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The Trump administration earlier this year included a plan for paid parental leave in its 2018 budget proposal, with a stated goal of offering eligible workers six weeks of leave.
The proposal was a landmark: The US is one of eight the UN's 193-member states that do not already have a national program for paid parental leave. Questions remain whether the proposal will ever make it into policy, but its inclusion highlights a national and international conversation about paid leave.
Business Insider has several editions worldwide, and we asked our international colleagues about the parental-leave policies in their respective countries. Several of them, including Ghana and Singapore, are talking about extending leave periods, and in some other countries, such as Australia, market forces are pushing companies to increase their support for new parents as they look to recruit and retain talent.
Here's what parental leave is like in 11 countries.
Australia: There is a legal requirement to provide 12 months' maternity leave.
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How much time off, if any, is afforded before the baby is due? How much time off after the birth is afforded?
Time off before birth is not specified under law, but most women stop work a few weeks before their due date. There is a legal requirement to provide 12 months of maternity leave. New mums can also ask for an extra 12 months, for a range of factors, including if there are complications with health or in the family.
What is the pay during the time off, and how does it change over time?
The payment is $695 per week, for a maximum of 18 weeks. Almost all new mums — anyone on a salary of up to $150,000 per year — can access this. This includes small-business owners and one-person companies — for example, it applies to someone who provides a beautician service from home, even if that business is running at a loss. The qualifying criterion is that the person has been doing the same thing for 10 months of the 13 months before birth.
Is there any support toward childcare costs? How much does childcare cost?
Childcare in Australia is a major social issue, particularly in densely populated areas on the east coast. There is significant support for childcare: 50% of the cost is repaid by the federal government, though this isn't available to families on high incomes. The amount of government relief is capped at over $7,000 per year, a benefit aimed at encouraging people into work after the arrival of additions to the family.
Childcare can cost well in excess of $100 per day in some parts of the major cities. There's a shortage of childcare workers and childcare spaces in the major cities, and successive governments have wrestled with how to tackle it with varying levels of success. As a result, promises to include childcare benefits are a political weapon for the major political parties.
What % of women return to work within a year after childbirth?
Official statistics show that in 2011, over half (53%) of Australian mums had returned to work by the time their child was 2 years of age. For most, this was to part-time or reduced hours of work. It is a legal requirement that the role vacated for maternity leave is still available when a new mum is ready to return to work.
How much time off is afforded for paternity?
New dads get two weeks off, at the national minimum wage of $695, as long as they earned an individual income of $150,000 or less. This ensures most dads get two weeks' paid leave at home.
While these are the legally required minimums, Australia for many years was the only OECD country beyond the US to have no legally mandated maternity leave. This was changed in 2011, with the introduction of maternity leave for at least 12 weeks at the national minimum wage. Parenting support is now a major source of competition in some major professional sectors, with more generous work-life balance and in-office childcare facilities being among major draw cards that companies offer to attract staff.
—Paul Colgan, Business Insider Australia
Ghana: There are plans to extend maternity leave from 12 to 16 weeks.
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How much time off, if any, is afforded before the baby is due? How much time off after the birth is afforded?
There are plans to extend the maternity leave from 12 weeks to 16 weeks for mothers.
What is the pay during the time off and how does it change over time?
The pay is the same as the salary on an employment contract and does not change.
Is there any support toward childcare costs? How much does childcare cost?
Private companies might enlist employees in health-insurance programs to offset some of the cost of childcare. Childcare is expensive and could cost as much as a $1,000 a month.
What % of women return to work within a year after childbirth?
About 65%.
How much time off is afforded for paternity?
As a father in Ghana, there is no paternity leave by law. But the Constitution Review Implementation Committee has proposed a statutory five-day paternity leave for male workers. In this review, the male worker will still be entitled to his salary.
—Godfred Akoto Boafo, Business Insider SSA Editor
India: Mothers get 26 weeks' leave.
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How much time off, if any, is afforded before the baby is due? How much time off after the birth is afforded?
Female employees can get paid maternity leave for 26 weeks. This benefit can be used by women for a period extending up to eight weeks before the expected delivery date and remaining 18 weeks can be availed after childbirth. But a woman with two or more children already is entitled to 12 weeks' maternity leave (that is, six weeks prenatal and six weeks postnatal expected date of delivery).
What is the pay during the time off and how does it change over time?
A mother is entitled to maternity benefits at the rate of her average daily wage for the period of her absence, for a maximum period of 26 weeks. The average daily wage means the average of the woman's wages payable to her for the days on which she has worked during the period of three calendar months immediately preceding the date from which she absents herself because of maternity.
There is a condition to this: The employee can claim maternity leave only if she has worked at least 80 days for her employer in the past 12 months. The company will pay full wages to her and not just the basic salary.
Is there any support toward childcare costs? How much does childcare cost?
There's no support toward childcare cost yet. But the recent amendment to India’s maternity law that has been passed this year and is effective April 1, 2017, onward, allows:
—A work-from-home option, which may be exercised after the expiry of the 26 weeks leave period. Depending upon the nature of work, female employees may be able to avail this benefit on terms that are mutually agreed with the employer.
—Crèche (day nursery): The MB Amendment Act makes crèche facility mandatory for every establishment employing 50 or more employees. Women employees would be permitted to visit the crèche four times during the day.
What % of women return to work within a year after childbirth?
There is no official data to suggest the exact percentage of women abandoning their career after childbirth, but a survey by industry body Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry suggests that a quarter of women in India don’t return to work after having their babies. This is one of the most credible surveys for reference.
The challenge for India is different than other countries. According to a 2013 World Bank study, only 27% of the female population over 15 is working in India. This is the lowest rate of women's participation in any workforce.
How much time off is afforded for paternity?
There is no provision on paternity leave in Indian labor law for private-sector workers. The civil servants (Central Government), however, are entitled to paternity leave. A male civil servant with less than two children is eligible for paternity leave for a period of 15 days before or up to six months from the date of delivery of the child. Paternity leave must be taken within six months of the birth of child. Workers on paternity leave are paid their leave salary equal to the pay drawn immediately before proceeding on leave.
—Anushree Singh, Business Insider India
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