Pregnant women working in Saudi Arabia’s private sector will be forced to give birth on a date determined by their company doctor, under new maternity leave regulations.
A Labor Ministry spokesperson told local media on Saturday that women who had worked at least 12 months with the same firm would be entitled to 10 weeks paid maternity leave, with four weeks to be taken prior to giving birth.
Those who had worked between 12 months and three years with the same firm would be given half their usual salary, while those who had been with the same employer would be given their full salaries during the leave.
However, those who receive full salary would not be entitled to their usual annual leave on top of the maternity leave.
There are a record number of women working in the Saudi private sector, with numbers quadrupling between 2010 and 2012, to 215,000 according to the ministry.
King Abdullah has been gradually opening up employment opportunities for local women, who previously had been banned from working.
Follow us on
