New maternity leave

On May 9, 2021, came into force Law No. 1401-IX dd. 15.04.2021 «On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine regarding equal opportunities for mothers and fathers to take care of children».

The Law provides equal opportunities for men and women to combine work and family responsibilities, and also introduces a new type of leave – a one-time childbirth leave of up to 14 calendar days, paid by the employer.

The leave is granted to one of the following persons:

– the husband whose wife gave birth to a child;

– the child’s father, if he is not married to the child’s mother, but they live together, have a common household, and have mutual rights and obligations;

– a grandparent or other adult relative of the child who is actually looking after the child.

In order to register a “maternity leave” it is necessary to provide an application to the employer, as well as one of the supporting documents – a copy of the document necessary for the registration of the birth certificate or a copy of the birth certificate. The leave is granted no later than three months from the birth of the child.

The Law also stipulates the following:

– the right of the father to take paternity leave on an equal footing with the mother to care for a child until the age of 3 or 6 (if the child needs home care or for medical reasons) with the right to receive appropriate assistance. Previously, the mother of the child had a priority right to such leave;

– the right of the father to take additional social leave “for his children,” which is granted annually for up to 10 days (not including holidays and non-working days) if there are two or more children under the age of 15 or a child with a disability;

– the possibility of establishing shorter working hours for men with children under the age of fourteen or a child with a disability, and parents raising children without a mother (including in the case of a mother’s long-term stay in a medical facility).