Leaves from employment which developed in some countries as a supplement to maternity leaves or as a variation on parental leaves. Longer than maternity leaves, sometimes not limited to parents with a prior work attachment, and paid at a much lower level, the benefit is often described as a kind of “mother’s wage”. In some countries the cash benefit may be the equivalent of the government subsidy for out-of-home ECEC and used either to supplement family income while one parent is at home or to purchase private care.”
The Clearinghouse on International Developments in Child, Youth & Family Policies. (2002). Mother’s day: More than candy and flowers, working parents need time off. Issue Brief, Spring 2002. Retrieved May 10, 2006, from http://www.childpolicyintl.org/issuebrief/issuebrief5.htm.