As of this week, new fathers in the private sector within the UAE are now entitled to paid paternity leave. The paid leave is for 5 days and can be taken any time from the baby’s birth up to 6 months.
The latest Arab country to allow for men to take paternity leave, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan passed the new law. In a bid to support gender equality and equal opportunities, the new regulation looks to strengthen family units and stability across the country. Men working in the private sector will now be able to take 5 days of paid leave to help with their newborns.
As the current law stands, women are entitled to 90 days of paid maternity leave across the UAE’s public sector,and 45 days in the private sector on the provision that they have been employed with the same company for at least a year. The new paternity leave bill also grants women with an extra 5 days paid maternity leave within the private sector.
The Emirates are also working together across other levels and sectors to make the country an attractive place to work and live via these new laws that provide equal opportunities.
