claim: The provision of full-time (equivalent) maternity pay in the UK is among the lowest in Europe.
evidence: 9 This is an alternative to the full rate equivalent used by the OECD (2012). Across countries there is substantial variation in the duration and generosity of maternity leave and so, in order to make policies comparable across countries, the OECD calculates the duration of the full-time equivalent of the leave period if paid at 100% of an employee’s last earnings. This is the Full Rate Equivalent (FRE). The average duration of FRE in the OECD is 12.8 weeks. While mothers across Scandinavia enjoy almost 40 weeks of FRE maternity leave, in the US mothers are not entitled to any paid leave.