Oman is influenced by conservative values of Islam, meaning that men are extensively regarded as breadwinner and women as a housewife. But as time goes by, women are now being accepted and even encouraged to work in any industry in the country. It is also safe for women to work in Oman because gender equality is now persistent here.
But as a working woman, raising your own family can be very hard in today’s modern world. You need to balance your work schedule and conform to deadlines while managing your obligation to your family at the same time. The situation becomes more complicated if you are pregnant because your flexibility and health become constricted and frail. This is the reason why a pregnant woman needs more attention and extra care. Thankfully, the law in Oman has exclusive rights to pregnant women employees.
Oman Labour: What Are Your Maternity Rights?
Maternity leave is a legal right for Omani and even for expats. Under Article 83 as written in Part 5 of Oman’s Employment and Labor Law, it grants all working women in the private sections to a maternity leave of fifty days. It extends over the periods before and after the delivery with full annual pay, on the condition that such leave right is restricted to three occurrences throughout her service with the same employer.
In contrast with this, the Civil Service Law No. 120/2004 permits working women in public sections to have a maternity leave up to five times for the duration of their service. The employer cannot discharge the female employee for her nonattendance from work because of sickness that is being validated by a medical certificate which is caused to her pregnancy or delivery that have prevented her to go back to work, on condition that the overall period of her absence does not go beyond six months.
It is a fully paid leave and the period is different from yearly vacation, and whichever leave rights the female employee may be qualified for. The time of maternity leave is included for all legal causes, like the salaries and rewards. Upon returning to work from her maternity leave, the female still has the same rights as what she had before taking her maternity leave.
The employer has no other obligatory provisions to perceive aside from the paid fifty days maternity leave that can be acquired for a limited of three times in the female employee’s employment of the same employer, except if otherwise agreed.
The Maternity Leave is in line with the international responsibility to acknowledge, secure, and encourage maternity rights. The maternity security legislation is based on premises that, like protection, authorize women to incorporate their productive duty and reproductive successfully. This also encourages equal opportunities and reception in employment without harming health or economic certainty. Besides, it is also healthy for a woman to take a break to recover her strength after giving birth and to breastfeed and take care of her newborn child.
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