Kuwait Publishes Number of Days Female Workers Are Entitled to Fully Paid Maternity Leave
- Kuwait's labour law guarantees female employees 70 days of fully paid maternity leave under Article 24
- Workers can request up to 4 additional months of unpaid leave beyond the initial paid period
- Kuwait law prohibits employers from terminating female workers during their maternity leave
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Kuwait guarantees female workers 70 consecutive days of fully paid maternity leave under Article 24 of the country's Labour Law, providing one of the clearest statutory protections for working mothers in the region.
The 70-day paid leave period applies to all qualifying female employees, and employers are required to maintain full pay throughout that duration.
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What Kuwait's maternity leave law covers
Workers who need more time away from the workplace after the initial leave period ends are entitled to request an additional four months of unpaid leave, giving mothers a total window of roughly five and a half months to care for a newborn before returning to work.
Critically, the law also protects female employees from losing their jobs while they are on maternity leave. Employers cannot lawfully terminate a woman's employment during this protected period, whether she is on the paid portion or the extended unpaid leave.
Understanding the unpaid extension
The four-month unpaid extension is not automatic. Female workers who wish to take it must make a formal request to their employer. While the additional period does not come with a salary, it does carry the same job protection that covers the initial 70-day leave, meaning a worker cannot be dismissed while she is taking it.
Together, the paid and unpaid provisions under Article 24 of the Kuwait Labour Law give female employees a combined maternity protection window of approximately six months, during which their employment remains legally secure.Kuwait
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