The lack of paid family leave in the United States has significant consequences, both for families and the economy at large. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Of the 193 United Nations members, the United States is one of only eight countries that offer no paid maternity leave. Of those eight, the United States is the sole superpower, and the only high-income country.
The closest our federal government has come is the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA). Signed into law by President Bill Clinton, FMLA requires covered employers to provide employees with twelve weeks of leave and job protection for qualified medical and family reasons like the birth of a child or to care for a seriously ill family member. But that leave is unpaid.
Recommended For You
Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.
Your access to unlimited BenefitsPRO content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
