Tuesday March 19th, 2024
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New Changes Made to Egypt's Maternity Leave Laws

Women in the workforce now have the right to four months of maternity leave preceding and following childbirth.

Cairo Scene

The Senate has approved a new article that completely overhauls the policies governing maternity leave. 

Women in the workforce now have the right to four months of maternity leave preceding and following childbirth. The duration of the paid leave following childbirth will be no less than 45 days, corroborated by a medical certificate of the date of delivery.

These women are entitled to three separate periods of leave throughout their career. Pregnant women will see their daily working hours reduced by at least one hour beginning from the sixth month of pregnancy, and are barred from working overtime during this period until delivery. 

New fathers, however, will not be extended the same privileges; a proposal to grant paternity leave to fathers to care for their newborn babies was introduced, but did not receive approval.