The United States has the Worst Parental Leave Policy in the World

Ok, so it's actually tied with Papua New Guinea for the worst.  Either Estonia or Sweden wins the award for best policy.

Sarah is twelve weeks old, which means that if I had kept my job, I would be returning tomorrow if I wanted to stay employed.  The Family and Medical Leave Act stipulates that each parent may take 12 weeks off and be guaranteed to still have their job.  While many [white collar] jobs offer some of these weeks as paid, there is no legal necessity for it.

Here are some countries that I knew had better policies:

• France - 16 weeks paid at 70% of wages for mothers PLUS 2 weeks paid for fathers PLUS three years paid at a flat rate for either parent.
• Germany - 14 weeks paid at 100% of wages for mothers PLUS one year paid at 67% for either parent PLUS two more years unpaid for either parent
• Canada - 15 weeks paid at 55% of wages (more for low income households) for mothers PLUS 35 weeks paid at 55% (more for low income) for either parent

Here are some countries that I didn't expect to have a better policy:

• Syria - 50 days paid at 70% of wages for mothers
• North Korea - 240 days (2 months before birth and six month afterwards) for mothers; unsure how much is paid
• Iran - 6 months paid at 100% of wages for mothers
• Ethiopia - 13 weeks paid at 100% of wages for mothers PLUS 1 week unpaid for fathers

I don't know what the correct answer is here, it just doesn't seem right to be at the bottom of the pack.  I know that plenty of parents work and raise their children well; it would just be nice to have more flexibility in the decision.  Matthew and I made the decision we think is best for our family and I do love my new job.  I'm especially glad I don't need to wake up at 6 AM tomorrow and make myself look presentable enough to worry about the price of Class III milk.

Now here's a picture of Sarah with her church friends to soften this rant.

Prairie Hills Baby Boom!

Unless otherwise linked, source of all information came from Wikipedia.

Another interesting view of worldwide policies.