U.S. moms lose an average of $9,500 thanks to unpaid maternity leave

The U.S. leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to taking care of new mothers in the workforce. A new survey, published earlier this week by What to Expect, found that 51% of U.S. parents take unpaid maternity leave when they have a new baby, and that it costs them, on average, $9,480.

The survey included responses from 2,275 women ages 18 to 54. All respondents were either currently pregnant or had at least one child up to age five. 

The U.S. is one of the only developed countries in the world where paid parental leave isn’t guaranteed. The Family and Medical Leave Act grants some workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave that they can use to heal from pregnancy and care for a new baby. It’s important to note, though, that the FMLA only applies to qualifying workers, and the Department of Labor estimates that only 56% of workers are actually covered by the law. When it comes to paid leave, well, that’s left up to the states—and only 13 of them have passed any legislation mandating paid family leave. Even in states where paid parental leave is required, it’s often for as little as six weeks.

The World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 14 weeks of leave to heal from pregnancy, so it’s no wonder so many mothers take unpaid leave—sometimes even in addition to whatever paid leave they’re offered. 

The U.S. belongs to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, a group of the world’s most developed nations. OECD countries offer an average of 18.6 weeks of paid maternity leave—and you can bet the U.S. is dragging that average down much lower than it would be if we weren’t included in the calculation. Additionally, 16 OECD countries pay mothers 100% of their usual earnings while on maternity leave.

The What to Expect survey found that U.S. moms reported taking an average of 11 weeks of leave—but 25% of them said they took six weeks or less. For nonchildbearing partners, things were even worse; They took an average of five weeks off, and 29% took only a few days off—or no time at all. 

Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of survey respondents didn’t think they had enough leave, but felt that they had no choice but to go back to work.

“I am using all of my savings to cover my expenses while I am out of work,” one said.

Another noted, “I would just love to have more time to recover and bond with my baby. Six to eight weeks are not enough, and I do not have a choice to stay home due to the fact that it would not financially work for my family.”