Countries with the Longest Paternity and Maternity Leave

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Maternity leave is a right afforded to female employees, allowing them to be absent from work to care for their babies before and after childbirth. On the other hand, paternity leave is a period of time given to new fathers to stay home from work, allowing them to bond with their newborns.

Each country has regulations governing the period of maternity and paternity leave. Some countries provide more weeks of leave than others.

So, which countries have the longest paternity and maternity leave in the world? Let's find out here.

Countries with the Longest Maternity Leave in the World

According to World Population Review and Euro Dev, here are some countries offering the longest maternity leave in the world:

1. Bulgaria

Bulgaria may be one of the countries with the best maternity leave in the world. The Ruskov and Colleagues Lawyers page stated that employees are entitled to 410 days of maternity leave per child. They are also entitled to daily maternity benefits equal to 90 percent of the average daily remuneration.

2. Norway

In Norway, female employees undergoing maternity leave will receive parental benefits calculated the same way as sickness benefits. As stated by the EU Commission website, the country offers two types of parental benefits: 49 weeks of leave with 100 percent coverage and 59 weeks of leave with 80 percent coverage.

3. Greece

Employees in Greece can have maternity leaves before and after delivery day. The duration is up to 119 days, with 56 days before and 63 days after delivery. Another benefit includes earnings up to 1 month if they have worked for more than a year, according to the EU Commission website.

4. United Kingdom

Another country with the longest maternity leave in the world is the United Kingdom. The official gov.uk website stated, employees are entitled to up to 52 weeks of maternity leave.

They can take a leave as early as 11 weeks prior to delivery day, whereas it is mandatory to take 2 weeks’ leave after childbirth.

In addition, eligible employees can receive up to 39 weeks of paid leave, with 90 percent of their average weekly earnings before tax on the first 6 weeks.

5. Slovakia

The length of maternity leave period in Slovakia may differ. According to the slovensko.sk, single mothers can take up to 37 weeks’ leave, whereas mothers giving birth to two or more children are entitled to 43 weeks leave.

Countries with the Longest Paternity Leave in the World

Fathers are also entitled to parental leave to welcome their newborns. Citing from World Population Review, here are several countries with the longest paternity leave in the world.

1. Iceland

Based on information from Work in Iceland, each parent is entitled to 6 months’ leave, with 6 weeks transferable between parents. This benefit is no longer available if the child reaches the age of 24 months old. Moreover, fathers will be paid 80 percent of their average income during paternity leave.

2. Spain

Male employees can take up 16 weeks of paternity leave. They can extend another additional one week for each child from the second birth.

3. The Netherlands

The next country with the longest paternity leave in the world is the Netherlands. According to business.gov.nl and government.nl, partners of birth mothers are eligible for geboorteverlof or ‘childbirth leave’.

It is a 1-week paid leave that should be taken during the first 4 weeks after the birth of the child. Even so, they can extend it up to 5 weeks, or less, of unpaid leave during the first 6 months after the birth.

4. Portugal

Paternity leave in Portugal consists of 28 days, either taken consecutively or not. However, it is compulsory for employees to take 7 consecutive days of leave immediately after the childbirth. The rest should be taken during the 6 weeks of the birth.

5. Austria

According to the Federal Ministry Republic of Austria: Labour and Economy, fathers are also eligible for parental leave. One can take at two months and at the most until the child’s second birthday, if the child lives in the same household. Parental leave usually begins 8 or 12 weeks after birth.

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