I have read with interest about maternity leave in different countries. I
grew up in the US and am still amazed when I hear about the pitiful
maternity benefits that most women are entitled to (often under the guise
of "disability leave").
I must say that Italy is one of the leaders when it comes to maternity
leave. The first maternity leave law was passed in 1971 and gave employed
women the right to 5 months MANDATORY leave (2 months before and 3 after
the birth) WITH PAY. If you work for the government, you get 100% of your
pay, if you work in the private sector, 80%. Later laws in 1987 and 1990
gave the same rights to free-lancers and self-employed women. Just last
year, a new law was passed that allows women to choose when to take the
leave (1 or 2 months before, and 3 or 4 months after). Women, and men, also
have the right to time off work (both paid and not) when their children are
sick. You can also take more unpaid leave after you finish the paid leave.
Basically, you can stay at home for about the first year of your baby's
life, and people just know that that's what happens. It is *expected* that
you will stay at home for at least 6 months. If you go back to work, you
are entitled to 2 hrs of *breastfeeding breaks* each day until the baby is
a year old, whether you are breastfeeding or not.
Just last February, Italy became the second country to ratify the new ILO
Convention 183 on maternity protection. That means that the convention
will become the international standard next Feb.
Yes, you pay. You pay high taxes. I think that what you take home is
something like 55% of what you cost your employer in terms of taxes (You
take home 55%, your employer pays 45% to the government in withholdings,
etc.). Ironically, breastfeeding rates are not that great, in spite of
great maternity protection.
Perhaps more that you wanted to know about maternity protection in Italy.
Elise Chapin
Elise M. Chapin
Firenze, Italy
mailto:[log in to unmask]
MAMI - Movimento Allattamento Materno Italiano http://www.mami.org
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