Being anew parentis a thrilling, terrifying, and beautiful experience.
Since then, Iceland has seen far-reaching progress forwomen and gender parity.
Parents continue to get 80 percent of their salary during their time off.
Denmark
Being anew mom in Denmarkmeans getting a total of 18 weeks off formaternity leave.
This not only applies to giving birth, but for adoptions as well.
Sweden
Sweden is the country with the longest paidparental leave, which tops out at 480 days.
During their parental leaves, employees are paid at 80 percent of their normal pay.
Think that’s amazing?
In total, though, moms can take up tothree years offafter childbirth.
Fathers are also offered eight weeks of paid paternity leave.
Parents can also take parental or partial care leaves after the initial parental leave period is over.
This opportunity lasts until the child starts second grade.
France offers employed mothers 16 weeks' paidmaternity leave.
Fathers are entitled to 11 days of paternity leave at their full salary.
Estonia
A mother in Estonia is given 140 days of fully paid pregnancy and maternity leave.
A new mom can begin her time off anywhere between 30-70 days before the expected delivery date.
When maternity leave ends, parents can get an additional 435 days off to share forparental leave.
Their compensation at this point is calculated by the average of their earnings.
Belgium
In Belgium, mothers can take up to 15 weeks of maternity leave.
Norway
The Norwegians' parental leave system is statutory, but extremelyflexible and generous.
Many of the Nordic countries have set pretty high standards of expectations for parental leave benefits for both parents.
There are still many improvements to be made even in the world’s most developed countries.
In Canada, there areproposed changesto increase timing around maternity leave.
Many companies, likeAmerican Express and Etsy, are setting examples beyond what the legislature calls for.
In my mind, that means it’s good for everyone.
