ILO: More work to be done on maternity leave

(Vatican Radio) The International Labour Organization (ILO) on Monday issued a report saying 830 million women workers around the world do not have adequate maternity protection, and men often get no time off after their child’s birth. The ILO's Maternity and Paternity report reveals that while many countries have adopted the principles of protecting the rights of women at work after they give birth, implementation is often lacking.

The report shows that more than half of the 185 countries surveyed have legislated for at least 14 weeks of maternity leave. And paternity leave for fathers is also on the increase.

“While our findings suggest that many countries have adopted the principles of maternity protection and support workers with family responsibilities in their laws, lack of protection in practice remains one of the major challenges for maternity and paternity at work today,” said the report’s co-author, Laura Addati, Maternity Protection and Work-family Specialist from the ILO’s Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch.

Listen to the interview by Stefano Leszczynski with Laura Addati: