Supporting a mother means supporting a family, which is a core part of society. The Government has taken concrete steps to support working women, particularly mothers, with the updated maternity laws in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and now Dubai.
As The National reported yesterday, starting from yesterday, female employees in government departments will be entitled to three months of paid maternity leave, instead of the previous two months.
The extended maternity leave also comes with more flexible work practices for mothers in general. They will be able to add annual and unpaid leave to maternity leave to extend it up to 120 days. They will be able to take a two-hour breastfeeding break a day for up to one year after giving birth. And government departments will also be obliged by law to establish a nursery for employees’ children below the age of 4 if the total number of children of female staff exceeds 20. This will allow mothers to be close to their children even after going back to work.
These new rules, however, will widen the gap between the public and private sectors, in which female employees are entitled to only 45 days of maternity leave and face many more obstacles to have a balance between their careers and families.
In order to compete with the public sector, private sector companies should consider changing their approach to have more family-friendly policies. Healthy competition between the sectors will boost the overall economy. Another positive step is that the updated law provides more support for mothers of newborns with special needs, a new focus that was missing in previous maternity rules. They will now be able to take one year of child care and extend it to three years based on medical reports and the approval of their workplace.
A more supportive work environment for mothers will have a positive influence on the entire society. Healthy homes lead to healthier workplaces. Mothers would naturally be able to give more in an environment that considers their family needs.
