Parental Leave: These Countries Offer The Best Policies For Maternal & Paternal Leaves, USA Trails Behind

Despite being a progressive country with better economy than others, the United States actually lags behind when it comes to parental leave. America has plenty to learn from the maternal and paternal leave policies of other governments. So, which country has the best parental leave policies? Below is a roundup.

Data culled by Get Voip from 39 parental leave policies of countries around the world reveal that the United States isn't even in the top 10. Russia, Czech Republic, Spain, Germany and France generously offer 1092 days of parental leave privileges, but all of these are unpaid. Some countries allow for only one parent to avail of this, while other countries treat this as a shared benefit. Spain offers equal number of days for each parent, thus it's 2184 days in total.

On the other hand, Denmark offers 224 days of shared parental leave, but these are all paid. Norway has 182 days paid parental leave, while Portugal offers 108 days paid.

For maternal leaves, the United Kingdom allows for the longest at 365 days, though it is mostly unpaid. The Czech Republic offers 196 days of paid maternal leave, while China offers 128 days paid. For paternal leave, Iceland offers the longest at 150 days unpaid, while Norway provides 70 days paid paternal leave.

Infographic: Parental Leave pic.twitter.com/185Bb5j1K3

— Sayfty.com (@SayftyCom) July 5, 2016

To compare, the Family and Medical Leave Act of the United States offers parents a maximum of 12 weeks (90 days) parental leave, which covers the birth of the child or the need to tend to family members with serious illnesses. However, some states also have flexibility in charting more provisions to laws regarding this, which effectively makes most parental leave privileges in the United States as unpaid.

Experts who talked with The Washington Post cite parental leaves, especially if paid, as "critical to the success of [a country's] economy." This provides families job security, especially for mothers, who should not be made to choose between work and family.