Justice
Employers Are Making Baby Steps on Paid Leave Policies
The U.S. still lags far behind other developed countries in allowing paid leave to new parents, but companies that have invested in more generous policies say the return is worth it.
The United States differs starkly from other developed countries in its lack of paid leave for parents. As the Financial Times recently reported, the average length of paid leave available to mothers in OECD countries has risen from 17 weeks in 1970 to a bit over a year today. Canadians can take up to a year off with their income partly replaced through employment insurance. New parents in Sweden can take 480 days at 80 percent of their usual pay.
In the U.S., the average paid leave was zero in 1970—and remains zero.