On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih has announced that starting from 7th March, all mothers will be granted 6 months paid maternity leave and a month-long paternity leave for fathers. However, he said that this leave will be granted for civil servants only.
Speaking at an event held at Maafushi to mark this year’s women’s day, the president talked about the importance of women empowerment and facilitating women to reach their true potential.
The President also noted that including women’s participation in the sustainable progress of the country is an important policy of his administration.
Implementing maternity leaves was a campaign pledge of President Solih. Even though the government considers the pledge fulfilled, many observers say that this method of fulfilling the pledges will be unsustainable. Many of the government’s pledges were “fulfilled” through presidential decrees. Meaning that once the government changes, it will be up to the incoming government to retain these policies.
