186 countries offer paid leave for new mothers. 174 offer paid leave for workers facing personal health problems. 109 offer paid leave for fathers. About half provide paid leave to workers caring for sick family members. But the US doesn’t guarantee any of that.
In fact, America is one of only a handful of countries (and the only industrialized country in the world) that doesn’t offer paid leave at the national level. Some states have made their own rules, but it’s largely left up to employers to set policies for their employees. The upshot? Most Americans don’t have access to paid leave. And those who do may struggle to figure out what they can take — and which paperwork they need to file to actually take it.
Sign up to download A State-by-State Breakdown of (Different Types of) Paid Leave
