Maternity leave around the world

The other day, after seeing our bank account hovering dangerously close to zero, I began whining about how little money I’m bringing in during my one-year maternity leave. Then I talked to a new mom in the US. Her little guy was just four months old—yet she’d already been back at work for a month. 

That got me wondering how much time and money parents around the world are entitled to when they have a baby. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the average is 18 weeks of paid leave. I did a bit more digging to find out just how well Canada compares.

Originally posted in August 2012.