Entitlements to job-protected leave for parents are an important part of social policy in most developed countries, a necessary part of the tool-kit for running a modern state. With very few exceptions, today's parent in these countries can expect the right to take leave at and around the time of childbirth (or, in most countries, adoption), then for a period of the child's early years, and often to be paid by the state while taking that leave. In some cases, the parent can also expect to have the option to work reduced hours or to take time off work, often with pay, if a child is ill. This strand of social policy, which recognises the care responsibilities of members of the labour force, began in the late 19th century as a health issue for employed women, maternity leave being introduced for women workers to protect their health and that of their newborn infants; indeed, when the European Union (EU) introduced minimum standards for maternity leave across all member states in 1992, it did so on health and safety grounds (see Chapter Fifteen). But as leave policies have developed and broadened, so too have their rationale and goals become more diverse.

Maternity leave rights were first introduced, in Germany, in 1883, alongside health insurance and paid sick leave, part of a new social insurance system intended to bind workers to the state. By the outbreak of the First World War, 21 countries had established maternity leave policies, covering 4 to 12 weeks, and 13 of these were paid. In 1919, the International Labour Office adopted the first Maternity Protection Convention, subsequently ratified by 33 countries. This specified that a woman working in the public or private sector:

• (a) shall not be permitted to work during the six weeks following her confinement;

• (b) shall have the right to leave her work if she produces a medical certificate stating that her confinement will probably take place within six weeks;

• (c) shall, while she is absent from her work in pursuance of paragraphs (a) and (b), be paid benefits sufficient for the full and healthy maintenance of herself and her child, provided either out of public funds or by means of a system of insurance …;

• (d) shall in any case, if she is nursing her child, be allowed half an hour twice a day during her working hours for this purpose.