Cabinet extends paid maternity leave for civil servants
The Cabinet has in principle approved measures to support women in the civil service as proposed by the Social Development and Human Security Ministry.
The aim is to protect the female workforce, strengthen their finances and boost men’s role in raising children.
The measures approved on Tuesday include:
• Child development facilities: Nurseries or creches will be set up for children up to the age of three, with opening and closing times adjusted based on parents’ working hours.
• Promoting paternity leave: New fathers will be given time off to help look after their newborns. They will also be given the option of using up their 15-day paternity leave in batches instead of in one go.
• Extending paid maternity leave: Civil servants can now take 98 days paid maternity leave – up by eight days – and can extend their leave by another 90 days at half the salary. In all, women can take up to 188 days or about six months off as maternity leave.
Previously, women were only allowed 90 days paid maternity leave and could take another 60 days without pay.