DUBAI // Working mums who bemoan a lack of maternity leave could see positive changes after a committee was set up to review and support the role of women in the workplace.
The committee, established on the direction of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, will review the UAE’s Maternity Law to provide women with a supportive work environment.
Federal law currently states that mothers who have been working for a company for less than a year will receive half their monthly pay if they take 45 days of maternity leave. The committee will also set up the Gender Balance Index to enhance the role of women and promote gender equality by encouraging female participation in the UAE’s economic development.
Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who directed the committee’s establishment, said a review of maternity law would create a better environment for working women.
“The UAE Gender Balance Council will take the necessary steps to ensure men and women have equal opportunities to participate in the development of the UAE,” she said.
“We want to achieve the country’s vision in terms of gender balance on a local, regional and global level.”
Some independent companies operating in Dubai have introduced special terms for mothers wishing to return to work. They include extended maternity leave that may not be remunerated.
The Dubai International Financial Centre free zone offers female professionals 65 days of maternity leave. Thirty-three days are fully remunerated, while 32 days are on a half-pay basis.
The UAE Gender Balance Council was set up to reduce the gender gap across all government sectors.
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