Just in time for Father’s Day, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson announced on Tuesday a new paternity leave policy for some of his employees: new dads, like new moms at the company, will now get 12 months of fully paid leave.
Though many U.S. states and companies require or offer paid maternity and paternity leaves, paid parental leaves are not mandated by federal U.S. law, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). Under the Family and Medical Act of 1993, employers are required to offer a minimum of 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave, but there’s no such U.S. rule for new dads.
What about in the rest of the world? In the map above, light red indicates that a country’s national laws include maternity leave but not paternity leave. Dark red indicates the country’s national laws include both maternity and paternity leave. (Leave information comes from a 2014 ILO report on parental leave.)
For maternity leave, out of 185 surveyed countries and territories, only two — the U.S. and Papua New Guinea — do not provide maternity leave with legal provisions for cash benefits, according to the ILO. However, the ILO notes that the duration of and pay offered during leave time varies wildly by country.
Paternity leave is far less common: At least 79 countries’ national laws include paternity leave entitlements, nearly all of which are paid. The duration of the paid leaves vary greatly as well, but all are far shorter than maternity leaves, ranging from 1 day of full pay in Tunisia to 90 days of 80% pay in Iceland.
Life Before Equal Pay Day: Portrait of a Working Mother in the 1950s
Jennie Magill with her family in the background.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesWorking mother Jennie Magill shopping with her children at the super market.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJennie and Jim Magill in the kitchen.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJennie Magill and family in the kitchen.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Wifely kiss is Jim's reward for helping with the dishes.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJennie Magill at work.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Companionable lunch with the girls from store is lots better, says Jennie, than a sandwich in solitude at home. "Through Jennie's friends at work," says Jim, "I've met a lot of people I wouldn't have met otherwise."Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Her work is a source of pride to Jim. "She' has done a terrific job. And when I tell her about my work she doesn't brush it off."Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Going home, Jim always picks Jennie up at Carson Pirie Scott branch. The ride home is a chance to talk without domestic distractions.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJennie and Jim Magill coming home from work.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Taking over the family reins when she gets home, Jennie holds Jackie, 2, who tests cake which he "helped" housekeeper Sophia Flewelling (left) to bake. Sophie runs household smoothly while parents are gone.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJennie Magill and family.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJennie Magill ironing with her daughter.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJennie Magill with her children.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Jennie Magill comforting her crying daughter.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJennie Magill with her children.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJennie Magill reading a story to her children.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Bill-paying is disagreeable, but it reminds them of how well they live because Jennie works. "It's nice not to have that lost feeling," says Jim. "Now when we see a piece of furniture we want, we buy it."Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJennie Magill kisses her children goodbye.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
