Ah, finally I have finished work and could take a break from my daily commute and the hustle of central London. As I am about to put my feet up for the big day, I find it interesting to compare maternity leave entitlement across different countries around the world. I am quite fortunate to be living in the UK which allows me to take up to a year off, not so much so for those in Hong Kong, who should all be accustomed to the ‘before 4, after 6’ ritual, which means the new mum can take up to around 10 weeks off only.
I found this interesting chart on the Huffington Post website, which compares paid maternity leave in different countries:
In my opinion, I only think that it makes sense for mums to have at least 6 months statutory time off, mainly to support the WHO health initiative of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. This is most important, as breastmilk is the perfect food for babies in early life and this right should not be deprived of. New mums would also need the time to bond with the baby too. If mums choose to go to work earlier, dads can also take shared maternity leave / paternity leave to take care of the baby.
On my offical last day at work as a mum-to-be, I’m just reminiscing my past five years working here in central London, which has given me more opportunities than I have hoped for. A big thank you for all those who walked along this path with me… a new beginning to come!
