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Paid Parental Leave: U.S. vs. The World [infographic]

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With the rise of successful women (and mothers) such as Marissa Mayer, being a working professional no longer needs to be in contrast with being a parent. However, the U.S. has a long way to go if it wants to catch up with the rest of the world, as this Huffington Post infographic proves.

Did you know that the U.S. is the only industrialized nation that does not mandate paid leave for mothers of newborns? The best the U.S. has been willing or able to do is to pass the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, which guarantees women their jobs for 12 weeks after the arrival of a new baby. However, there isn’t a pay requirement that accompanies that. As a result, many families take a heavy financial hit when they have a child.

Australia passed a parental leave law in 2010, which allowed new parents to take 126 days of leave at a flat rate of pay. Arguably the most ideal place to have a child though is in Sweden. There, parents are given 480 paid days for every child they have. That 480 days is shared between both parents and can be used anytime before the kid turns eight.

Check out the infographic below for more insights on paid parental leave and how the U.S. compares with the rest of the world.

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(Photo credit: Huffington Post)

Marissa Brassfield
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