How long should working mothers get paid maternity leave and how long should they be allowed to have unpaid maternity leave from their employers in your opinion?

One year.
We moved from the UK to Norway when my misses got pregnant. In the UK (this was 4 years ago so may have changed) mothers got 1 month full pay and then 8 months at 100 pound (200 dollars) a week.
Here in Norway she gets a whole year at 80% pay or 44 weeks at 100% pay (state subsidised).

I work in a nursery and can honestly say those extra 8 weeks make a HUGE difference.

In Canada, if you've been working full-time for at least 13 weeks, you get 12 months, and you get paid 55% of your salary (up to a max of about 1600/month ). Either one or both parents can share the 52 weeks of leave between them, and your job is protected.

I think that 12 months should be the minimum, but 16 months would be ideal. At 12-16 months kids are just learning to walk and eat on their own and many daycares (here at least) will not take children until they are able to walk and feed themselves. Up until 16 months, the child is developing so fast, I think it is best to enable and encourage the parents to be there one-on-one.

new york the max is 3 months but it is mostly 2 .for me it should be a mandatory 3 months.

Are you asking what the law is... or our opinion?
Law is something stupid like 6 months or less (different in each state).

I think you should get it for a year, and I think it shouldn't matter how long you've been with the CO.

I was working at Wal-Mart for 6 months when I found out I was pregnant, they wouldn't give me maternity leave unless I worked there for a year.... I didn't get benefits either.... I worked 40 hrs/wk for 3 days shy of 6 months, but just before I hit 6 months (when my benefits would've kicked in), they cut me down to 30 hrs/wk.

I HATE WAL-MART!!!

As an employer I will give them a leave of absense and assure them they have a job when they decide to return, but I am not about to pay anyone for not producing an income for my company. If I did, I would have to reduce the pay of the other employees. Why should they (pregnant women) be entitled to a portion of their ( working employee's) income?

Apparently "Drifter" you have not heard of the FMLA, which entitles employees who have been with the company for atleast 12 months to 6 weeks paid maternity leave and fathers 2 weeks PATERNITY leave. I hope you get injured outside of work and are denied disability, because after all why would you (injured employee) be entitled to any pay? Who are you, Adolph Hitler? Let me know where you are an employer so I know to NEVER apply there...Nazi