In this case, "better" might mean none at all. EU countries with lots of maternity leave are really lacking in children. Without maternity leave, of course the

In this case, "better" might mean none at all. EU countries with lots of maternity leave are really lacking in children. Without maternity leave, of course there is a disincentive to have any children. Once you do have a child though, you might as well have a bunch of children. You've already blown the career. This probably explains the odd result of countries with more maternity leave having fewer kids. Another factor may be that the cost of maternity leave is passed on to everybody. Depending on legal details this may be via higher taxes, lower pay, and higher prices. It obviously isn't free. People often react to higher costs by having fewer kids. The policy may thus have the opposite of the intended effect.