Maternity Leave
These posts are from my Mat Leave Monday series, which discusses maternity and parental leave in Canada and around the world. If you like this, you should also check out my super-cool Quick Guide to Canadian Maternity Leave, updated for 2010!
Maternity Leave in the Netherlands
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Happy Victoria Day to my fellow Canadians. I hope you’re enjoying the long weekend, and that if you spent it at a campground it wasn’t too soggy. As for me, I am not a camper. I did my time in Girl Guides, and now I prefer to sleep in a bed. [...]
Maternity Leave in Sweden
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about maternity leave in Sweden. As always when I’m talking about countries outside of Canada I have no first-hand knowledge. For more detailed information in English refer to Financial family policy in Sweden, For families with children, or detailed information on the Parental Benefit (or Föräldrapenning). If you’re [...]
Laid off on Mat Leave
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Sort of. Technically. You see, I’m talking about being laid off while you’re on maternity leave in Canada. And I’m talking about this now for rather personal reasons. (If you’re not familiar with how maternity leave works in Canada, you might want to read up on it first.) I received news [...]
Maternity Leave in Norway
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about maternity leave in Norway. I know that I said I was going to stick to English-speaking countries, but I’ve discovered that many countries offer comprehensive government websites in English, so I’m branching out. As always when I’m talking about countries outside of Canada I have no first-hand [...]
A Day on Mat Leave
I’m participating in the Carnival of Breastfeeding today. The theme is ‘How To’, and you can find my own contribution and links to lots of other great breastfeeding posts. After you read all about a day in my life, go check it out! It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m going to lighten the mood a [...]
Paternity Leave
It’s Mat Leave Monday! This one is for the dads – today I’m talking about paternity leave, both in Canada and beyond our borders. Canadian maternity leave is reserved for birth mothers and lasts 15 weeks. Parental leave, however, can be shared in whole or part between parents and lasts for 35 weeks. (There is [...]
Paid Maternity Leave Legislation in the US
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Last week I discussed maternity leave in the United States through the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This week I’m following up by discussing maternity leave regulations in two US states, as well as proposed federal legislation, which provide for paid maternity and parental leave. As I discussed last week, [...]
Maternity Leave in the United States
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about maternity leave in the United States – or, more accurately, the lack of maternity leave. As always, I have no first-hand experience with countries outside of Canada. If you are in the US you might want some info straight from the horse’s mouth. Wikipedia says: Five countries [...]
The Case Against Breast-Feeding
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about an article that appeared in The Atlantic, called “The Case Against Breast-Feeding“. What does this have to do with maternity leave? Read on to find out. “The Case Against Breast-Feeding“, written by Hanna Rosin, has been tearing up the blogosphere for a little over a week. If [...]
Playgroups Saved my Sanity
It’s Mat Leave Monday! The day we all band together, with our spit-up covered clothes and our unwashed hair thrown into ponytails. In fact, we’re even proud of the current state of affairs. Because while we haven’t shaved our legs since Valentine’s Day, we’re doing the most important work of all, watching daytime TV parenting [...]
Maternity Leave in South Africa
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I am discussing maternity leave in South Africa. It’s March and spring is slowly making its way to Canada it’s not here yet, but it’s late summer in South Africa. There are harvest festivals happening at vineyards outside of Cape Town. Excuse me while I imagine myself sipping wine on [...]
Maternity Leave and the Self-Employed
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m discussing maternity leave and the self-employed. For a refresher on how maternity leave works in Canada, you can read my previous posts about Canadian Maternity Leave and Maternity Leave in Quebec. During the 2008 election campaign the Conservatives promised to extend maternity and parental benefits to the self-employed. Their [...]
Maternity Leave in Ireland
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I am talking about maternity leave in the Irish State. As ever, I have no first-hand knowledge about maternity leave in Ireland. If you are actually in Ireland, the best reference I could find is the government pages outlining maternity leave and adoptive leave. I have never set foot on [...]
Finding Childcare
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I will be talking about finding childcare. All good things must come to an end, including maternity leave. If you will be returning to work outside of the home, you will need to find someone to care for your child while you are away. While few of us like to [...]
Maternity Leave in Quebec
It’s Mat Leave Monday! After Maria from Conversations with Moms pointed out that maternity benefits are different in Quebec, I decided to research what parents are getting in la belle province for myself. Thanks to Maria for giving this oblivious British Columbian the low down. And to everyone else, go check out her site, it’s [...]
History of Maternity Leave in Canada
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m sharing the history of maternity (and parental) leave in Canada, and how it evolved over the decades. I know that you are all as excited as I am to receive a bit of edu-ma-cation on how maternity leave has evolved in this great land of ours. Maternity leave was [...]
Adoption, Surrogacy, and Maternity Leave
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about Canadian maternity and parental leave, and how it works in adoption, surrogacy, and other ‘special cases’. I touched on all of this briefly in my original post about Canadian Maternity Leave, but today I will go into much greater detail. In Canada, what we popularly refer to [...]
Maternity Leave in New Zealand
It’s Mat Leave Monday! While those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are freezing, it’s the height of summer in New Zealand. So today, I am talking about maternity leave in the Land of the Long White Cloud. As ever, I have no first-hand knowledge about maternity and parental leave in New Zealand. Although I [...]
Why Maternity Leave Matters
It’s Mat Leave Monday! I like to joke about how you’ve all been waiting with baited breath, but I do get more visitors on Monday than any other day of the week, so maybe you have been. In that case, you can un-bait your breath, because here is your weekly dose of mat leave goodness. [...]
Maternity Leave in Australia
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about maternity leave in Australia. Because it might be winter here, but it’s the middle of the summer in Oz. As with the UK, I have no first-hand knowledge, never having been Down Under myself. If you are actually in Australia the links in this post can provide [...]
My Resolutions
It’s Mat Leave Monday! After a few weeks of fairly weighty subjects, I’m taking a walk on the lighter side. I’m making some personal resolutions for 2009, to help make the most of what’s left of my maternity leave. I would hate to find myself sitting back at my desk at work, wishing I’d done [...]
More Maternity Leave FAQ
It’s the special Christmas edition of Mat Leave Monday! I’ve got my Santa hat on, and I’m ready to cover some more common questions about maternity leave in Canada. If you want to brush up on what I’ve already covered you can read my previous posts here and here. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer [...]
Maternity Leave in the UK
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about maternity leave in the UK. This is intended mostly as a comparison with the Canadian system, since I have never even been to the UK, let alone collected maternity there. If you are actually in the UK, you can find much better info here and here. In [...]
Mat Leave Pay Raises
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about recent changes announced by the government that could increase the amount of money you’re making. Riveting, riveting stuff. But it’s important, because who doesn’t like a pay raise? Especially considering that in this economy, those of us on mat leave may be the only ones seeing a [...]
Arranging your Maternity Leave
It’s Mat Leave Monday! I know it’s my most favourite day of the week, and I’m sure it’s yours, too. Today I’m talking about making arrangements with your employer for your maternity leave. I am a planner by nature. Nothing makes me happier than having a plan, executing a plan, writing up a plan, plan [...]
Second Maternity Leave
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about taking your second (or third, or more) maternity leave. When you already have a little one at home, your leave will not be the same as it was with your first. You have divided attention in a way that you did not before. You can’t always get [...]
Maternity Leave FAQ
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m answering some common questions about Canadian maternity leave. You can find my source material online here and here. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer or HR professional and I do not represent the federal government. If you have questions, you should probably speak directly with your employer or Service [...]
Suburban Treks
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about getting out of the house and walking. When you’re at home alone for months with a small baby, you can start to feel pretty cooped up. A person can only watch so much daytime TV before it starts to wear. But what to do? With an infant [...]
Baby, Let’s Dance
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about mom and baby fitness classes. Now that most moms have a whole year off after their baby comes, the obvious question is what to do with that time. During the early days, you’re learning to breastfeed, recouperating from the birth, and just figuring out how to care [...]
Canadian Maternity Leave
It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m giving a brief overview of how maternity leave works in Canada. If you’re really interested in the nitty-gritty details, you can read all about it here. Canadian parents are eligible for maternity and parental benefits, administered through the federal government’s employment insurance system. In practice most people refer to [...]
