Barriers to access maternity leave: A systematic narrative review

<ns3:p>Background The lack of access to comprehensive maternity leave could detrimentally affect mothers’ physical and mental health. Despite having the right to maternity leave, working mothers face several barriers to accessing it. These barriers to accessing maternity leave have not yet been systematised. Aim To identify the barriers to fully exercising the right to maternity leave. Methods We conducted a narrative synthesis, searching five databases and identifying 14,469 articles, from which we included 65 articles. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cross-sectional studies, the Effective Public Healthcare Panacea Project Quality Assessment Tool for quantitative studies with other research designs, and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme for qualitative studies. Findings Barriers include insufficient safeguards for implementing maternity leave policies in workplaces, hostile work environments that expose women to negotiating maternity leave or experiencing negative attitudes from coworkers, and being part of less advantaged sociodemographic groups, which hinder adequate access to maternity leave. Conclusion Mothers experience various barriers to accessing maternity leave, and women in more vulnerable groups are the most affected. Governments and employers can promote initiatives to reduce these barriers.</ns3:p>