The US does not offer paid parental leave, with only 11% of employers providing it voluntarily. Other countries with no paid leave include Liberia, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea. In Sweden, parents can take 16 months of paid leave together. California was the first US state to require paid parental leave in 2004.
Federal law in the United States does not provide for paid parental leave after the birth of a child, and the United States is one of the few developed countries that does not. Other than the United States, Liberia, Swaziland and Papua New Guinea do not offer paid parental leave. In 2013, just over 11% of US employers voluntarily offered paid family leave to their employees. US law includes the Family Leave Medical Act, which allows for parental leave after the birth of a child, but it doesn’t have to be paid, and not all employers are required to offer it.
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Even in countries with paid family leave, it is often not fully paid and there may be limitations on how often it can be taken. For example, in Zimbabwe, Barbados, Egypt and Jamaica, women are only allowed three maternity leave for the duration of their working life.
The law in Sweden allows for higher paid family leave, totaling 16 months per child for both parents together.
In 2004, California became the first U.S. state to pass legislation requiring paid parental leave.
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