Other forms: maternity leaves
Maternity leave is the time a woman takes off from work after her baby is born. In the U.S., large companies are required to offer 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave to new moms.
While employers in many countries have to provide paid maternity leave (and also paternity leave for new fathers), few American workers have this benefit. Maternity leave is a short-term break from working that gives mothers time to spend with their baby. These days, it's often called parental leave, but maternity leave is mom-specific, derived from the Latin root māter, "mother."