Publication: The Road to Reforming Ethiopia’s Policies on Maternity and Paternity Leave
Loading...
Date
2025-04-17
ISSN
Published
2025-04-17
Editor(s)
Abstract
This brief provides insight into how Ethiopia increased the duration of paid maternity leave from 90 to 120 days and introduced three days of paid paternity leave in 2019. While ensuring job-protected leave of adequate length and pay for both parents is critical for a variety of health, economic, and social development outcomes, just slightly more than half of economies in the Sub-Saharan Africa region provide paid maternity and paternity leave. The brief highlights specific characteristics of Ethiopia’s socioeconomic environment that incentivized the reform. It explores the critical role of political momentum and tripartite negotiations among the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions, Ethiopian Employers’ Federation, and the government, coupled with persistence by the country’s trade unions, that led to the adoption of the reform. It outlines key lessons learned that could be useful to other countries seeking to enhance their own leave policies for parents. It also describes remaining challenges to the implementation and presents recommendations on how to address these challenges to improve gender equality in Ethiopia.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Alemayehu, Maereg Tewoldebirhan; Khaitina, Viktoria; Woldeyesus, Elshaday Kifle; Mykhalchenko, Olena; Schulz, Katrin. 2025. The Road to Reforming Ethiopia’s Policies on Maternity and Paternity Leave. Global Indicators Briefs; No. 17. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/43093 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication The Evolution of Maternity and Paternity Leave Policies over Five Decades(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-10)This research analyzes the evolution of maternity and paternity leave across the world, covering 190 countries over 52 years. The data show striking differences both within and between countries in how leave distribution for parents upon the birth of a child has evolved. The study finds that, across all regions, there have been notable increases in the number of leave days a mother can take. The absolute increase in the number of leave days for mothers has been greatest in Europe and Central Asia, followed by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development high-income economies. However, apart from the high-income economies, the number of leave days allocated to fathers has increased by only a fraction of the amount for mothers. An analysis of the correlations between relative leave allocation and women’s labor market outcomes suggests that where the disparity in the allocation of leave days is greater, women’s participation in the labor market may be lower. However, the study finds no evidence of any association between the gender gap in leave allocation and other labor market outcomes, including the gender wage gap and women’s representation at the managerial level.Publication Does Paternity Leave Matter for Female Employment in Developing Economies?(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-03)For a sample of 53 developing countries, the results show that women's employment among private firms is significantly higher in countries that mandate paternity leave versus those that do not. A conservative estimate suggests an increase of 6.8 percentage points in the proportion of women workers associated with the mandating of paternity leave.Publication Maternity, Paternity, and Parental Leaves in Europe(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-09)Maternity, paternity, and parental leave policies and associated benefits play a significant role in ensuring financial protection at the time of pregnancy, child birth and child raising, and in shaping women’s ability to participate in employment, specifically to get a job and to remain in the labor market after starting a family. This note summarizes the main principles of extending maternity, paternity and parental leave and benefit policies globally and in Europe, highlights new policies and measures, and compares key characteristics such as leave duration and financing in the European countries (EU ad European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states and Western Balkan countries). This could inform policy making and help assess existing policies and reforms, including in Kosovo.Publication The Impact of Paid Maternity Leave on Women’s Employment(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-09)The relationship between paid maternity leave and the share of female workers in registered private firms is analyzed using firm-level survey data for 111 developing and emerging countries. Theoretically, the relationship can be either positive or negative. Higher maternity leave raises the cost of female workers to the employer, discouraging female employment. However, higher maternity leave encourages more females to enter the labor market, implying greater female employment. The results show that the latter effect dominates. That is, a positive, large, and statistically significant relationship is found between maternity leave and female employment. A conservative baseline estimate is that the share of female workers in a firm increases by 2.08 percentage points for each log point increase in the number of days of paid maternity leave. Alternatively, an increase in the number of days of paid maternity leave from its smallest to highest value (0 to 410 days) increases the share of female workers by 12.5 percentage points. The positive relationship between female workers and maternity leave is much larger when maternity leave is fully funded by the government than when paid for by the employer, and in countries where there is a higher share of females in the childbearing age group of 20–29 years. These heterogeneities highlight channels that accentuate the relationship, thereby serving as checks against endogeneity concerns with the estimation. The distributional implications of paid maternity leave are also analyzed by estimating its impact on low-skilled versus high-skilled employment. Important policy implications of the findings are discussed.Publication Mongolia : Gender Disparities in Labor Markets and Policy Suggestions(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2013-01)Mongolia has made strong progress on key gender-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in recent years. Gender indicators in education and health are also better in many respects than in comparator countries in the East Asia and Pacific region. Women have a limited presence in higher level managerial positions and in entrepreneurial work, and working women also have to shoulder most of the household and care duties compared to men. These inequalities can have large impacts on development, growth and productivity as well as pervasive intergenerational social costs. Removing impediments to full and equal participation for women in the economy, providing equal access to economic resources and opportunities and eliminating discrimination can boost productivity and competitiveness for firms with wider benefits for the economy and within the household. A range of potential policy actions can be considered, including improving employment outcomes (wages, career progression) for women in the public sector, introducing more friendly parental leave policies that cover both fathers and mothers, improving child care services and introducing affirmative action policies in sectors where women are acutely under-represented such as mining. In addition, business regulations can be streamlined to make it easier to start and operate businesses for both men and women. Other policies that may be helpful include promoting awareness of and encouraging the development of (appropriately regulated and supervised) micro-lending institutions.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication State of Social Protection Report 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-04-07)Social protection goes well beyond cash transfers; it includes policies and programs that bridge skill, financial, and information gaps, aiding people in securing better jobs. The three pillars of social protection—social assistance, social insurance, and labor market programs—support households and workers in handling crises, escaping poverty, facing transitions, and seizing employment opportunities. But despite a substantial expansion over the past decade, 2 billion people remain uncovered or inadequately covered across low- and middle-income countries. Drawing from administrative and household survey data from the World Bank’s Atlas of Social Protection Indicators of Resilience and Equity (ASPIRE), the "State of Social Protection Report 2025: The 2-Billion-Person Challenge" documents advances and challenges to strengthening social protection and labor systems across low- and middle-income countries, analyzing the evolution of expenditure, coverage, and adequacy of support. This report details four policy action areas governments can embrace to maximize the benefits of adequate social protection for all: extending social protection to those in need; strengthening the adequacy of social protection support; building shock-proof social protection systems; and optimizing social protection financing. The report discusses how the path of reforms will depend on country context, capacity, and fiscal space. The rising frequency of shocks and crises calls for major investments in the adaptability and preparedness of social protection and labor systems. Amid a world in transition, social protection is more important and necessary than ever.Publication Enhancing Bahia’s Agriculture Support(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-04-14)Efforts to conduct comprehensive assessments of agricultural policies globally involve various methodologies and contributions from international bodies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Food and Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD methodology, in particular, estimates the value of monetary transfers made by taxpayers and consumers to agricultural producers. One objective of this analysis is to quantify the impact of the agricultural policies of the state government of Bahia on producers, consumers, and the sector as a whole, based on the transfers these policies generate. Consequently, the results reflect only the transfers derived from the implementation of Bahia's agricultural policies, excluding national policies, although both could be complementary and measure their total impact on the income of the state's producers. The analysis estimates the amount and significance of these transfers within the producer’s gross income, facilitating comparisons over time and with other economies.Publication Food Cold Chain Enhancements in Guatemala(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-04-22)Guatemala’s agrifood sector plays a significant role in Guatemala’s economy, but faces a series of challenges that impact its performance. The agriculture sector accounts for 10.2% of Guatemala’s economic activities, with a significant multiplier when accounting for the full backward and forward linkages, employing 32% of Guatemala’s active population. However, the sector presents a highly dualistic structure where a minority of larger players integrated in global value chains coexist with a high number of producers facing severe, multi-faceted challenges. Small agri-business and farmers lack access to finance, markets and connection to national and global value chains. Smallholders have also seen steadily declining or stagnating productivity over the last decade, partly because of climate change and low access to agricultural good practices. Furthermore, Guatemala also contends with widespread food insecurity, which is particularly prevalent among Indigenous communities and families in the lowest income quintile.Publication Cities’ Partnership Initiative(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-04-24)Sustainable urban development is one of the key areas of development policy in Poland, which is in line with global trends. Sustainable urban development requires an integrated approach that takes into account the complexity and dynamics of phenomena and processes taking place in the urban environment. Meeting the challenges of urban development requires, on the one hand, a steady increase in the capacity of cities to plan and implement development projects, and on the other hand, a favorable regulatory and financial framework and support instruments that are an adequate response to the needs of urban centers. The Cities’ Partnership Initiative (CPI) is a flagship project of the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy of Poland (MDFRP) aimed at supporting sustainable urban development. This final report is the third product of the Reimbursable Advisory Service Agreement on Sustainable Urban Development - Cities’ Partnership Initiative concluded between the MDFRP and the World Bank on January 28, 2022. The report summarizes the project work, including the results of the work of 30 CPI-participating cities, and presents conclusions and recommendations on the three thematic networks and the CPI formula itself.Publication Leveraging Immigration for Croatia’s Prosperity(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-04-11)Croatia is at a critical demographic crossroads. Against a backdrop of an aging and declining population, Croatia is transitioning from a country of emigration to one increasingly relying on foreign workers, with profound implications for the nation’s economic and social fabric. While recent reforms have strengthened the migration governance structure, significant challenges remain in the selection, employment, and integration of foreign workers. This report summarizes the report titled Leveraging Immigration for Croatia's Prosperity, which assesses Croatia’s migration system and presents strategic policy actions to maximize the positive impact of immigration while addressing key challenges for Croatia’s economy.