Only seven countries do not require national paid family leave: Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, the Marshall Islands, and the United States. In every country in the world, paid family leave is a critical component of well-functioning societies, leading to improved health outcomes for parents and children, gender equality at work and home, and numerous other economic and community benefits. I am aware that it leads to .
Fortunately, although there is no national mandate, 14 states in the United States, including Maryland, have passed laws that provide parents with paid time away from work to bring children into the family. In July 2026, Maryland’s paid family leave program goes into effect, providing critical support to new parents. Workers will be able to take up to 12 weeks off to welcome a new child, care for themselves or a family member, or prepare for a family member’s new assignment.
At the same time, employers across the country are also proactively deciding to introduce or improve paid parental leave policies. Currently, nearly three-quarters of Fortune 500 companies offer some form of paid parental leave, even though it is not required by law. These companies recognize that offering paid parental leave is a strong business case, and many do so primarily to support the well-being and careers of their employees, especially women.
But despite positive public and private momentum to promote access to family benefits and parental leave, there is more to the story than that. Despite the many benefits of extended paid leave policies, there are still many unanswered questions about how to implement these policies in a way that truly supports business continuity and the careers of working parents, especially mothers. Questions remain.
Many studies show that women who take particularly long maternity leave are at risk for career advancement. In 2018, after Canada extended maternity leave from 35 weeks to 61 weeks, researchers published a study on longer maternity leave in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Researchers tested potential female job seekers’ perceptions based on their application materials and showed that she had taken either a long maternity leave of 12 months or a short maternity leave of one month. . The results showed that women with longer periods of maternity leave listed on their resumes were perceived as less desirable.
A Stanford University study by economist and health policy expert Maya Rossin Slater found that while extended maternity leave benefits women’s health and well-being, it does not necessarily improve their earning potential or career advancement. It turned out not to. A similar study in Europe, where many policies last longer than a year, found that such long breaks had a negative impact on women’s career advancement. A study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research attributes a 76% slowdown in the rate of decline in the gender pay gap to family and medical leave laws.
Parentaly, a company that provides coaching and training to parents and their managers before and after parental leave, conducted a study with similar results. A 2024 survey and analysis of 2,752 U.S. women who took paid parental leave within the past three years found that 94% of women initially return to work after paid parental leave, but 73% of them later return to work. It turns out that he is considering leaving the company within the next few months. their return.
After 18 months, a third of them actually quit, but contrary to conventional wisdom, they did not drop out of the workplace or stay home with their children. They quit to work elsewhere. For these women, career advancement was their primary concern throughout their parental leave experience, outweighing even childcare and health concerns.
However, there are some silver linings. Programs that support expectant parents and their managers before and after parental leave can greatly help retain women and advance their careers. Career coaching for new moms provides a forum for defining and planning career goals alongside your role as a new parent. Our research shows that women who have a generous compensation plan when entering and exiting maternity leave are twice as likely to be confident in their future career trajectory than those who don’t. I found out that it is higher than that.
Papery research also shows that people with effective managers are more than 2.5 times more likely to experience positive parental leave at work than those without effective managers. Academics who conducted the study in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that taking extended leave is an important way for managers to support women’s careers by countering the perception that they are less invested in their work. discovered that it can play a role. The “Touch” program allows mothers to have intermittent contact with their work colleagues during their vacation.
Parental leave is here to stay, and longer parental leave is good for women’s health. But a more pragmatic approach is needed to avoid negatively impacting women’s careers and employers’ ability to retain their vital workforce.
Allison Whalen and Mansi Kothari are Parentaly’s CEO and Vice President of Product, respectively.
