Cairo: In a step aimed to strengthen working women’s rights, a Saudi government institution has sternly warned employers against sacking them while they are in pregnancy or on maternity leave.
The warning issued by the Family Affairs Council also covers the illness time linked to both cases, provided such ill-being is proved by an accredited medical report and the employee’s absence is not more than 180 days long annually whether successive or intermittent, Saudi newspaper Okaz reported.
The council said the working women are entitled during pregnancy or maternity leave to get a full pay and the employer has the right to request the condition be backed up by authentic documents to guarantee “transparency and credibility”.
The move comes as part of efforts to enhance women’s rights in the kingdom, which is witnessing a vigorous drive to empower female, and to provide a safe and a stable working environment guaranteeing their effective engagement in the labour market.
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Moreover, the move seeks to strike a balance between a woman’s job and her personal life in a way boosting the pursuit of her career without worries about negative consequences of being pregnant or on maternity leave, according to the report.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has ramped up efforts to empower women in different walks of life and appoint them in leading positions as part of sweeping changes in the kingdom.
Last year, two female ambassadors were among 11 Saudi envoys, who took the oath of office before King Salman bin Abdulaziz. The appointments rose to five the total number of Saudi Arabia’s women ambassadors.
In 2019, Princess Reema bint Bandar was appointed as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, becoming the first woman in the kingdom’s history to serve as ambassador.
In 2018, the kingdom allowed women to drive for the first time in its history, ending a decades-old ban on female driving. In another step enhancing women’s empowerment, Saudi Arabia allowed women to travel without a male guard’s approval and to apply for a passport, easing long-time controls on them
