The source isn’t totally right: many Americans have no legal right to parental leave . The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 says that workers are allowed to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave — but there are a lot of loopholes. Parents have to be working at companies that have over 50 employees living within 75 miles of their workplace, and they have to have been at the same company for at least one year and have worked over 1,250 working hours. According to a 2017 report , only about 59% of Americans are eligible for FMLA maternity leave protections under these conditions, with lower rates among low-income workers . The U.S. is the only country in the developed world without mandated paid maternity leave, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED).