The United States, compared to the world’s other top economic powers, does not have a great reputation when it comes to social care, or to work-life balance. So it’s safe to say that when these two questions come together–specifically, in the issue of paid parental leave–America does not lead the rest of the world. Still, it’s important to look at the data: just how much maternity and paternity leave do American companies offer?
When it comes to having children, it’s incredibly key for employees to know what sort of paid parental leave their employers offer. It’s also important to know your rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act. In a recent survey, 21.6% of employees said their company offered some kind of paid leave policy- and you’ll want to know exactly what’s on offer well before you need to use it.
In the survey, 65.8% of respondents worked for a large company with over 250 employees, which may suggest that larger companies are more generous with leave than smaller businesses. The most common leave offered was 4 to 6 weeks (26.6% of companies), with only 10.5% offering less than 2 weeks. These figures are still far from ideal, as it can take months and months to recover from childbirth and support your partner, but every movement has to start somewhere.