“Maternity leave” incentive is on the agenda to increase fertility… Four ministries have started a study. The number of female employees and the cost of time away from work will be calculated on the table. The AK Party also discussed the option of a one-year leave. So is one year of maternity leave okay? Here are all the details and expert comments…
Following the “population” warning of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who drew attention to the falling birth statistics across Turkey, the government has put increasing the fertility organ on its agenda.
The AK Party’s Central Decision and Management Committee (MKYK) has proposed incentives for couples to have children, including the extension of maternity leave for working women.
According to the news in Milliyet Newspaper, four ministries have started working on the issue and action has been taken for impact analysis.
Within the scope of the road map to be prepared, the additional cost that will be incurred in case of extending maternity leave in the public and private sectors, as well as the number of women working across the country, the birth rate, the effects of the time away from work will be calculated and discussed.
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute’s (TurkStat) birth statistics for 2023, the total fertility rate in Turkey fell to the lowest level on record, with the fertility rate dropping to 1.51.
In a recent statement, President Erdoğan drew attention to the risk of population aging and said, “TurkStat’s birth statistics for 2023 are alarming. Accordingly, the fertility rate, which was 2.38 in 2001, declined to 1.51 in 2023. In other words, we are below the 2.1 level, which is the threshold for population self-renewal. This is an existential threat and a disaster for Turkey.” The issue was also on the agenda at the last meeting of the AK Party MKYK.
The meeting discussed falling birth rates and steps that can be taken to encourage couples to have children.
One of the suggestions voiced in this context was the extension of maternity leave for working women. Some MKYK members said that 4 months of maternity leave is insufficient and that the option of 1 year leave should be examined, while some members asked that the possibility of working remotely for 2-3 years should be put on the agenda.
COST TO BE CALCULATED
Four ministries have taken action for the impact analysis of the steps to be taken. Within the scope of the study initiated, it was stated that the additional cost situation in case of extending maternity leave in public and private sector will be evaluated, and the effects of the number of working women, birth rate, and time away from work will be discussed.
The issue will also be discussed at the AK Party’s consultation camp to be held in Kızılcahamam this weekend.
It is expected that the hesitations that may arise regarding the maternity leaves of mothers working in the private sector will be taken into consideration and the state support that may be provided in this regard will also be on the agenda.
HOW MANY MONTHS OF LEAVE IS THERE IN TURKEY?
In Turkey, female workers in the private sector can take a total of 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, 8 weeks before and 8 weeks after the birth. Six months of unpaid leave can be added to this period. Female civil servants working in the public sector can also benefit from 16 weeks of maternity leave. In case of multiple pregnancies such as twins or triplets, 2 weeks can be added to this period.
MATERNITY LEAVE BY COUNTRY (WEEKS)
Turkey: 16
Greece: 17
Bulgaria: 58
Czechia 28
Denmark: 18
Germany: 14
Ireland: 42
Spain: 16
France: 18
Croatia: 30
Italy: 20
Hungary: 24
Netherlands: 16
Austria: 16
Poland: 20
Portugal: 10
Romania: 18
Slovenia 15
Slovakia: 34
Finland: 21
Sweden: 14
Malta: 18
Latvia 16
Lithuania 18
Luxembourg: 20
Belgium: 15
Estonia 20
Cyprus: 25
13|16
“ONE YEAR LEAVE OF ABSENCE DIFFICULT TO ENFORCE”
Prof. Dr. Cem Kılıç drew attention to the current 16-week maternity leave and the options of part-time and flexible working over this period, and said that it is difficult to implement maternity leaves extending to 1 year, and that limited additions such as 1 month can be made to the existing periods.
Stating that the reduction of maternity leave to a period of 1 year may have a negative impact on women’s employment, Kılıç said that in the private sector, it will be difficult to replace a female employee who gives birth with another employee.
Referring to the problems experienced with the dismissal of female employees during pregnancy and breastfeeding, Kılıç said, “Many female employees experience problems with termination of their employment contracts. It may be possible to ensure job security during pregnancy.”
