Maternity leave in UAE is a labor right that only pregnant women can access. Failing that, women who have just had a child can also access it. According to the country’s new labor law, maternity leave has an extension. Previously, it was 45 to 60 days for private-sector employees. These days had different payment conditions, depending on the duration and type of permit.
In this article, we will explain everything you need to know about maternity leave in UAE. Among the things that will be taken into account are the requirements, exceptions, and benefits. In addition, we will show you some benefits that you can access with this license. Finally, we will give you some practical tips to manage your work and your family during this very special period.
Detail About Maternity Leave Program in UAE
Thanks to profitable business ideas for investors in the UAE, this is a popular destination for professionals and investors. For this reason, the UAE government established a set of rules for public and private sector employees. This is what is known as the UAE labor law, which regulates different areas, such as UAE licenses.
Thus, the Dubai maternity leave has different guidelines that employers must follow. Therefore, if you want to have a baby in the UAE and you are an employee, you must make sure that your rights are fulfilled. With this, you will be able to enjoy employee benefits in UAE. However, there were changes in the UAE labor law in terms of leaves, where you also find the Maternity leave in UAE 2023.
So, How maternity in Dubai Government? This is part of the benefits that UAE employees have. In this way, every employee can take maternity leave if she is pregnant or plans to become pregnant. Additionally, if you are a public sector employee, according to what is established in your employment contract, you have the benefits of a pregnant employee.
Therefore, maternity leave is longer than for employees working in the private sector. Additionally, Dubai government employees also get their fully paid maternity leave of 3 months after their due date. However, they may also request maternity leave up to a maximum of 30 days before the date on which delivery is scheduled.
UAE Employment Law Changes in 2023
About law for maternity leave in UAE has had some changes. In this way, maternity leave for employees has been extended to 60 days, which was previously 45 days. Additionally, during the first 45 days, employees must receive their full salary. On the other hand, for the remaining 15 days, they must receive half their salary.
In this way, you find that jobs for women must comply with the provisions of the Maternity law in UAE. Additionally, employees who have exhausted their leave and cannot work due to a pregnancy-related illness; may take 45 days of unpaid leave.
On the other hand, if you give birth to a child who is sick or has special needs, you will be able to enjoy an additional 30 days of paid leave.
New Leave Rules for Maternity
The Maternity leave Dubai law has new rules that must be followed by employers. In this way, new benefits are provided to working mothers.
Extending the duration of maternity leave: this allows employees to recover better and spend more quality time with their families. In addition, it also helps working mothers get back to their normal routines more easily.
Extension of maternity leave to adoptive mothers: another important change is the inclusion of adoptive mothers in the Maternity law in UAE. In this way, working mothers who adopt a child under 5 years of age have 45 days of maternity leave. Furthermore, this is an important step to promote the adoption of children in the country.
Benefits of Maternity Leave in UAE
Currently, there are countless cases of mothers who have to return to work a few weeks after giving birth. The reason is that they want to receive their full payment, to be able to meet family expenses. According to studies, a mother should never leave her baby before she is 4 months old in the care of a stranger. It is even recommended that it be at least 6 months old. Thanks to maternity leave in UAE, this is a possibility for all mothers.
Both mother and child can have multiple benefits by accessing this leave. According to a study on paid maternity policies, they serve to substantially reduce cases of infant mortality. In addition, it helps babies have better overall health.
On the other hand, according to research, it is known that babies who are with their mothers during the first months of life have better IQ. That is, in their adult lives they will have better incomes. In addition, mothers with access to maternity leave in UAE are more likely to return to work.
Mothers who use maternity leave in UAE before giving birth have fewer complications during childbirth. That is, they are less likely to have children with low birth weight or complications at birth. Additionally, families that are together longer than 12 weeks after childbirth are more likely to continue breastfeeding.
Thanks to this, children can develop the baby’s motor and social skills. Additionally, they are less likely to suffer from depression and separation anxiety. That is why the breastfeeding policy that is part of the maternity leave in UAE is very beneficial.
Finally, mothers who have more time to enjoy their children have less anguish and anxiety. Below you will see more details about the benefits of maternity leave in UAE.
Mental and Emotional Health
According to studies, taking maternity leave in UAE can improve the mother’s mental and emotional health. The reason is that they are less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. In these studies, they talked to different women who took leave and those were the conclusions.
In addition, you have to know that maternity leave in UAE can also improve the father’s health. The reason is that they are given peace of mind knowing that their children are with their mothers. Even with themselves when requesting paternity leave. Thanks to this, they are less likely to suffer from depression.
On the other hand, regarding physical health; You have to know that maternity leave in UAE helps substantially to reduce infant mortality. In addition, children have a lower risk of losing birth weight or even having a premature birth. Especially for single mothers.
Thanks to this, maternal and child hospitalizations can be reduced. There is also a relationship with greater pediatric and postpartum health care assistance. That is, mothers who have the possibility of accessing maternity leave in UAE are likely to have difficulty postpartum. It is important to highlight that for children this has a lasting impact.
On the other hand, there is more childhood vaccination on time. This is thanks to the available time that mothers have to take their children to vaccination appointments. Thanks to maternity leave in UAE is related to better child health outcomes. Especially during the first years of primary school. Additionally, many early health outcomes are related to better health during childhood. Finally, there is evidence that mothers have positive impacts on emotional and mental health.
Fostering Strong Parent-Child Relationships
The first step for any relationship is learning to read signals and messages that people transmit. The more time the mother shares with her baby, the more they get to know and understand each other. Therein lies the importance of maternity leave in UAE. Especially the breastfeeding clause for mothers. Breastfeeding is a unique and irreplaceable moment to create a relationship between mother and baby. Furthermore, this is one of the most significant interactions in a human relationship.
According to studies, breastfeeding is a powerful way to get to know each other. In addition, it establishes the heat of the parents’ body as a safe place for the baby. There are many biological reasons to take advantage of the moment of breastfeeding. Thus, quality interactions can be built between mother and child.
The relationship between parents and children is a fundamental element for healthy development. Specifically, with warm, sensitive, receptive, and language-rich interactions. This brings many benefits to the mother’s physical and mental health.
In summary, according to many studies, maternity leave in UAE can improve the bond between parents and children. Any mother who takes leave is more involved in caring for her children in their basic activities. For example, his feeding, changing his diapers, and his bathing.
Greater Job Satisfaction and Retention
Maternity leave in UAE allows employees to balance their professional and personal lives. New parents have the opportunity to have time off to care for their children without worrying about job security.
Companies that provide generous maternity leave in UAE policies are often more attractive to job seekers. That is, they are companies that experience higher employee retention rates. Employees are much more likely to stay with companies that support them during critical events in their lives.
All employees who can take maternity leave in UAE are more likely to return to work with a positive attitude. In addition, they have greater job satisfaction. That is, this can lead to increased productivity and decreased absenteeism.
Financial Stability for Families
Maternity leave in UAE results in a lower risk of poverty and food insecurity for families. In addition, it provides greater family income in the year following the birth of a child. Especially for mothers with incomes below the federal poverty level. Additionally, maternity leave in UAE can increase mothers’ participation in the labor force.
Additionally, this type of leave is relatively unlikely to negatively impact employers. A survey of companies shows that maternity leave in UAE had a significantly positive impact. Especially in productivity, profitability, billing, and morale. In particular, for small businesses since they are the ones that have the most positive results, compared to companies with more than 100 employees.
Positive Impact on Long-term Child Development
Some studies establish that babies of mothers who took maternity leave in UAE are more likely to reach milestones in the baby’s development. For instance, crawl and sit.
How Long is Maternity Leave in UAE?
The UAE not only offers benefits to those who wish to start a business in the UAE. In this sense, thanks to the new UAE labor law, women have 60 days of maternity leave. Where the first 45 days you have full salary, being one of the few countries that offers this. In addition, in the next few days, you will have half the salary.
Additionally, you can take leave if you need to for health reasons related to the pregnancy. In this way, you will be able to have 100 additional days of leave without pay. However, you must apply for this with the necessary medical certificates. You find that the new UAE labor law explains the rights of additional medical leave for problems of the child or mother as follows:
The employee may be absent from work without receiving pay for a maximum of 45 consecutive days; if this absence is caused by an illness suffered by her or her child as a consequence of the pregnancy. In addition, we found that the employee who gives birth to a child who is sick or has special needs will have 30 days of leave with full pay.
This period may be extended for another 30 days. On the other hand, the employee will have one-hour breaks to breastfeed. In this way, 6 months from the previous 18 months, employees can enjoy a breastfeeding break. In addition, it can be taken as a single break or divided into two as long as it does not exceed the corresponding hour.
Conclusion
The UAE is a country that offers many benefits such as different types of visas and great job opportunities. For this reason, UAE maternity leave is a great attraction for employees around the world. In addition, it has made important changes, where the duration was extended from 45 to 60 days for private sector employees.
Maternity leave can even be extended for medical reasons, for both mother and child. However, a medical certificate must be presented justifying the problems suffered by either of the two. In addition, this permit includes the right to one or two breaks so that you can breastfeed during the first 6 months after giving birth.
We can compare maternity leave in the UAE with other countries in the region and the world. However, we found many differences in terms of duration, conditions, and payment. In this way, many countries offer more days, but with a much lower remuneration. On the other hand, the others offer fewer days, but with higher remuneration.
Thus, if you want to know more about maternity leave in the UAE, we invite you to Connect Group. Here you will find help from experts on this topic and many others, such as the UAE employment visa. For this reason, if you have any more questions, we invite you to contact us at +971 43 316 688 or contact@connectgroup.co and take that step into the world of work in the UAE.
