maternity leave

Maternity leave is (usually) paid time off for new mothers after giving birth. Most high and middle income countries require that women are offered a certain number of weeks of paid maternity leave after giving birth. This allows the new mother to bond with her baby, get into the rhythm of her new family configuration, and heal from labor and childbirth. Some countries offer up to a year of fully paid leave. About 50% of the countries in the world also require that paternity leave is offered to new fathers as well. The USA is the only industrialized country that offers no paid maternity leave, although some states require some employers to offer maternity leave.