Paternity Leave – UK vs. Rest of the World

When the chap in the office announces that his wife is pregnant, he will then be asking his boss about the thorny subject of paternity pay.

Since April 2011, if you are to a father to be or looking to adopt, you will qualify for a minimum of two weeks and a maximum of 26 weeks statutory paternity leave and pay.

And to qualify you will have to be an employee and worked continuously for your employer for 26 weeks ending with the 15^th week before the baby is due, or the end of the week in which the child’s adopter is notified of being matched with the child.

All sounds terrific so far, but unfortunately the figures regarding paternity pay in the UK are verging on embarrassing when compared to other parts of the developed world.

From April 2012, UK employees’ entitled to statutory paternity pay is a woeful £135.45 per week or 90% of your average weekly earnings, if that is less.

Most new dads I know haven’t even bothered with the statutory paternity pay, choosing instead to use a couple of week’s holiday.

So what about the rest of the world?  Is their paternity pay on a par with what is offered in the UK or do they give new dads a bit more than the pittance on offer here?

It’s a bit of a mix.  Some countries like Indonesia pay just one full day of pay, whereas in Norway the new father can get a full 10 weeks of pay, although this does come out of the Mother’s whopping 56 week maternity allowance, which is also 100% pay.

There is currently around 50 nations in the world that off paternity pay.  Below is a selection of some of the country’s varying paternity leave and pay structures:

Paternity Leave: Sweden; 480 days, although these are shared with the mother.  The father does however get a dedicated 60 normal days + 10 working days.

Paternity Leave: Bulgaria; Interestingly, a father or even a grandparent is permitted to take maternity leave, rather than the mother and receive 100 percent salary for a full year.

Paternity Leave: Italy;  Up to 13 weeks are permitted with 80% pay, but the total for both parents has to remain under 26 weeks.

Paternity Leave: Guatemala, Malta and Indonesia; Two days with 100% pay.

Paternity Leave: Luxembourg; 12 months parental leave (split into two 6 months periods) to be taken by either parent, paid as a fixed rate of €1,710.90 net per month from the CNPF (Caisse Nationale des Prestations Familiales).

Paternity Leave: Norway; As mentioned, the mother is granted 56 total weeks, 46 of which are 100 percent paid and 10 are 80 percent however, the father can take the 10 weeks if he chooses. Then, the mother will only be permitted 46 weeks.

Paternity Leave: Poland; 14 Days at 100% pay.

Paternity Leave: Portugal; 20 Days at 100% pay.

Paternity Leave: Spain; The father is permitted to take 15 days at 100 percent of his pay, but it comes out of the mother’s 16 week total.

Paternity Leave: Canada; Up to 35 weeks total at around £300 per week is permitted that must be shared between both parents. Either the mother or father can take it all, or they can split it up as they choose.

Paternity Leave: United States; Varies massively from one state to another.  California offer new days around 50% of pay for six weeks, but paid from a fund that employees, not employers pay into.  The majority of states don’t even offer paid maternity leave, putting the USA in the esteemed of Lesotho, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland.

Paternity Leave: Cameroon; There are actually a few African countries that offer 10 days paid leave other than Cameroon. These include Chad, Djibouti, Gabon and Togo.

Paternity Leave: Australia; Either a mother or father can take 18 weeks at around £400 per week.

Paternity Leave: Lebanon; A measly one day is paid at 100 percent.

Paternity Leave: Philippines; In this deeply religious country, paternity is paid full one full week, on the proviso that the couple is married.

Paternity Leave: Sri Lanka; Three full days are paid at 100 percent.

Paternity Leave: United Nations; Four weeks are provided with 100 percent pay. Staff members who aren’t permitted to live with their family because they serve at a location are given eight weeks.

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