Worst maternity leave in the world

U.S. ranks worst in the developed world for early child care, study shows


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Tuesday, December 13, 2022 — 1:05 pm

The U.S. may be the only country in the developed world that does not offer any paid maternity leave, according to a new report. Countries with half the GDP are more generous than the U.S. when it comes to offering financial support to new mothers, the report suggests.

Conducted by CommonCentsMom.com, a parenting website, the report analyzed the costs of early child care for women in 40 countries and how much time off they receive. The research used data sources from national statistics offices, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank and Eurostat from 2020 and 2021. 

“We already knew that the U.S. had a zero maternity leave policy and wanted to understand just how normal that was compared to other developed countries,” said Katie Ren, the founder of CommonCentsMom.com. “The results show that America is by far the worst country for childcare in the developed world.”

The U.S. is the only country on the list to offer zero paid maternity leave. Switzerland is the second worst for maternity leave, with only 14 weeks

Here's what paid maternity leave looks like around the world


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The amount of time off work a new parent gets varies wildly depending on where they live.

In Bulgaria, mothers get more than a year paid, while in the US there is no national paid leave.

Paid maternity leave keeps women in the workforce and lowers their need for public assistance.



In some places in the world, new mothers can take several months off work after giving birth, and they don't have to worry about money because they're still getting paid.

Some countries pay mothers the same amount as the salary they were making before taking leave, while others offer a percentage of their salary, starting at about 30% for developed countries.

A 2019 study by the Institute for Women's Policy Research found that paid maternity leave keeps women in the workforce and lowers their need for public assistance. 

Most developed nations pay new mothers at least

U.S. ranks worst out of 40 countries for paid maternity leave


While paid maternity leave is becoming a more prominent employee benefit in the U.S., there is when it is compared to the maternity leave policies in other countries. 

For every country in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, an intergovernmental organization that works to stimulate global economic progress, maternity leave is a national guarantee, regardless of one's employer. Yet there is an exception: the U.S. In fact, the U.S. is one of only six countries in the entire world without a national paid parental leave policy. 

Alongside the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which ended the national right to abortion care, and the rising cost of childcare, it seems especially frustrating that the U.S. is nearly alone in its lack of maternity leave, making it harder for moms to build stable futures for their families on their own terms. CommonCentsMom.com, a financial wellness resource for families, examined 40 other countries in the OECD and EU to see just how far behind the U.S. is. 


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"The fact that the U.S. lacks a maternity system never really sat right with us, and

Infographic: Maternity Leave Around the World


Parental leave and childcare policies — including maternity leave — play a crucial role in many people’s decisions about where to live and work. 

Providing adequate maternity leave policies can advance gender equality by helping women return to the workforce after childbirth, and it also gives women access to a wider range of jobs. 

If you’re considering moving to a new country and don’t want to give up your career prospects to start a family, check out this infographic. It highlights some of the best — and worst — maternity leave policies around the world. 

It also includes some of the most generous paternity and same-sex parent leave policies since shared parental leave can help ease the burden on the mother and allow both parents to share childcare responsibilities.