Comments on: Parental leave after having a baby

By: Ben from The Suburban Dad

Ben from The Suburban Dad — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:50:25 +0000

Yeah, we’re quite lucky here in Canada. My wife was on maternity leave for a year with about 55% of the salary paid through benefits. The goal is for to find a gov’t job before our next baby. The fed gov’t here tops up to 93%.

Dad and Moms can split 35 weeks of parental leave between them. Mom’s get an immediate 15 weeks of maternity.

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:49:27 +0000

I live in France and my wife and I are expecting twins in January 2010. Because it is twins, she will get nearly a full year of paid maternity leave (at about 80%) and I will get 3 weeks. Don’t forget, of course, that I also get 9 weeks of vacation. I think everything is going to work out quite well:)

By: Nicole

Nicole — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:27:03 +0000

That is truely amazing! I’m currently pregnant, due mid October, and Hubby and I are stressed trying to figure out how we are going to manage me being out of work (not getting paid…at all) for 6-8 weeks after, then figuring out childcare after I have to go back to work. I’ve saved up about 3 weeks of sick/vacation time that I will use, then just hope neither I nor the child gets sick untilI start eaning more again. Many childcare providers do not want to take on very small babies, many even require them to be potty trained before they will take them so we are trying to figure out who will take care of our precious baby! Hubby has saved up about a week of vacation time that he will take after the baby is born but that is all he will get, which completely wipes out his sick/personal/vacation time as well.

By: Dee

Dee — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 02:07:19 +0000

I believe getting a paid parental leave after having a baby is important. It should be included in our fundamental rights, come to think of it. It’s a pretty basic need.

By: beagooddad

beagooddad — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:08:14 +0000

Their cars get better gas mileage and if I’m not mistaken and a lot of the price of the gas is in taxes designed to limit driving and pay for better technologies, isn’t it? So they pay more on purpose.

They don’t pay as much for health care out of their paychecks. If we factor what we pay for health care as well as taxes out of our paychecks and all the other things like social security and such, it probably balances out better.

And people don’t go bankrupt because they get sick. I’m kind of tired (as a nation) of needing to worry about the financial implications of just getting sick.

By: Jaynee

Jaynee — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:30:15 +0000

Yes, but don’t those people also pay something like 50% in income taxes AND $5 per LITER for gas?

By: beagooddad

beagooddad — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:10:01 +0000

You might want to see what your wife has to say about that first

That is interesting, though. I wonder if there are any rules to how frequently you can use those benefits or if there is a max benefit allowance over a lifetime or anything or if so few people want to have more than 2-3 kids that it really doesn’t become a problem. I guess the 17 years or so of needing to work after the last kid turns one would be enough of a discouragement.

By: Jared

Jared — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:38:25 +0000

If I got 100% pay for 1 year after we had a baby…we’d be popping one out every year or so.