What does China, India, South Sudan and U.S. have in common?

-Source-NPR-

According to a data analysis released on Thursday by UNICEF, the U.N. children's agency, almost two-thirds of the world's children under age 1 — nearly 90 million — live in countries where dads are not entitled by law to take paid paternity leave. In these countries, this policy is typically decided by employers.

The data, mapped in an interactive chart produced by World Policy Analysis Center at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health, allows users to scroll over a country to see its policy on paid paternity leave: no paid leave, less than three weeks (for most countries, that means one week or less), three to 13 weeks or 14 weeks or more. Users can also compare this data with paid maternity leave around the world. According to the center, 185 countries guarantee paid leave for mothers, with at least 14 weeks of leave in 106 countries.

For Jody Heymann, founding director of World Policy Analysis Center, the data draws attention to a glaring gap in expectations on gender roles. "To achieve gender equality both in the workplace and the home, it's essential for men to have an equal chance to be there with their newborn babies," she says.

Here are some highlights from the findings — and insights on paid paternity leave from researchers at World Policy Analysis Center and UNICEF. Read more