Final answer:
The Family and Medical Leave Act allows employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for certain family and medical reasons. Health benefits are maintained during this period, although the leave is unpaid. The U.S. does not offer mandated paid leave, unlike many other industrial countries.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Family and Medical Leave Act (F_MLA) provides protection for employees in the form of unpaid, job-protected leave. Employees eligible under F_MLA can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year for certain family and medical reasons, which include the birth of a child or an illness within the family. While on leave, the employees' health benefits are maintained, allowing them the ability to return to their job at the end of their leave period without losing their health coverage or position.
Employment protections like these vary widely across the globe. For example, some European countries offer significant paid leave for new parents, while the United States does not mandate paid leave, only unpaid leave under the F_MLA. This is a topic of ongoing debate, particularly when discussing labor standards and employee protections in various countries. Despite the lack of mandated paid leave in the U.S., the F_MLA is a step towards ensuring that working individuals can attend to personal and family health matters without the fear of losing their jobs.