Legislative proposal to be submitted to Parliament: Maternity leave duration is increasing

Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir made assessments regarding family structure and population policies at a press conference held at the Darülaceze Social Life City. The Minister announced that a new regulation regarding maternity and paternity leave, which has been eagerly awaited by the public, is on the way.

Stating that the proposal envisions increasing maternity leave for mothers from 16 weeks to 24 weeks and paternity leave for fathers to 10 days, Minister Özdemir expressed that they plan to submit this legislative proposal to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in the near future.

Pointing out that the age of first marriage is gradually increasing in Turkey, Özdemir announced that the average age of women becoming mothers for the first time rose from 25.8 in 2001 to 29.3 in 2024, while the average age of men becoming fathers for the first time rose from 26 to 28. She underscored that there has been a decline in fertility rates in the country in connection with this change.

Touching upon remarkable changes in the social structure, the Minister stated that according to 2024 data, 57 percent of households in Turkey do not have children. Emphasizing that it will not be possible to solve the population problem without encouraging young people to marry and start families, Özdemir said that new policies are being developed and incentives are being implemented. She stated that the goal is to preserve Turkey's young population structure.

Özdemir also stated that in addition to increasing the leave granted to mothers and fathers, efforts to expand nurseries and childcare centers in public institutions are being accelerated. She also reminded that both female and male employees have the right to work part-time until their children reach primary school age.