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Parental Leave: Comparison Of International Policies To The United States Policy And A Proposal For Change, Jennifer J. Montalvo

Jennifer J. Montalvo

The United States is far behind many other countries in providing parental leave, with no federal legislation that provides wage-replacement to parents seeking to take leave immediately before and after childbirth. In order to explain the variations of parental leave provided globally, this article discusses federal and state legislation in the United States, international organizations’ conventions and directives, and individual countries’ policies. The article argues that paid parental leave has many benefits—benefits that the United States should take into account when considering reform of its current law. Drawing on international and state-level models, the article proposes federal policy reform in …