US is one of three countries (Liberia and Papua New Guinea) with no right to paid maternity leave.

The United States remains the only member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, that does not guarantee mothers any paid time off from work after the birth of a new child. In fact, the United States is one of only three countries in the world—along with Liberia and Papua New Guinea—where workers do not have the right to paid maternity leave.



It should not be surprising, then, that countries guaranteeing longer paid maternity leave tend to enjoy lower child poverty rates as well. (see Figure 3) This is because the majority of women must take at least some time off from work to physically recover from childbirth, and paid leave makes them more likely to return to employment after. It is also because paid leave is associated with higher maternal wages. In the United States, access to paid maternity leave makes mothers less likely to rely on public assistance after the birth of a child.



http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/news/2013/03/08/55683/the-united-states-needs-to-guarantee-paid-maternity-leave/

3 countries in the world! We get used to being ranked low in most indices of quality of life among developed countries but this sets a new (low) standard.