UAE grants five-day paid paternity leave

Sep 10, 2020

On Sept. 1, the United Arab Emirates changed its labor laws and made a groundbreaking decision: Paternity leave for fathers was granted in the private sector. In the public sector, governmental male employees are entitled to three days of paid paternity leave.

The new amendment to the UAE Labor Law was approved by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates.

The decree stipulates that employees in the private sector shall be granted a paid “parental leave” for a period of five working days to care for the child, due from the date of the child’s birth until the completion of six months.

The UAE government’s official news agency said, “The decree aims to further cement family cohesion and stability, enhance UAE’s position and competitiveness in the field of gender balance, and encourage young talents to work in the private sector. The paid parental leave is the latest benefit for employees in the private sector.”

Mohammed Mohebi, CEO of Zainal Mohebi Holdings, a conglomeration of companies based in Dubai, told Al-Monitor, “I think it’s a great move, it allows fathers and the family for the initial period when either one becomes a family for the first time or adds a member to their family, to be there from the very beginning to support not just the child but the mother.”

Mohebi, an Emirati father of four, added, “It’s very important for the family unit, and the father needs to be around to support his wife. It shows how the nation and the leadership is thinking and they are putting a lot of emphasis on the family unit.”

He added, “As a businessman, I support this decision 100%. I would actually go as far as saying I would like to see the law extended to seven days [of] paternity leave in the private sector. We as a business currently do not offer a paternity leave but we are implementing this immediately.”

The groundbreaking move puts the UAE not only ahead of its Arab counterparts but also way ahead of some Western countries such as the United States, where there is no federally guaranteed paid maternity leave, let alone paid leave for fathers. The UAE grants 45 days paid maternity leave for mothers in the private sector.

Angela Skinner, a real estate agent who has lived in Dubai for the last 17 years, told Al-Monitor that she thought the paid paternity leave is “a fabulous idea, especially when a lot of people are living here as expats; we don’t have family to rely on. It takes a lot of the pressure off mothers, especially as many husbands travel; it’s nice to have those extra five days of another parent to help out. Whilst it’s not a long time it’s definitely a bonus especially as you can use it within six months, so it can be strategically planned if one has other children to help with school drop offs and pick-ups.”

The UAE prides itself on gender balance issues and has changed many laws in the past in order to fulfill this idea. In the same spirit, the UAE Cabinet approved laws in April 2018 on equal wages and salaries for women and men.

“It’s not only about the UAE being at the top of gender balance; the UAE is trying to lead the way in creating a tolerant, open, highly educated society. And you can see that in the kind of strategic investment they are making in initiatives like the Mars mission,” Mohebi said.

“The UAE has a policy of educating its nation and its people and gender equality is very critical to that equation, and you cannot achieve that goal if 50% of the population feels disenfranchised,” Mohebi concluded.