I thought this chart was interesting in showing how absolutely ridiculous United States maternity leave is.
Doesn't that make you mad? It makes me mad lol! So many countries even offer paid paternity leave. United States has a big ol' goose egg.
Does your job offer PAID maternity leave? What about paternity?
44 votes
cantaloupe / 6206 posts
I don't know how to answer this - does short-term disability count as maternity leave? We get that as a benefit but no maternity leave... so i'll be paid 60% of my salary for 6 weeks because of a 'medical procedure', so it's not nothing.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
Um. Yeah. 3rd world countries have better maternity leave than the US.
GOLD / squash / 13576 posts
I got FLMA at my job. DH has great benefits though and he got 30 days paid parental leave. He wasn't actually able to take all 30 days because work kept bothering him.
GOLD / papaya / 10206 posts
I'm not going to vote since I'm Canadian and would skew your results, but I agree, something has to give for you guys. We get 1 year of leave that can be split between the parents (or not, I took my whole year!)
cantaloupe / 6800 posts
@JoJoGirl: I would say no? To me, maternity is maternity only if it is specified as that for the sake of the poll lol. That is awesome that you get that, though! 60% is pretty good!
grapefruit / 4278 posts
We have STD available to us, but I don't count that. I couldn't get it anyway because I have scoliosis and they denied me (yeaaaaaah). My job was held for 12 weeks in accordance with FMLA, but I had to use all of my vacation and sick time during that time too. I ended up having 8 weeks of paid time accrued, but had to come back to work after that. It made me so mad/sad.
cantaloupe / 6800 posts
@prettylizy: So you could have 6 months and DH could have 6 months? That is awesome.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@prettylizy: aside, never realized you were Canadian!
coconut / 8234 posts
I was paid for my 3 months off, but that's because I had enough sick and vacation days to get paid! Through FMLA I used 8 weeks of my sick time and the other 4 weeks were a combination of vacation days and work holidays.
So, I guess the answer is no--if I didn't have that time saved I wouldn't have been paid.
cantaloupe / 6164 posts
I voted on behalf of my husband. I have my own business & I'm a commissioned contractor, so I don't count. My husband can take up to 12 weeks with FMLA, but none of it is paid. He has to use all of his vacation time, which is only 6 days. 
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
I get maternity leave. Our company gives us a ton of sick time, so DH is just taking that.
Honestly, it doesn't bother me. We don't pay the taxes that other countries typically pay and I'm OK with that.
pear / 1961 posts
Voted for both. Maternity (through STD) is 6-8 weeks paid at 100%. Paternity is 1 week paid at 100%.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
I'm not working so I didn't vote. DH does NOT get paid paternity leave - he had to use a combination of vacation and sick time and still only got a week. I was so mad
That chart is insane... and SO NOT FAIR. Idk why the US even does this.
pomegranate / 3895 posts
Ugh - I keep seeing these different infographics pop up on various sites about this and they all misrepresent what we actually get in Canada (we get more than that chart shows). I really shouldn't complain about it though, as I know how fortunate we are compared to our neighbours to the south.
GOLD / papaya / 10206 posts
@MrsTiz: essentially. There is a certain portion of our leave that is deemed 'maternity only' and that is for the physical recovery of a mother who has given birth. After that time has elapsed then it's parental leave and mom and dad (or mom and mom or dad and dad) can share that however they would like. Also in the case of adoption, you get the parental leave but not the maternity (since you aren't recovering from giving birth), which again can be split. You can also take leave concurrently. So we could have the time off together but you still get the same number of weeks total. I have a friend who took 8 weeks off to be with his wife and son over the summer, but that shortened her leave by 8 weeks.
@regberadaisy: Born and raised Canuck! I live in a border town so I'm VERY exposed to American culture though. It's a pretty sweet deal :).
pomegranate / 3895 posts
@MrsTiz: Regarding your questions about dividing Canadian parental leave between parents: kind of, but not exactly 
The first 17 weeks are called "pregnancy leave" and those can only be taken by a woman who actually gives birth to a child (including surrogates) The next 35 weeks are "parental leave" and they can be taken by the birth mother, her spouse, or divided between both partners.
pomegranate / 3895 posts
@prettylizy: Oops! Sorry - we must have been responding at the same time!
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
I get 6 weeks maternity leave through STD. Since I have been here over 3 years, I get full pay. Then I can take 6 more weeks through FMLA, but I have to use all my vacation time before I can take unpaid time. So I will end up with 3 weeks not paid, and my boss is working with me and letting me take another week of vacation, off the record, once I am back, so I am not left with nothing Jun-Dec.
DH gets 2 weeks of paternity leave. Not sure if they offer more or this is just all he is taking.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@prettylizy: Which part? I'm an hour away from Hamilton in Ontario. 
1.5hours to Toronto if I take the new express route.
GOLD / papaya / 10206 posts
@regberadaisy: Just outside of Windsor way down at the bottom of Ontario across from Detroit.
coffee bean / 26 posts
I get 10 weeks of maternity leave and my husband has no paternity leave (depending on when I have the baby he may not even be able to take more than a day or two of vacation). Of course it would be nice to have more paid leave, but I don't agree that it should be taxpayer funded. We have a huge spending problem in this country and I don't think other taxpayers need to support me for an extended amount of time because I made the decision to have a child.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6581 posts
Yeah I find it ridiculous that I have to hoard my vacation and sick time in order to barely cover 6 weeks of maternity leave. I have 12 weeks FMLA unpaid, but we can't afford to keep me home for more than 8 weeks total. It really, really sucks, mostly because other countries do such a better job of taking care of their new mothers.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
Want to change maternity and paternity?
Contact your state and federal lawmakers. A little nudge from voting constituents goes a looong way!
This month is the 20th anniversary of FMLA. Former Clinton Secy of Labor was on Morning Joe this week talking about what a gre at coup and compromise the legislation was.
eggplant / 11287 posts
My job doesnt offer paid maternity leave for any length of time, but my husband gets six weeks fully paid paternity leave. If he was a mom he would get 13 weeks fully paid.
blogger / nectarine / 2687 posts
i wasn't pregnant and didn't deliver, so i didn't qualify for short-term disability leave (which is paid). instead i took 12 weeks on FMLA, but "paid" for it from my sick leave bank, so wasn't technically paid for it, if that makes sense.
i'd love to see adoptive parents paid for maternity/paternity leave as well...those first few weeks/month are so important for bonding and attachment and it sucks that adoptive parents have to pay for that time all of out their own vacation or sick leave.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
I finally got the scoop on my maternity leave.
1 wk PTO
6-8 wks maternity leave to run conrrent with FML (5wks 100% pay, 1-3 wks 85% pay)
4-6 wks FML (paid thru PTO or unpaid if I reserve PTO, will dexide based on baby's arrival)
I'm overjoyed to take 13 weeks off and come back to my same job!
GOLD / papaya / 10206 posts
@Mrs. Cowgirl: I couldnt' agree more. I'm surprised it's not considered discriminatory to give different rights to adoptive vs. birth parents.
blogger / nectarine / 2687 posts
@prettylizy: i know...but because we don't have a medical procedure, we don't qualify for short-term disability. but ask any parent that traveled 16-hours on a plane ride home with a new child and had to adjust to the 13-hour time difference and they will tell you that a medical excuse would most certainly seem appropriate! 
GOLD / papaya / 10206 posts
@Mrs. Cowgirl: ha! I can think of three people that were in labour for less time than you were on your plane trip home.... now that's a little food for thought!!
blogger / nectarine / 2010 posts
At my job, pregnant women get 60% paid leave, while fathers and adoptive mothers get an unpaid FMLA.
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
Aside from STD, I get one week of paid parental leave. If both the mom and dad work for the company, this 1 week must be split between the two parents.
persimmon / 1223 posts
6 weeks short term disability and 12 weeks FMLA. I have to use up all my vacation/sick time and so in the end I will have a little under 3 weeks unpaid. It is so disappointing to see how we compare to other countries in terms of paid maternity leave!
blogger / nectarine / 2010 posts
@Mrs. Cowgirl: I agree, wholeheartedly. I was so bummed when I found that if I were pregnant that time would be paid, but not in the case of adoption. It doesn't feel right.
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