave. As many European nations were forced to rebuild both their cities and populations following World War II, the U.S. was largely spared a major population loss, which meant U.S. mothers were encouraged to free up jobs for men returning from the army and become homemakers. This would negate the need for paid leave.Still, the American work landscape has changed greatly in recent decades, and the majority of today’s women opt for work outside of the home. As of 2022, 56.8% of U.S. women participated in the national workforce. While mandated paid parental leave in the U.S. still stands at a slim zero weeks, the country has taken recent strides to improve benefits for new parents. Although the U.S. itself doesn’t have a national paid leave mandate, California, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington state and the District of Columbia have implemented state-mandated paid leave plans. FMLA guarantees eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons, such as the birth of a child, while the recent Federal Employee Paid Leave Act has granted federal employees 12 weeks of paid maternity leave.

How to prepare for maternity leave

Whether you have fully paid maternity leave offered by your employer or you’re self-employed like me and therefore in charge of what your maternity leave might look like, there are steps you can take to best prepare for an easy transition out of and back into work.

Step 1: Look into your benefits

If you’re planning on starting a family and working for another employer, it’s wise to look into your maternal or paternal leave benefits. This can help you understand your offerings, plan accordingly and potentially negotiate better or different terms with your employer.Related: Why Are Employee Benefits Important? Types and Advantages

Step 2: Create a plan

Planning for a postpartum leave is a must whether you’re self-employed or employed by a company. Determine the length of your leave, create timelines and a project transition checklist, and thoroughly communicate with employees, employers and/or colleagues about your plans.

Step 3: Budget and save accordingly

Those with unpaid or partial paid leave should budget and save accordingly in the months leading up to the birth of a child. This means monitoring spending and reducing household costs to prepare for any unpaid time off. Remember, there’s also a good chance you’ll face costly medical bills if you give birth in a hospital and haven’t met your health insurance deductible.

Step 4: Be flexible

The biggest advice I can offer from my own experience is to be flexible with your plans. You may need to take postpartum leave early for health reasons, or if your situation is like mine, your baby might just want to cook a little bit longer than planned. Whatever your situation may be, being prepared with an open mind—and having backup plans for your plans—is essential.

Plus, if you’re seeking out an employer with strong parental leave policies, Indeed can help you find the perfect fit. Whether you’re actively starting a family or considering it in the near future, it’s important to have a parental leave scenario that you’re comfortable and happy with.Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Indeed.