Barbados

An act to provide for family leave for male and female employees, access for the parents of the child to have leave together at the birth of the child or during the essential early months of development and to provide for related matters. Maternity leave shall be of a period of no less than 14 weeks. In the case of multiple births, a female employee shall be entitled to maternity leave for a period not less than 17 weeks. Paternity leave granted to a male employee shall be for a period of not less than 3 weeks and may be taken as a continuous period or be arranged in a manner where the male employee is allowed a period of no less than 2 weeks as he desires within the first 3 months of the birth of the child, and a period of not less than one week before the child is 6 months old.

Established the maternity grant to an amount of $1,260.

Established the conditions for the maternity benefit and the maternity grant, financed through National Insurance. Maternity benefit shall be granted in the case of the pregnancy and confinement of a woman who is an insured person, with a daily rate of 100% of the average insurable weekly earning of the insured person, divided by 6.