Social Media

Facebook Expands Its Parental Leave Policy Across The Globe

Facebook announced it's expanding the parental leave policy to include "all new parents, no matter their gender or where in the world they live."

Facebook Expands Its Parental Leave Policy Across The Globe
Getty Images / Kimberly White
SMS

It seems Facebook's more than 12,000 employees around the world will be getting the same benefits as the tech giant's CEO. Well, at least when it comes to having kids.

Facebook announced it's expanding the parental leave policy to include "all new parents, no matter their gender or where in the world they live."

This announcement comes on the heels of Mark Zuckerberg's own announcement that he's taking two months of paternity leave when his daughter is born. 

Facebook's current parental leave policy lets new parents take four months of paid leave anytime during the newborn's first year of life. The expansion goes into effect Jan. 1. 

Many tech companies including Microsoft, Adobe and Netflix have all recently increased the amount of paid leave for parents. 

But that trend in Silicon Valley hasn't exactly spread throughout the country. The U.S. is still the only economically advanced country in the world that does not have mandatory paid maternity leave. The U.S. also doesn't have a policy at all for fathers. 

As for why Facebook expanded its policy, the announcement says, "We believe that fathers and mothers alike deserve the same level of support when they are starting and growing a family, regardless of how they define family."