A new study has ranked Ireland among the worst European countries when it comes to paid maternity leave.

The study by global employment platform Boundless compared the monetary compensation for new mothers across the EU, and found that Ireland offered only 42 weeks of maternity leave with €245 paid weekly for the first 26 weeks, ranking among the lowest group of EU countries. And that’s only if they have enough PSRI contributions.

Bulgaira topped the list of best paid maternity leave, offering new mothers a minimum of 58.6 weeks off, and a payment of 90% of their full salary during leave. Norway, which covers 80-100% of new mothers' salaries for 49 weeks, also ranked highly.

Dee Coakley, CEO and co-founder of Boundless said that the table “clearly showed the disparities across Europe” for maternity leave and the need for Ireland to increase its basic rates. She also urged employers to match EU standards.

Currently, working mothers in Ireland are granted 26 weeks maternity leave no matter how long they have been with the company or how many hours a week they work. On top of that, they can receive an extra 16 weeks of unpaid leave when their paid maternity leave ends.

Entitlement for paid leave depends on if the worker has contributed enough to PRSI, as employers are not obliged to pay. But employers can choose to offer paid maternity leave to their employees, or to top up the benefit.