International Review of Leave Policies and Related Research ... - SFI

Each country note is divided into four sections. The first describes current
leave and other employment-related policies to support parents, under
five headings: maternity leave, paternity leave, parental leave, childcare
leave and career breaks; and other employment related measures,
including time off for the care of sick children and other dependants and
flexible working entitlements. The second section outlines recent changes
in leave policy, including proposals currently under discussion. The third
reviews evidence on take-up of different types of leave, while the final
section provides information on selected recent publications and on
ongoing research studies. In addition, basic demographic, economic,
employment and gender information is set out for each country, in a
boxed section at the start of each country note.
Current leave policies
A concise overview can be provided by showing, for each country, the
number of months of leave (Maternity, Paternity and Parental) with
benefits replacing two-thirds or more of earnings, an indicator used by the
European Commission in monitoring member states’ progress in meeting
Employment Guidelines. On the basis of this indicator, countries can be
divided in to three groups:
1. Countries providing earnings-related leave (at two-thirds or more
replacement rate) of nine months or over: the five Nordic countries,
three countries from Central and Eastern Europe (Estonia, Hungary
and Slovenia), and Germany.
2. Countries providing four to six months of earnings-related leave, in all
cases confined to Maternity leave. Ireland comes in here, although the
effect of a ceiling is that the maximum payment per week is only €232,
showing the need to take account of levels of ceilings in assessing the
generosity of national schemes.
3. Countries providing less than two months of earnings-related leave:
four of the five mainly English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada,
United Kingdom, United States) as well as South Africa. It should be
noted that Quebec, which now has responsibility for its own leave
policy, is on a par with the top group of countries; the rest of Canada
offers up to 50 weeks of earnings-related leave, but at 55 per cent of
earnings it falls just below the EC indicator criterion; it also has a
rather low ceiling.
Maternity leave
Only Australia and the United States make no provision for paid leave for
most or all women at and around childbirth. In countries with a specific
period of Maternity leave, the period is mostly between 14 and 20 weeks,
with earnings-related payment (between 70 and 100 per cent)
throughout. There are four exceptions, countries with extended maternity
7