Ireland has one of the lowest levels of statutory maternity benefit in Western Europe, a new study has shown.
The study by Mercer Human Resource Consulting covered 13 European countries. The comparisons are based on statutory benefit built up over six months' maternity leave.
For a woman earning €22,000 a year, the total benefit after six months' maternity leave is around €5,850. The equivalent in the United Kingdom, the only one of the 13 countries studied where the rate is lower than Ireland, is around €5,300.
Denmark and Norway have highest level of maternity benefits in Western Europe, with payments averaging around €11,000. Hungary has the highest of Eastern European countries, with women entitled to around €7,100 during the six month period.
State entitlements in Germany - at €5,900 - are almost as low as Ireland, while France, Spain and the Netherlands are all €6,750.
The study also found that there were large differences in the length of paid maternity leave in Western Europe.
In Sweden, Norway and Denmark, women are entitled to 96, 53 and 50 weeks of paid leave respectively, while those in France, the Netherlands and Spain are only entitled to 16 weeks' leave. German women get just 14 weeks.
Recent legislation in Ireland extended the period attracting benefit to 22 weeks from March 2006. This will increase to 26 weeks from next March.
Mercer's research is designed to be used by multinational firms to help determine employee reward packages.