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Table 5g - Maternity leave benefits

Last update: 28 August 2006

Country or area Length of maternity leave Percentage of wages paid in covered period Provider of medical coverage Period Note % Note Afghanistan 90 days 100 Employer Albania 365 calendar days 80, 50 (i) Social security Algeria 14 weeks 100 Social security Angola 3 months 100 Social security (if necessary, the employer adds up to the full wage) Antigua and Barbuda 13 weeks 60 Social security (supplemented by employer) Argentina 90 days 100 Family allowance funds (financed through state and employer contributions) Australia 52 weeks 0 — Austria 16 weeks 100 Statutory health insurance, family burden equalization fund, or employer Azerbaijan 126 calendar days 100 … Bahamas 13 weeks 100 National Insurance Board/Employer Bahrain 45 days 100 Employer Bangladesh 12 weeks 100 Employer Barbados 12 weeks 100 National Insurance System Belarus 126 days 100 Social security Belgium 15 weeks 82, 79.5 (j) Social security Belize 14 weeks 80 Social security or employer (for women who are not entitled to receive benefits from social security) Benin 14 weeks 100 50% social security, 50% employer Bolivia 60 days (a) 70, 100 (k) Social insurance system Bosnia & Herzegovina 1 year 100 … Botswana 12 weeks 25 Employer Brazil 120 days 100 Social security Bulgaria 135 days 90 Public social insurance (the General Sickness and Maternity Fund) Burkina Faso 14 weeks 100 50% Social security, 50% employer Burundi 12 weeks 100 50% Social security, 50% employer Cambodia 90 days 50 Employer Cameroon 14 weeks 100 Social Insurance Fund Canada 17-18 weeks (b) 55 (l) Federal and State Employment Insurance Central African Republic 14 weeks 50 Social security Chad 14 weeks … … Chile 18 weeks 100 Social security China 90 days 100 Employer Colombia 12 weeks 100 Social security Comoros 14 weeks 100 Employer Congo 15 weeks 100 50% social security, 50% employer Costa Rica 4 months 100 50% social security, 50% employer Cote d'Ivoire 14 weeks 100 Social Insurance Fund Croatia 1+ year (c) 100 (m) Health Insurance Fund (until the child reaches the age of 6 months), and the rest is paid from the State Budget Cyprus 16 weeks 75 Social security Czech Republic 28 weeks 69 Social security Democratic Republic of the Congo 14 weeks 67 Employer Djibouti 14 weeks 50, 100 (n) Employer Dominica 12 weeks 60 Social security/Employer Dominican Republic 12 weeks 100 50% Social security, 50% Employer Ecuador 8 weeks 100 75% Social security, 25% Employer Egypt 90 days 100 Social security/Employer El Salvador 12 weeks 75 Social security for insured workers, otherwise Employer must pay Equatorial Guinea 12 weeks 75 Social security Eritrea 60 days … (o) Employer Estonia 140 calendar days 100 Health Insurance Fund Ethiopia 90 days 100 Employer Fiji 84 days — (p) Employer Finland 105 working days 70 Social security France 16 weeks 100 (l) Social security Gabon 14 weeks 100 Social Insurance Fund Gambia 12 weeks 100 Employer Germany 14 weeks 100 Statutory health insurance scheme, state, employer Ghana 12 weeks 100 Employer Greece 119 days 100 Social security/Employer Grenada 3 months 100, 60 (q) 60% for 12 weeks by Social security 40% for 2 months by Employer Guatemala 84 days 100 2/3 Social security, 1/3 Employer Guinea 14 weeks 100 50% Social security, 50% Employer Guinea-Bissau 60 days 100 Employer (if a woman affiliated to a social security scheme receives a subsidy, the employer pays the difference between the subsidy and the woman's salary) Guyana 13 weeks 70 Social security Haiti 12 weeks 100 (r) Employer Honduras 10 weeks 100 2/3 Social security, 1/3 Employer Iceland 3 months 80 Social security India 12 weeks 100 Social security or Employer (for non-covered women) Indonesia 3 months 100 Employer Iran (Islamic Republic of) 90 days 67 Social security Iraq 62 days 100 Social security Ireland 18 weeks 70 Social Insurance Fund Israel 12 weeks 100 (l) Social security Italy 5 months 80 Social security Jamaica 12 weeks 100 (t) Employer Japan 14 weeks 60 Health Insurance scheme (if managed by employers), or Social Insurance Agency (if managed by the Government) Jordan 10 weeks 100 Employer Kazakhstan 126 calendar days … (o) Employer Kenya 2 months 100 Employer Kiribati 12 weeks 25 Employer Kuwait 70 days 100 Employer Kyrgyzstan 126 days 100 Social security Lao People's Democratic Rep. 90 days 100 Social security/Employer Latvia 112 calendar days 100 Social Insurance Fund Lebanon 7 weeks 100 Employer Lesotho 12 weeks 0 (u) Employer Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 50 days 50, 100 (v) Employer (social security for self-employed women) Lithuania 126 calendar days 100 Social Insurance Fund Luxembourg 16 weeks 100 Social security Malawi 8 weeks (d) 100 Employer Malaysia 60 days 100 Employer Mali 14 weeks 100 Social security Malta 14 weeks 100 (w) Employer Mauritania 14 weeks 100 Social security Mauritius 12 weeks 100 Employer Mexico 12 weeks 100 Social security Mongolia 120 days 70 Social Insurance Fund Morocco 14 weeks 100 Social security Mozambique 60 days 100 Employer Myanmar 12 weeks — (p) Social Security Board Namibia 12 weeks 100 Social security Nepal 52 days 100 Employer Netherlands 16 weeks 100 Unemployment fund New Zealand 14 weeks 100 (l) State funds Nicaragua 12 weeks 60 Social security Niger 14 weeks 50 Social security Nigeria 12 weeks 50 Employer Norway 42-52 weeks (e) 80, 100 (x) Social Insurance Fund Pakistan 12 weeks 100 Employer Panama 14 weeks 100 Social Security Fund (but employer liable to cover difference between the maternity allowance paid by the Social Security Fund ) Papua New Guinea 6+ weeks (f) 0 — Paraguay 12 weeks 50 (y) Employers pay directly to employees and reimbursed by the Social security system Peru 90 days 100 Social security Philippines 60 days (g) 100 Social security Poland 16 weeks 100 Employers or by Social Insurance Institution, financed by the Social Insurance Fund Portugal 120 days 100 ... Qatar 50 days 100 Employer Republic of Korea 90 days 100 60 days Employer, 30 days Employment Insurance Fund Republic of Moldova 126 calendar days 100 Social Insurance Fund Romania 126 days 85 Social Insurance Fund Russian Federation 140 calendar days 100 Social Insurance Fund Rwanda 12 weeks 67 Employer Saint Kitts and Nevis 13 weeks 60 Social security Saint Lucia 3 months 65 Social security Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13 weeks 65 Social security San Marino 5 months 100 Social security Sao Tome and Principe 70 days 100 (z) Social security (Employer must pay for women not covered by social security) Saudi Arabia 10 weeks 50, 100 (aa) Employer Senegal 14 weeks 100 Social security Seychelles 14 weeks — (bb) Social security Singapore 8 weeks 100 Employer for first two children, Government for third Slovakia 28 weeks 55 Social Insurance Fund Slovenia 105 days 100 Social security Solomon Islands 12 weeks 25 Employer Somalia 14 weeks 50 Employer South Africa 4 months 60 (cc) Unemployment Insurance fund Spain 16 weeks 100 Social security Sri Lanka 12 weeks 100 Employer Sudan 8 weeks 100 Employer Swaziland 12 weeks 0 — Sweden 14 weeks 100, 80 (dd) Social Insurance Fund Switzerland 98 days 80 Social security Syrian Arab Republic 50 days 70 Employer Tajikistan 140 calendar days … ... TFYR of Macedonia 9 months … (o) … Thailand 90 days 100, 50 (ee) Employer for first 45 days, Social security for remaining period Togo 14 weeks 100 50% Employer, 50% Social security Trinidad and Tobago 13 weeks 100, 50 (ff) Employer/Social security Tunisia 30 days 67 Social security Turkey 16 weeks 67 (gg) Social security Uganda 8 weeks 100 (hh) Employer Ukraine 126 days 100 Social security United Arab Emirates 3 months 100 Employer United Kingdom 26 weeks 90 (ii) Employer (92% refunded by public funds) United Republic of Tanzania 12 weeks 100 ... United States of America 12 weeks 0 — Uruguay 12 weeks 100 Social security Uzbekistan 126 calendar days 100 Social security Venezuela 18 weeks 100 Social security Viet Nam 4-6 months (h) 100 Social Insurance Fund Yemen 60 days 100 Employer Zambia 12 weeks 100 Employer Zimbabwe 90 days 100 Employer

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Sources:

Data on maternity leave benefits currently available to women in countries around the world were compiled by the International Labour Office and the United States Social Security Administration from a variety of legislative and non-legislative sources. The main legislative sources include national laws regarding maternity protection, labour, social security, equality and opportunity of treatment, occupational safety and health and sometimes conditions of work. These sources apply to the private sector. Separate legislations for the public sector have not been included, nor have collective agreements. In systems where there may be no single national standard, such as federal states, the more general provision applicable has been included. Non-legislative sources include replies to the Social Security Programs Throughout the World survey conducted by the International Social Security Association (ISSA) under the sponsorship of the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA); websites of Ministries of Employment, Labour, Health and Family of countries and of Social security offices, funds or boards; as well as other ILO databases and publications.

The data presented in this table refers to laws and regulations in force at the time of the compilation of the information (between 2004 and 2006).