Article: 3 years off work for childcare? How the UAE is empowering Emirati mothers with key benefits

Emirati mothers can now take up to three years off work to care for their children, as per the Under Federal Law (57) of 2023. And during this time, they must continue paying monthly contributions to ensure they receive a good end-of-service benefit when they leave their job.

The provision supports Emirati working mothers by allowing them to take up to three years of leave to care for their children while maintaining their end-of-service benefits through monthly contributions.

The General Pension & Social Security Authority (GPSSA) also underlined that the UAE is committed to supporting and empowering Emirati women in areas like legislation, education, economy, and politics, to strengthen their roles across all sectors.

And in efforts to consider the traditional expectations a working Emirati woman plays in serving society, the pension laws have been catered to grant them certain advantages, as found in Federal Law No. (57) of 2023 which offers optional contribution rights for Emirati women.

In addition to this, female breadwinners, especially in the event of their husband’s death, are given special provisions, widows for instance, are offered the right to merge their pension amount to that of their husbands.

Furthermore, Federal Law No. (57) of 2023 regarding pension and social insurance and its amendments redistributes pension percentages amongst beneficiaries by raising the widow/s entitlement shares.
If the widow has more than one child she receives a 40% pension share, while children (male and female) are entitled to 40% share of the pension; the father or mother or both are entitled to 20% of the pension share.
This distribution of shares has raised the widows’ percentages at the expense of her children, since she supports them after the death of the family’s sole breadwinner.

The law has also reduced the age and contribution duration for married, divorced or widowed Emirati females with children given that they have contributed with the GPSSA for 30 years and reached the age of 55. This has resulted in a reduced two years of contribution payments and three years in age for each of an Emirati mother’s fifth and sixth child, and 3.5 years less in contributions and four years for the seventh child.

The support towards Emirati females was evident prior to Federal Law No. (57) of 2023 as shown in Federal Law No. (7) of 1999 regarding pension and social security and its amendments, which grants women the right to purchase ten years of service, while men are allowed to purchase only five years.

The pension law also allows the repayment of the share for each Emirati daughter and sister. The pension amount however is immediately suspended in case a daughter gets married, joins an entity due to a divorce or leaves a job, while the son stops receiving pension once he reaches the age of 21 or 28 in case he is still studying, contrary to a daughter who does not stop receiving pension due to age related reasons.

If the mother, sister or daughter become widowed or divorced after the death of the pensioner and neither of them receive an alternative salary or pension, a share is created for them equal to the share amount at the time the pension is due, without prejudice to the shares of the other beneficiaries.

Moreover, the law provides equal distribution of pension payments amongst daughters and sons, with daughters being entitled to the same share amount as sons, since the federal pension law does not consider pension a legal inheritance.

Contrary to popular belief, a woman's pension is distributed to her eligible family members, similar to that of a man. All these benefits reflect the federal pension laws efforts to recognize women's pivotal roles at home and in the workforce through offering the necessary financial and moral support to mothers, wives and sisters, thus contributing to enhancing their overall social and economic status.

How else does the UAE support Emirati women who are mothers?

In addition to this optional pension contribution during the childcare break, the UAE has implemented additional laws to support working parents including Emirati men, and promote work-life balance for them:

#1 Extended maternity leave

According to Federal Decree Law No. 49 of 2022 on Human Resources Law in the Federal Government, the female Emirati employees in permanent positions are entitled to three months of fully paid maternity leave. Upon returning to work, they receive two hours of daily reduced working hours for six months for childcare.

They may commence this leave up to 30 days before the expected delivery date.

It also adds that If health complications arise from pregnancy or childbirth, an additional 45 days of unpaid leave can be taken, provided a medical certificate is submitted.

In addition to this, the Abu Dhabi Social Support Authority (SSA) has extended fully paid maternity leave up to 90 days for Emirati women working in the private sector too, as part of the Emirati Family Growth Support Programme. However, they cannot combine maternity leave with unpaid leave.

This initiative was implemented in July last year, to prevent women from feeling pressured to leave their jobs to fulfil caregiving responsibilities, a challenge commonly faced in the Middle East.

#2 Supporting childcare period & reduced work hours

Emirati working mothers can take up to two hours of paid nursing breaks per day for six months after returning from maternity leave. The provision states, “Returning from maternity leave, for a period not exceeding six (6) months from the date of delivery, a female employee shall be entitled to one or two rest periods per day to breastfeed her child, provided that the sum of both periods shall not exceed two hours.”

In addition to this, for six months after returning to work, the Emirati new mothers are entitled to two hours of reduced working hours each day—either at the beginning or end of their shift—to nurse their child. These breaks are fully paid.

#3 Supportive paternal leave

In the private sector, Emirati fathers are entitled to five paid working days of paternity leave, which can be taken within six months of their child's birth. In the government sector also, they can receive up to five days of full paid paternity leave, which can be taken consecutively or intermittently within one month of their child's birth. This allows new fathers to spend quality time with their newborns, and also support their partner during the initial period.

You may also like:

The UAE government is working on more ways to support working parents, enhance quality of life, and fostering a family-friendly work environment.