The U.S. is the only developed country in the world without any national paid parental leave. Japan, Sweden, and Estonia, for example, offer paid parental leave ranging from 52 to 82 weeks, while the U.S. offers zero . In fact, it is one of only six countries in the world—and the only rich country—lacking such a policy.
Since there’s no federal program for parental leave, many parents—mothers especially—are forced to use their paid time off, vacation and sick days, and short-term disability insurance. Others rely on the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which allows qualifying employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. However, smaller companies with fewer than 50 employees aren’t protected by the FMLA, and even at qualifying companies, employees need to have worked there for a certain amount of time in order to have access to the time off.
Despite some laws in place to protect them, many parents feel uncomfortable taking time off for pregnancy and birth because they fear falling behind in their careers or outright discrimination.
But the truth is, parental leave improves our workplaces. Research shows employees who work for companies that offer generous paid parental leave and other parental benefits report higher rates of engagement and are more likely to stay with their companies. And gender inclusive parental leave is an important factor in achieving gender equity—the more men who take parental leave, the more likely they are to be engaged and supportive caregivers alongside their partners.
But the amount of time off extended to new parents is falling back to pre-pandemic levels, according to the survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The number of organizations offering paid maternity leave dropped to 35 percent in 2022, down from 53 percent in 2020. Paid paternity leave is down, too, from 44 percent to 27 percent. In other words, we have a long way to go, but there are employers out there who offer great parental leave policies.
If you want to work for a company that prioritizes your needs as a new parent, check out this list of 31 companies with parental leave policies.
Read more: How We All Can Help Improve Paid Parental Leave Policy Now
31 companies that offer parental leave policies
1. Amazon.com
What they offer: Up to 20 weeks of paid leave for birth mothers, which can be taken continuously or split up within 12 months of a child’s birth or adoption. Non-birth parents have access to six weeks of paid leave. Amazon also offers Leave Share, which allows employees to share their parental leave with their partner or spouse.
2. Belle Haven Investments
What they offer: Up to 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave to the eligible parent serving as the primary caregiver following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child.
3. Buzzer
What they offer: 20 weeks of parental leave for primary caregivers, secondary caregivers, birthing, non-birthing, adoptive, and foster parents.
4. b.well Connected Health
What they offer: 16 weeks of fully paid maternity leave and six weeks of fully paid paternity leave.
5. Chainalysis
What they offer: 24 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
6. Clever, Inc
What they offer: Six weeks of fully paid leave to birthing parents and 12 weeks of fully paid leave to non-birthing parents.
7. Databricks
What they offer: 16 weeks of fully paid maternity leave, eight weeks of fully paid paternity leave, and eight weeks of fully paid adoptive leave.
8. dbt Labs
What they offer: 12 weeks of fully paid maternity leave.
9. DoorDash
What they offer: 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
10. Dropbox
What they offer: 24 weeks of parental and adoptive leave, plus one transition week.
11. Elevate Labs
What they offer: 12 weeks of fully paid maternity leave.
12. ESO Solutions
What they offer: Up to 10 weeks paid leave for birth and bonding or four weeks of leave for bonding only. They also provide a car seat and a week of free meals for new parents.
13. Evia Events
What they offer: 12 weeks of fully paid parental and adoptive leave.
14. Expel, Inc
What they offer: 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave, and 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave.
Read more: What Unpaid Time Off (UTO) Is and When to Take It
15. Givebutter
What they offer: 12 weeks of paid parental and adoption leave.
16. Hyperproof
What they offer: 12 weeks of fully paid leave to be utilized post-adoption or within the child's first year, plus free diapers and wipes for the child's first year.
17. InfoTrust
What they offer: Up to 12 weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child, which can be taken before the actual placement or adoption of a child if an absence from work is required to proceed. After the initial 12 week period, parents can choose to take an additional 12 weeks at a reduced work schedule.
18. Markforged
What they offer: Up to 12 weeks of parental leave for a birth or adoption, with six weeks of the leave paid at 100 percent of the employee’s regular weekly pay.
19. Mediaocean
What they offer: After six months of employment at Mediaocean, parents can take job-protected paid time off to bond with their newborn within the first 12 months of the child’s birth.
20. Mercury
What they offer: 16 weeks of fully paid leave for birthing parents and 12 weeks of fully paid leave for non-birthing parents.
21. Milhouse Engineering & Construction
What they offer: 12 weeks of parental and adoptive leave.
22. Nitro, Inc
What they offer: 20 weeks of paid leave for birthing/primary carer parents, and eight weeks for non-birthing/secondary carer parents.
23. Northwestern Mutual
What they offer: 12 consecutive weeks of fully paid parental leave to care for a child immediately following birth or a child coming into the custody, care, and control of the parent.
24. Nugget
What they offer: After a year of employment at Nugget, new parents receive three months (12 consecutive weeks) of fully paid parental leave.
25. Palo Alto Networks
What they offer: 12 weeks of fully paid maternity leave, six weeks of paid paternity leave, and six weeks of unpaid parental leave.
26. Ping Identity Corporation
What they offer: 16 weeks of paid parental leave and eight weeks of unpaid parental leave.
27. Pittsburgh Regional Transit
What they offer: Eight weeks of fully paid leave for birthing and non-birthing parents following the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Read more: Gender Equity STARs: 12 Good Answers to ‘How Are You Supporting Women in Your Workplace?’
28. PwC
What they offer: 12 weeks of paid parental leave, plus an additional two weeks for new parents with more than one new child on the same date. Parents have the option to work 60 percent of hours, at full-time pay, for an additional four weeks immediately following paid parental leave.
29. RS Americas
What they offer: 12 weeks fully paid parental and adoptive leave, plus two weeks of paid leave for a foster parent.
30. Stord
What they offer: 12 weeks of fully paid maternity leave and six weeks of fully paid paternity leave.
31. VTS
What they offer: 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave to the primary caregiver and six weeks of fully paid parental leave to the secondary caregiver. All full-time employees returning from paid parental leave can work 60 percent of their work week (three days) at full pay for up to the first four weeks following the return from leave.
Read more: How to Ask for Maternity Leave When Your Job Doesn’t Offer It
