Despite efforts of the Millennium Development Goals, maternal mortality remains very high in developing countries. Nearly 800 mothers die every day from childbirth, and women also face discrimination at the workplace due to inadequate maternity protection. Social protection such as maternity cash benefits during maternity and maternal health care ensures income security for pregnant women and mothers of new-born children and also promotes equality in employment and occupation.
The paper provides a global overview of the organization of maternity cash benefits and maternity care in 188 countries and analyses trends and recent policies. Further, it describes the negative impacts of fiscal consolidation and adjustment measures in a number of higher-income economies and presents the costs of a universal benefit to all pregnant women in 57 low- and middle-income countries. In order to address the inequality caused by deficiencies in social protection for maternity, this paper calls for the expansion of maternity protection to accelerate progress on women’s rights, enhance the well-being of new mothers and promote inclusive development and social justice.
Adapted from available summary.