Certain rights in life are taken for granted. And in most countries, that includes maternity leave. But not in the USA, apparently.

There are four countries in the world that do not offer government-mandated maternity leave, and the USA is one of them. The US is ranked with Liberia, Swaziland, Papua New Guinea as one of the four countries that do not offer that courtesy to their citizens. That is an honor (NOT!) that we could do without.

Numerous countries also include paid paternity leave... Yes! Fathers get to take paid time off from work to bond with their new offspring. And even adoptive parents and same-sex parents are eligible for benefits in Canada, France, Sweden and the UK.

Check out this chart on how different countries help mothers (and fathers) during early parenthood.