Opinions on maternity leave and general sentiment toward pregnancy/motherhood in US vs. Canada, UK & others?

Definitely agree with you. In canada we get a year at 55% (EI) as long as you’ve worked 520 hours (something like that) then you’re eligible. 6 weeks is no where’s near long enough.

The U.S. has a LONG way to go on things like maternity leave and health care. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a proud American. My husband is in the military. Its just that I feel like the government doesn’t respect the needs of a new mother and child nor do they hold motherhood to as high a standard as other countries. Here, its "push it out, slap a diaper on it and get back to work". In other countries, they understand that its incredibly important for the mother to be with, bond with and be the primary care giver for that baby for their ENTIRE infancy, not just the first 6 weeks. Unfortunately, this is where I live and I have to take the good with the bad. Sometimes I wish I could pick and choose. I’ll keep all my freedoms and priveleges that America offers, but I’ll take some of the intelligence and priveleges of other countries as well. Maybe I should just move to Canada…..

I live in Canada and I am truly appalled at the level of maternity mothers in the US are "entitled" to, if you can call it that there. We get 52 weeks of PAID parental leave, which can be shared by both parents……basically if dad wants to take some time off and mom wants to go back to work, they can do it that way….or mom can take 10months or something and dad can take the remaining 2….you see where I’m going with this. We are also entitled to up to 15 weeks (I think, it may be longer) of PAID medical leave BEFORE the baby is born in case any medical issues come up, or we are just no longer able to work.

I’m working until the end of this month then going on medical leave until the baby is born….I’ll be 32weeks when I go. My job requires me to be on my feet ALL day and my legs are starting to give out on me after an hour or two (sciatic and other cramps). I tried to find modified work at work, something that would allow me to sit, but my only option was to lose my full time status and work about 10hours/week, lose my paid holidays, accumulated sick time, and all benefits, as well as take about a $3/hour pay cut, not to mention really mess up how much I’ll receive once I’m on maternity leave……well where is my incentive to stay and work ….. there isn’t one, so my Dr has agreed to put me on paid medical leave.

The US really should take better care of it’s mothers….the first year is so important. Even if they started with 3-6months….it would be a step in the right direction. I find it incredibly unfair to both the mother and the baby…..where is the values on family?

Personally, I don’t think the UK’s maternity leave policies are that great either. We get 9 months … 6 weeks at 90% salary and the remainder at £120 or around there a week. This may be fine for some but I think it’s ridiculous. I earn well over that a week and find that with a baby on the way there is no way I can take the full time I am entitled to and still financially afford a baby.

I suppose it’s better than nothing (like in the US) but I feel that I contribute a substantial amount to takes and national insurance each month and get very little in return when the health of my child is at stake.

I’m orginally from South Africa where there is no law regarding paid maternity leave but most companies give 4 months with 70% to 100% pay. I would prefer this than a measly amount each week which barely compensates for the cost of diapers and the rest of the costs associated with a new baby.

I do think that people in the US really do suffer. 6 weeks is not nearly enough and as you say, that’s excluding any time you may need for complications.

I guess there’s not much we can do about it though … sadly!

Yes, most maternity leave policies in the United States are a complete joke. You would think that as the world’s "super power" the government and/or the companies in this country would be able to take better care of it’s mothers.

I didn’t sign up for short term disability when I made my health insurance elections last year. Duh, I know, my fault and I would totally recommend ALL women doing this if given the option, because you just NEVER know. But people are supposed to be able to change their elections if a "life changing event" occurs, but my HR representative told me that I can’t go back and elect short term disability, which is the only way I would get any kind of paid maternity leave. How is a pregnancy not a life changing event?!

So now I will only be able to take 6 weeks total, this will probably have to include the time I take off in my last month before I deliver. I feel selfish, but I am almost more disappointed about the lost time with my newborn than I am the financial bind my partner and I might be in.

Just another illustration to how backwards America really is. Yet all these patriotic yahoos still think it’s the best place in the world…GO AMERICA! Blech.

I live in Canada and we are entitled to one year of maternity leave. Every woman who has a baby in Canada is entitled to employment insuranced paid by the federal government for 50 weeks (there is a 2-week waiting period for which we don’t get paid). The pay is approximately 55% of your salary, but is capped at a certain amount (I don’t know what the cap is). Some employers provide a top-up to the 55%. My employer tops me up to 93% of my salary, so part of my salary comes from the federal government and the remainder comes from my employer. However, i only receive the top-up from my employer for 8 months. I also continue my benefits through work for the entire year. And through federal legislation, our job is protected for the duration of the maternity leave.
I totally agree that American women – and babies – get completely ripped off when it comes to maternity leave. 6 weeks is nothing but a joke.

Actually America is slowly starting to up the ante on paid maternity leave. AS you know, UK and other countries pay an obscene amount in taxes in order for them to be able to take all that time off. They also have free schooling and healthcare, but the healthcare system is not as suitable over there as it is here, where you can get an appt for a doctor within a week in US, some waits are months to get in with a doc in other countries. Not to mention the medical care is so much better here.

New Jersey is the third state ( i beleive Texas and California are the other two) to start paying FMLA 6 weeks at 2/3 salary. It may be a small step, but who wouldnt want 12 weeks home paid instead of 6.

Just like any other situation in life, everything has a pro and a con. We already pay crazy taxes, if we were to take on the same steps as other countries in maternity, then imagine how much taxes would be then?

In Jamaica by law we get 3 months paid maternity leave @ 100%. It is kinda surprising that the US only gives the mother 6 weeks Its not even certain the mother will fully recover in that short amount of time.