| Kind of. Here in Norway the parents currently have around one year of paid leave, give or take. Out of this period, three weeks before and nine after the birth is for the mother, while the reminder is split threeways with one third dedicated to each of the parents while the last third can be used by either although not at the same time. The father also has one paid and one unpaid week during birth to help at home. While there are some upper limits, parents usually get their full salary paid by their employer, who in turn get refunds from the government. There is a variation on this giving slightly more time off for less pay as well, plus some exceptions for single mothers, adoptions etc. It's not a perfect system, and it's not created with the mother's career in mind, but it does accomplish some things: -The father spends time with the newborn; if he chooses not to use his third of the parental leave it disappears. This leads to more involved fathers, and also help to even the score on who tends to the house. -Parents can't be fired or refused employment for being pregnant. You also don't have to disclose this during interviews. -Companies knows that having kids is natural, while smaller ones may struggle to find replacements during parental leave, the system is flexible enough to allow people to work a few days a week if they choose to. This is up to the parents to decide, employers can't dictate what they should do. -Employers know that employees taking parental leave will come back, so any experience and work-related knowledge isn't lost just because they are having kids. |