For each additional month of paid maternity leave offered in low- and middle-income countries, infant mortality is reduced by 13 percent.
“A significant number of countries where the vast majority of maternal and child deaths occur provide less than 12 weeks of paid leave to new mothers,” says Arijit Nandi, assistant professor in the epidemiology, biostatistics, and occupational health departments at McGill University and lead author of a study published in PLOS Medicine.
“Our findings suggest that paid maternity leave policies are a potential instrument for reducing preventable child deaths, even in countries where women are less likely to be working in the formal economy.”
“The US needs to catch up with most of the world and ensure all new parents have paid parental leave.”

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