The US, as a western country, are still lacking a good Parental / Maternity Leave program. Only the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), which was established in 1993, comes close to such a program. But still, the FMLA is not comparable to other Maternity Leave programs other countries are providing. The possible leave written down in the FMLA can be both used of men and women in the first five years of their baby. It is not essential for them to have the Parental / Maternity leave already during pregnancy or immediately after the child was born.

The leave can be individually taken for fifteen weeks. If the partners a choosing a combined leave, then this leave should not exceed 65 weeks. Thanks to the FMLA it is now also for men easier if they want to stay a home for a couple of weeks to support their wife with taking care of the baby. Especially in the first couple of month a combined leave is very useful for a family. Although the FMLA already supports men and women to stay at home with their child it is still a long way for the US to establish a good Parental / Maternity leave program which will be comparable to other countries. In the UK for example the employees insurance takes the responsibility of the monetary aspects of the maternity leave. In the UK the government offers a good Parental / Maternity leave program for workers.

When applying for maternity leave, it is not necessary for women to provide a medical certificate.  They just have to submit a certificate that they are going to deliver a baby and they have to mention the approximate date of delivery of the child. The maternity leave can be used in different stages, means it is not required to avail the leave continuously.

There is definitely a need of good maternity leave programs. Therefore usually companies offer leave to their staffs, on humanitarian grounds, even if there is no law for paid maternity leave. The following links provide a good overview of the Parental / Maternity leave programs in the various countries:

• Parental / Maternity Leave in the US
• Parental / Maternity Leave in the UK
• Parental / Maternity Leave in Canada
• Parental / Maternity Leave in Australia

Times are changing. The last couple of year’s life is getting more and more expensive and most of the families are forced that both partners are working to earn enough money either to survive or to achieve the living standard they want to have. In the past there was no real need for Parental / Maternity Leave since usually the wife was staying at home and taking care of the kids. The present situation is totally different. Since usually both partners are working the need for a good Parental / Maternity leave program is getting more and more important.

In the US it is not mandatory for the companies, like in other countries, to offer paid Parental / Maternity Leave for their employees. Most of the companies just offer a few weeks off for their employees, when they are about to get a child. Different countries are following different laws when it comes to Parental / Maternity Leave.

In the United States in 1993 the Family and Medical Leave Act was enforced and under this law, all companies that have more than fifty workers have to provide unpaid leave to their employees. Only employees who have worked for the company at least fulltime for one year have the right for this unpaid leave. This leave is provided either when the woman has family related medical reason or if she has to take care of the newborn. This leave has to be availed within the first twelve months of the baby. The FMLA is granted if a child is adopted as well

The medical related leave is available for both men and women. Different states of the United States have different rules for their Parental / Maternity Leave. When the local law is inferior, the FMLA is applicable in this state.

In Canada for Example, the Employees Insurance provides benefits for the employees when they avail Paternity or maternity or sick leave. In total, a 35 months leave could be availed by both wife and husband. This enables both of them to have the leave at the same time. When the woman wants to have her maternity leave, it is not necessary for her to provide a medical certificate, but, she should submit a confirmation about her pregnancy and the estimated date of delivery.

As mentioned above different countries and even different states within those countries can have different laws. What you need to know about Parental / Maternity leave in the various countries can be found here:

• Parental / Maternity Leave in the US
• Parental / Maternity Leave in the UK
• Parental / Maternity Leave in Canada
• Parental / Maternity Leave in Australia