Maternity Leave

Maternity leave is the statutory entitlement of female employees in the UAE private sector: sixty days in total, structured as a fully paid initial period followed by a half-paid period, with additional unpaid leave available for pregnancy- or birth-related illness supported by medical certificates, and extended provisions where the child is born with a disability or illness. The entitlement does not depend on length of service, dismissal because of pregnancy or maternity leave is prohibited, and after returning the employee is entitled to daily nursing breaks for a set period. DIFC and ADGM apply their own maternity and paternity regimes, and the federal law separately grants short parental leave to both parents. Maternity issues arise in practice around terminations during or shortly after pregnancy — a high-risk move for employers — and in benefit calculations where employers wrongly pay only basic salary.