Paid Maternity leave ?

ali-1411

When people say that the US should be like some European countries that give 18 months paid maternity leave - do they mean the company should be paying that?  Or STD should provide for 18 months, instead of 6 weeks which I think is the norm?

And another question...if a woman gets paid for 18 months leave then decides not to come back to work but to SAH...does she owe that money back?

***Honestly not trying to start a flame war here.  Not wanting opinions, just how it would work***

madhatter2003

The companies don't pay in Europe for all of it. Most pay for just part and the gov't subsides the rest of the leave.  I know my ILs are all from England and it's all done through the gov't. I believe canada is the same way.

spunkielexis196

I would love to have that, but I don't believe they get full pay either, I believe it is only a percentage, but it would still be nice.

madhatter2003

yeah, I should add that in the UK the last 6 months is only at 55% of your salary I think. BUT a full year at 55% of salary is better than 12 weeks at none 

Maybride2

It's government subsidized.

And considering how crazy Americans get when they hear that taxes are going up, this will never happen here.

AlisaS

Can you imagine the cost of paying women for a year of maternity leave. I can feel the tax dollars flying out of my wallet as I write this.

I think our current FMLA guidelines are pretty good. 12 weeks is plenty of time and people can save money to do whatever they want to privately. The gov't shouldn't have to subsidize maternity leave.

ridesbuttons

In Canada you get a percentage of your income to a maximum (regardless of what you make) that equals approx $20000 over the 50 week maximum.  It is also taxable.  You can take it all as the mother or split it with the father (must take time off) with some restrictions.  It is funded through the government unemployment insurance program (which currently boasts a huge surplus).

 

Unemployment insurance is funded both by workers (a deduction from your paycheck) and by employers (who pay approx 2X what each employee contributes).

 

Some employers (mostly government) 'top up' the mother's benefits provided they have guaranteed their return to work for a minimum amount of time.

 

For many of us, this represents a huge cut in take home income.

 

The maternity leave benefits were changed fairly recently (several years) but most take it for granted now. 

marrymemylove

1. It is usually a combination, but you bet the company pays a large part of it. They get to keep 50% (or more) of their workforce who would otherwise go home and lose skills just like in the US.?

2. ?No she doesn't owe the money back. Why would she? It is part of her package just like you get your health insurance subsidised. She doesn't, she gets universal healthcare but no employer subsidy.

Sorry but a) many models are slightly different between European countries b) they actually think that retaining women is worthwhile AND that even if you lose an individual woman the collective retention is worth it c) they also tend to see it as a woman's right pure and simple. The way Americans see abortion. A woman's right to stay home paid for a long period and return to work gradually and flexibly. A woman's right to not have a mummy tracked career as a result.

I for one think those are all admirable.

Why should anyone BUT the employer pay? They're the ones who will get the benefit when she returns, and most women do. In sweden the 18 months paid leave has led to most women returning around the 10-12 month mark part time and then using the rest of the leave to stay part time for another year or so. Doesn't sound like they were milking the system.?