{"id":662312,"date":"2025-03-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/"},"modified":"2025-03-13T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T00:00:00","slug":"the-problem-with-maternity-leave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"The problem with maternity leave"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite decades of progress, women still face <\/strong>many challenges<\/strong> to career development, <\/strong>and being a new mom hasn\u2019t escaped the list<\/a>. Each country establishes its own maternity leave policies \u2014 determining length, payment status, and associated benefits before and after giving birth \u2014 with employers sometimes altering those specifications within their companies. While the objective of maternity leave is to provide recovery time after childbirth, enable newborn care, and protect the mother\u2019s employment status, its impact presents a complex paradox.<\/p>\n

(Tap or click the headline above to read this story with all of the links <\/strong>to external sources.)<\/p>\n

Although maternity leave has encouraged more women to enter the labor market<\/strong> \u2014 especially<\/a> in developing and emerging countries \u2014 it has simultaneously raised the cost of hiring female employees, causing a systemic discouragement of their employment. So the question begs: Is maternity leave truly supportive of women\u2019s growth in the workplace?<\/p>\n

Maternity leave in Egypt:<\/strong> The House\u2019s Manpower Committee just recently approved a<\/a>267-article bill<\/a> in January of a revised labor law, of which Article 50 grants<\/a> women four months of paid maternity leave, with a minimum of 45 days post-birth. Article 51 provides job security protections during that time, while breastfeeding mothers are entitled to two daily half-hour breaks for the first two years of childbirth. The Madbouly government aims to enact this legislation before the Parliament\u2019s five-year session concludes in July. <\/p>\n

A gesture of good faith:<\/strong> Margaret Azer, cassation lawyer and former secretary general of the National Council of Women (NCW), told Enterprise that this move promotes \u201ca better work-life balance for working women,\u201d lowering the entry barrier for a lot of aspiring workers who may fear \u201closing their jobs during pregnancy and childbirth.\u201d<\/p>\n

As of today, Egypt's current labor regulations are governed by Labor<\/strong> Law No. 12 of <\/strong>2003<\/strong>. <\/strong>The comprehensive legislation<\/a> currently entitles female employees to 90 days of paid maternity leave, applicable only after ten months of service with the same employer, and allows nursing mothers with the same two daily breaks for breastfeeding that will remain unchanged in the new draft law.<\/p>\n

Global comparison:<\/strong> Several European countries offer substantially more generous provisions. Sweden offers 480 days<\/a> of shared parental leave \u2014 90 days at a fixed rate, and 390 at 80% salary. Bulgaria\u2019s package is 410 days<\/a> of paid maternity leave at 90% salary. Estonia offers 20 weeks<\/a> of fully paid maternity leave, extendable to approximately 62 weeks of parental leave at a flat rate. The US pales in comparison \u2014 the Family and Medical Leave Act<\/a> provides 12 weeks of unpaid leave, but most employees are ineligible.<\/p>\n

Women in Egypt\u2019s workforce by the numbers:<\/strong> More and more women have been entering the Egyptian labor force in recent decades, and as of 4Q 2024, women constitute 20.4% of Egypt\u2019s labor market \u2014 6.6 mn out of the 33.1 mn total workers in the country. As it stands, female unemployment is documented at 16.6%, compared to male unemployment at 3.9%.<\/p>\n

Even<\/strong> just one additional day of maternity leave can increase women\u2019s employment<\/strong> prospects:<\/strong> World Bank research that includes firm-level survey data from Egypt and other developing countries indicates that a conservative estimate of 2.08 percentage points is added to the proportion of female employees in a company with each log point increase in the duration of paid maternity leave. What does this mean? Extending paid maternity leave from 0 days to 410 days leads to a 12.5 percentage point increase in female workforce participation.<\/p>\n

The child penalty: <\/strong>A group of economic researches branched from the London School of Economics\u2019 Hub for Equal Representation in the Economy has studied how childbirth impacts women\u2019s and men\u2019s careers differently across the globe, finding in a 2024 study<\/a> examining 134 nations that mothers are less likely to be employed than fathers a decade after their first child\u2019s birth in nearly 85% of the countries studied. <\/p>\n

But the hiring discrimination starts well before childbirth:<\/strong> Rim Wahba, a group human resources manager, acknowledges that hiring managers prefer women candidates that are unmarried, or have already had children to lessen the possibility of having to grant maternity leave. Wahba confirmed to Enterprise that during interviews, HR teams may inquire about a newly married woman\u2019s childbearing plans: \u201cWe don\u2019t want [to hire] someone that will need replacement after a few months of employment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the most common cases dealt by the NCW included the unjust contract <\/strong>termination of female workers due to circumstances like pregnancy or marriage,<\/strong> and complaints from women about the lack of childcare facilities and flexible working hours at their place of employment, Azer told us.<\/p>\n

Insufficient childcare support takes a toll not only on the mother\u2019s physical and mental<\/strong> health, but also the child\u2019s.<\/strong> Many women who resume work after maternity leave resort to formula feeding because they are unable to keep up with the demanding schedule of having to pump at the office and store the milk, says Nour Emam<\/a>, femtech entrepreneur and co-founder of Daleela by Motherbeing. \u201cAll of these things are a huge mental and physical toll on working moms that are forced to go back to work,\u201d she told Enterprise. Emam added that four months maternity leave period is way too short to provide mother and child with real benefits, \u201cbut here we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Longer<\/strong> maternity leave improves child health and reduces infant mortality: <\/strong>Longer maternity leave was proven<\/a> to contribute to lower infant and toddler mortality rates, due to allowing more time for maternal care, breastfeeding, and assessing and addressing childcare needs. \u201cIt does take a toll for the mother to be away from the child that long, especially if the child is not under the care of relatives or family,\u201d Emam said. MENA countries were shown to provide fewer days of paid maternity leave compared to developed<\/a> countries, and in order to equalize child mortality rates between the two regions, the study showed that paid maternity leave should be extended by 200 or more days.<\/p>\n

Race, education, and economic status determine breastfeeding durations:<\/strong> The results of a global study have shown a positive relationship<\/a> between the length of maternity leave and breastfeeding duration \u2014 therefore resulting in improved child nutrition. However, the findings differed when studies examined the relationship between maternity leave and breastfeeding based on the woman\u2019s socioeconomic status. Data collected demonstrated that black women, women in less privileged positions, and women with less education are provided with shorter breastfeeding durations.<\/p>\n

Only 14.1% of working women in Mansoura exclusively breastfeed their newborns: <\/strong>A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Mansoura District in 2023, which included working mothers attending health care facilities to vaccinate their infants aged 6 months, showed that the exclusive breastfeeding<\/a> rate among the participants stood at 14.1%<\/a>. The results highlighted an alarming need to extend maternity leave and provide \u201cpromoting workplace facilities\u201d for working women in the district, and consequently, in Egypt as whole.<\/p>\n

Supportive policies as a way out: <\/strong>The government\u2019s Women's Empowerment Strategy 2030<\/a>, which launched in 2023, aims to increase the rate of women's participation in the labor force from the initially reported 24.2% to 35% in 2030, and shrink the unemployment rate among women to 16% from an initial 24%. While we are well underway, Azer told us that \u201cwithout supportive policies, women\u2019s employment prospects are reduced, and their career progression is slowed down\u201d regardless.<\/p>\n

How can this be remedied?<\/strong> The former secretary general of the NCW suggested tax incentives or partial government subsidies as solutions for employers to cover maternity costs. Other potential solutions included flexible work arrangements \u2014 such as remote work or reduced workdays after returning from leave \u2014, awareness campaigns to emphasize the importance of equal employment opportunities and prevent discrimination against childbearing women, and the development of career advancement policies to support women\u2019s promotions. <\/p>\n

Is it time for paternity leave in Egypt? <\/strong>As of today, the Egyptian labor law doesn\u2019t offer paternity leave<\/a>, and mainly focuses on the regulations governing maternity leave only. There is no clear indication of an introduction of mandatory paternity leave into the labor law, Azer explained, but there are ongoing demands from human rights organizations and civil society groups to establish a short paid leave for fathers to support women during childbirth and promote a more balanced distribution of family responsibilities.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the holdup?<\/strong> The introduction of paternity leave into legislation may be on ice to focus on directly supporting working women rather than adding new obligations for private sector employers, Azer said. She explained that the existence of prevailing cultural attitudes in certain industries \u2014 that child-rearing responsibilities are still primarily seen as a mother\u2019s role \u2014 also stand as an obstacle in the implication of a paternity leave policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While the objective of maternity leave is to provide recovery time after childbirth and enable newborn care, its impact presents a complex paradox<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":662313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8652],"tags":[8651,928,633,7138,180],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"class_list":["post-662312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-business","tag-employment","tag-enterprisepm","tag-health","tag-legislation","wpautop","entry"],"acf":{"mongo_id":"f43bf079-35b6-445b-ae8b-ad52916af214","order":"10","is_powered_by":false,"story_type":"1","photo_url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg","photo_position":"above","homepage_title":"","full_issue_title":"","related_issue":[662296],"teaser":"While the objective of maternity leave is to provide recovery time after childbirth and enable newborn care, its impact presents a complex paradox","voice_url":"https:\/\/s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/ent.news\/audio\/2025\/3\/.586735a3-a801-4791-a83a-fa43791c29f1.mp3"},"yoast_head":"\nThe problem with maternity leave - EnterpriseAM Egypt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The problem with maternity leave\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While the objective of maternity leave is to provide recovery time after childbirth and enable newborn care, its impact presents a complex paradox\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EnterpriseAM Egypt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-13T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"enterpriseam admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"enterpriseam admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"enterpriseam admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/person\/ca597032db7e4db868359c123cec256d\"},\"headline\":\"The problem with maternity leave\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-13T00:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/\"},\"wordCount\":1426,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"business\",\"employment\",\"EnterprisePM\",\"health\",\"legislation\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/\",\"name\":\"The problem with maternity leave - EnterpriseAM Egypt\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-13T00:00:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The problem with maternity leave\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/\",\"name\":\"EnterpriseAM\",\"description\":\"The State of the Nation\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#organization\",\"name\":\"EnterpriseAM\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/240894.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/240894.svg\",\"caption\":\"EnterpriseAM\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/person\/ca597032db7e4db868359c123cec256d\",\"name\":\"enterpriseam admin\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/enterpriseam.testing.projectsarea.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/author\/enterpriseam\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The problem with maternity leave - EnterpriseAM Egypt","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The problem with maternity leave","og_description":"While the objective of maternity leave is to provide recovery time after childbirth and enable newborn care, its impact presents a complex paradox","og_url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/","og_site_name":"EnterpriseAM Egypt","article_published_time":"2025-03-13T00:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"enterpriseam admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"enterpriseam admin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/"},"author":{"name":"enterpriseam admin","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/person\/ca597032db7e4db868359c123cec256d"},"headline":"The problem with maternity leave","datePublished":"2025-03-13T00:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/"},"wordCount":1426,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","keywords":["business","employment","EnterprisePM","health","legislation"],"articleSection":["Business"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/","url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/","name":"The problem with maternity leave - EnterpriseAM Egypt","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","datePublished":"2025-03-13T00:00:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/03\/13\/the-problem-with-maternity-leave\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The problem with maternity leave"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#website","url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/","name":"EnterpriseAM","description":"The State of the Nation","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#organization","name":"EnterpriseAM","url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/240894.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/240894.svg","caption":"EnterpriseAM"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/person\/ca597032db7e4db868359c123cec256d","name":"enterpriseam admin","sameAs":["http:\/\/enterpriseam.testing.projectsarea.com"],"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/author\/enterpriseam\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"enterpriseam admin","author_link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/author\/enterpriseam\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/3\/1101.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":647252,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/05\/07\/women-on-unpaid-maternity-leave-are-still-entitled-to-annual-wage-rises-supreme-constitutional-court\/","url_meta":{"origin":662312,"position":0},"title":"Women on unpaid maternity leave are still entitled to annual wage rises \u2013Supreme Constitutional Court","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"7 May 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Women on unpaid maternity leave are still entitled to annual wage rises, the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled yesterday. The court was ruling in a case brought by employees of the Nasser Social Bank who argued it was unconstitutional to grant them \u201conly part or none of their annual pay increases\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Speed Round"","block_context":{"text":"Speed Round","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/speed-round\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/internal\/536550.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":625747,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2018\/08\/14\/house-to-look-at-family-planning-in-the-next-house-session\/","url_meta":{"origin":662312,"position":1},"title":"House to look at family planning in the next House session","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"14 August 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"LEGISLATION WATCH- House to look at family planning in the next House session: House of Representatives Economic Committee Chair Mohamed El Emary has drafted a new law that would set incentives for those willing to cap their reproduction at two children, he tells Al Shorouk. The law would not work\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Speed Round"","block_context":{"text":"Speed Round","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/speed-round\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/internal\/536550.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":542907,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2022\/01\/24\/what-the-new-incoming-labor-act-means-for-your-business\/","url_meta":{"origin":662312,"position":2},"title":"What the new incoming Labor Act means for your business","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"24 January 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A draft of an overhauled Labor Act regulating practices in the private sector is currently still under discussion at the Senate, which has so far approved several articles in the legislation. Once the Senate gives it the all-clear, the bill will be passed back to the House of Representatives, where\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "LEGISLATION WATCH"","block_context":{"text":"LEGISLATION WATCH","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/legislation-watch\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2022\/1\/301.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":686025,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2026\/02\/26\/world-bank-ranks-egypt-most-improved-in-womens-legal-rights\/","url_meta":{"origin":662312,"position":3},"title":"World Bank ranks Egypt most improved in women\u2019s legal rights","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"26 February 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The new labor law was the main driver behind the improvement","rel":"","context":"In "Also on our Radar"","block_context":{"text":"Also on our Radar","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/also-on-our-radar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/2\/1546.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":593760,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2019\/10\/09\/egypts-draft-labor-act-gets-approval-from-house-manpower-committee\/","url_meta":{"origin":662312,"position":4},"title":"Egypt\u2019s draft Labor Act gets approval from House Manpower Committee","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"9 October 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"LEGISLATION WATCH- Labor Act receives House committee approval: The House Manpower Committee has approved the long-languishing Labor Act, and will refer it to the general assembly for discussion and a final vote, committee head Gibali El-Maraghi said, according to Ahram Online. The act was put up for public consultations two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Speed Round"","block_context":{"text":"Speed Round","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/speed-round\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/internal\/536550.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":663868,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/04\/16\/the-long-awaited-new-labor-law-is-finally-here\/","url_meta":{"origin":662312,"position":5},"title":"The long-awaited new Labor Law is finally here","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"16 April 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The law makes open-ended contracts the default, unless otherwise specified in writing","rel":"","context":"In "LEGISLATION WATCH"","block_context":{"text":"LEGISLATION WATCH","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/legislation-watch\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/1\/1857.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662312\/revisions"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/afternoon\/662296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/662313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662312"},{"taxonomy":"brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/brand?post=662312"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=662312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}