Parental Leave: What Do Physician Societies Provide for Their Employees?

Area of Science:

• Medical professional organizations
• Human resources policy
• Employee benefits

Background:

• Parental leave offers significant health advantages for parents and children.
• Many medical associations advocate for parental leave but their own employee policies remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the parental leave policies of national physician societies.
• Policies were assessed for paid vs. unpaid leave and parity for all parents.

Main Methods:

• A 2023 cross-sectional analysis reviewed parental leave policies of eight national physician societies.
• Policies examined included duration, pay status, eligibility, and coverage for non-birthing parents.

Main Results:

• Two societies did not disclose policies, and one lacked a policy.
• Only 40% of societies with policies offered paid parental leave; the rest provided unpaid leave.
• Benefits were generally equitable for birth mothers and non-birthing parents, with one exception.

Conclusions:

• A small proportion of surveyed physician societies provide paid parental leave.
• Physician societies are encouraged to offer paid parental leave and publicize their policies.