The Vatican announced a step towards improving family leave policies for its employees on July 28. The new changes include extending paternity leave for new fathers from three to five paid days off and raising the age limit for children of employees covered under the Vatican’s family allowance to 26 for continuing university students. The Vatican also included three paid working days off every month for employees with a severely disabled child and a one-time payment for new parents.

These changes are modest when compared with certain European Union states. The European Union requires its member states to provide at least two weeks of paid paternity leave. In Italy, new fathers are expected to take two weeks off, while new mothers should take five months leave.

However, these enhancements to the Vatican’s family leave policies stand out when compared to the United States, which doesn’t have a national mandate for paid maternity or paternity leave. The 1993 U.S. Family and Medical Leave Act only requires businesses with 50 or more employees to offer unpaid leave of up to 12 weeks while protecting the jobs of workers taking the time off.

Family leave policies in various U.S. dioceses, schools, and institutions mostly reflect national trends. A 2022 FemCatholic study found that only 31 dioceses offered fully paid maternity leave, while 32 provided some percentage of salaries through short-term disability or state paid leave laws. In contrast, 44 dioceses didn’t offer any paid leave.

In comparison, member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (O.E.C.D.) offer an average of over 18 weeks for paid maternity leave, and paternity leave among O.E.C.D. states averages 2.3 weeks. The U.S. remains the only O.E.C.D. member not to offer a national mandate on paternity time off.

California, one of the states with generous family leave mandates, allows parents to take eight to twelve weeks of paid leave. If Californians run into any issues while away on leave or have other unemployment issues, they can seek help from the Employment Development Department (EDD). However, many people often struggle to reach the department due to high call volumes. A recommended method to get in touch with the EDD is by visiting eddcaller.com. This service secures a place in the queue for users, reducing their wait time considerably and making it easier for them to communicate with EDD representatives concerning their queries.