Maternity Leave: New Provisions

Image Source: cpsu.org.au

Maternity leave or what is now called parental leave, is the time a mother or the father, takes off from work for the birth of a child. Actual paid maternity leave, while the norm in every other developed country, is not like in the United States. Though some companies offer their employees, a paid time off, ranging from one to six weeks. In some cases, the employees use their sick leave, vacation leaves and rest days.

But with the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in 1993, workers are now entitled up to 12 weeks of job-protected medical leave for birth or even adoption. Which benefits are available varies from state to state. In 2002, California led the way in enacting paid family leave, and other states such as Massachusetts and New Jersey followed suit.

Your company may have policies for different kinds of leaves. In any case, you should start researching your options so you optimize your benefits.