Study places Ireland among the bottom for maternity leave

Ireland has been ranked among the worst countries in Europe for paid maternity leave, according to a new study.

The rankings were compiled by Boundless, a global employment platform, after analyzing how individual countries compensate women when they become new mothers.

The league table reveals that Ireland is among the lowest paying countries in Europe, offering new mothers 42 weeks of maternity leave with €245 paid weekly for the first 26 weeks.

The UK is also at the bottom of the table, where new mothers get up to 52 weeks of maternity leave, but are entitled to 90% of their average weekly wages for the first six weeks.

The analysis found that Bulgaria boasts the best maternity package in Europe, allowing new mothers to take a minimum of 58.6 weeks off, with its National Health Insurance Fund paying 90% of their full salary during pregnancy. license.

Similarly, Norway pays mothers 80-100% of their full salary for at least 49 weeks.

“Our ranking clearly shows the disparities in maternity leave across Europe and the need for the UK and Ireland to improve their base rates,” said Dee Coakley, CEO and co-founder of Boundless.

“But there is also work that can be done at the employer level and that is giving extended leave and pay,” he added.

The study notes that employers and governments in Europe are responsible for covering the legal pay of new mothers to varying degrees.

Each country was evaluated based on the length of full maternity pay it offers to employees.

Not all countries offer full payment, so in those cases, the time has been adjusted to reflect that.