Open AccessPaid Parental Leave:
Comparisons from Canada, Germany, and Sweden
Author(s) -
Emma O’Shea
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
policy perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2377-7753
pISSN - 1085-7087
DOI - 10.4079/pp.v28i0.5
Subject(s) - parental leave , workforce , political science , public policy , sick leave , demographic economics , social policy , economic growth , economics , work (physics) , law , mechanical engineering , engineering
A provision in nearly all modern nations, job-protected leave for parents is considered not only a right, but a necessary component of modern social policy. While 82 percent of Americans agree that mothers should receive paid parental leave and 69 percent agree that fathers should receive paid parental leave, the United States is one of only a handful of countries that does not have a federally mandated paid leave policy. As public opinion continues to shift in favor of such policies, international examples from different parts of the world can provide a model for a national policy for paid parental leave. As a tool to inform options for an American paid parental leave policy, this paper analyzes three nations – Canada, Sweden, and Germany. It examines their current policies, their path to paid parental leave, and the outcomes of those policies for mothers, fathers, and the workforce as a whole.