PSAU Maternity, Paternity, Childcare, and Non-Gestational Parent Support Policy
Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University (PSAU) upholds a formal and publicly accessible policy framework supporting maternity, paternity, childcare, and non-gestational parental responsibilities. The policy is designed not only to fulfil regulatory obligations but also to promote women’s active participation and career continuity within the University.
Policy Objectives
PSAU is committed to:
- Ensuring equal access to maternity and parental leave benefits;
- Reducing gender-related career and education gaps;
- Supporting the reintegration and advancement of mothers returning from leave;
- Creating an inclusive environment where all parents, including non-gestational and adoptive, are supported.
Key Provisions
Maternity Leave:
Female employees are entitled to paid maternity leave in accordance with Saudi labour law. Leave requests are handled promptly and discreetly to protect dignity and privacy. Additional unpaid leave or flexible arrangements may be granted to support work–life balance.
- Paternity Leave:
Fathers and legal guardians are entitled to paid paternity leave to support bonding, care, and early parenting responsibilities. The University encourages fathers to take active roles in parenting and home care.
Support for Non-Gestational Parents:
The policy affirms the rights of adoptive parents, guardians, and other non-gestational caregivers to access leave, family support services, and flexible working options. This ensures inclusive recognition of diverse family structures.
Childcare Facilities and Lactation Support:
PSAU provides dedicated nursing spaces and is expanding on-site childcare services to selected campuses. Breaks for nursing mothers and health-protected facilities are available. Supervisors receive awareness training to support returning mothers.
Flexible Work and Reintegration:
Returning mothers may request flexible schedules, reduced hours, or remote work options without negative impact on their performance evaluations. Supervisors are encouraged to adjust workload distribution to enable smoother transitions back to work or study.
Career Development and Protection from Disadvantage:
PSAU guarantees that maternity or paternity leave will not affect eligibility for promotion, tenure, or professional development opportunities. Performance is assessed on merit, not leave status.
Monitoring and Accessibility
This policy is reviewed every two years and published in Arabic and English at: https://ca.psau.edu.sa/en/psau-sdg-policy-formulation
Paternity Policy and Support for Non-Gestational Parents
Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University (PSAU) maintains a formal and publicly accessible policy that provides paternity leave and support mechanisms enabling non-gestational parents to actively participate in childcare. These provisions are embedded within PSAU’s broader family support policies and aim to reinforce shared parenting responsibilities while facilitating women’s continued participation in the workplace and academia.
1. Paternity Leave and Non-Gestational Parent Inclusion
- PSAU grants paternity leave to eligible male employees in line with Saudi labour regulations, which is administered under the University’s internal human resource policy (classified under “K – Paternity Leave” in Article 126).
- The policy extends to legal guardians and adoptive fathers, thereby acknowledging the caregiving responsibilities of non-gestational parents.
- Faculty, staff, and researchers who are non-gestational parents are eligible for leave immediately following childbirth, adoption, or legal guardianship, ensuring early bonding and family support during the critical postnatal period.
2. Enhancing Women’s Participation through Shared Parental Responsibility
- By encouraging active childcare participation from non-gestational parents, the University helps reduce the caregiving burden traditionally placed on mothers.
- This approach supports women's continuous engagement in academic and professional roles by promoting a balanced division of domestic responsibilities.
- Women returning from maternity leave are eligible for extended reintegration support while their partners or co-parents access paternity leave and flexible schedules.
3. Flexible Work and Accommodation Options
- PSAU offers flexible work hours, hybrid work arrangements, and temporary remote work for staff members undertaking childcare responsibilities—regardless of gender.
- Academic departments may adjust teaching schedules or committee assignments to accommodate new parents, particularly non-gestational parents sharing in early childcare duties.
4. Inclusion in Student Services
- For student parents, PSAU’s academic affairs offices provide flexibility in course registration, attendance policies, and examination scheduling to ensure equitable academic progress.
- These accommodations are gender-neutral and accessible to both gestational and non-gestational student parents.
5. Public Access and Policy Review
- The policy is published in Arabic and English via https://ca.psau.edu.sa/en/psau-sdg-policy-formulation
- PSAU’s Ethics and Policy Review Committee evaluates the policy biennially to ensure alignment with international best practice, gender equity frameworks, and evolving community needs.
A few articles of these policies are highlighted below while details can be obtained via the attached translated files.
Article (125):
The government entity must achieve a balance between ensuring the regularity of government work and the employee's needs through the fair and optimal use of vacations.
Article (126): Leaves are classified as follows:
A- Ordinary leave. B - Leave the academic examination. C- Study leave. D- Emergency leave. E - sick leave. F- Leave to accompany a patient. G- Exceptional leave. H- Death Leave. I- Delivery leave. J- Maternity leave. K- paternity leave. L- National Participation Leave M - Compensation leave
Article (127):
The official holidays shall be as follows: A- The weekly holiday: on Friday and Saturday of every week. B- The National Day holiday: The (first) day of the Libra before the beginning of the solar Hijri year, corresponding to the 23rd of September of the Gregorian year. This does not compensate the employee for the National Day holiday if it coincides with another official holiday. C- Holidays: the Eid al-Fitr holiday starting from today) the twenty-fifth (of the month of Ramadan and ends with the end of the day) the fifth (of the month of Shawwal, holiday Eid al-Adha holiday and the start of the day) V (of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah and ends with the end of the day) the fifteenth (of The month itself. If one working day falls between two official holidays, this day shall be an official holiday.
Article (128):
If the working day coincides with two official holidays, this day shall be official leave.
Article (129):
Whoever is assigned to work during official holidays may be compensated with a vacation instead of an overtime bonus, according to the following controls: A- The compensation is at the rate of one working day for one day off, except for the day of Eid and the two days after it, where the compensation is based on the day by two days. B - The assigned employee shall enjoy the compensation leave within one year from the date of the assignment end, and the enjoyment of this leave does not affect what he is entitled to in the ordinary leaves. C - Inform the employee assigned to do so.
Article (130):
The employee is entitled to an ordinary leave of (thirty-six) days for each year of his service, with a full salary according to the last salary he received.
Article (131):
a- The employee must enjoy his regular leave within a period not exceeding (three) years from the end of the year of its entitlement, and he may - after the approval of the governmental authority to which he belongs- to take a fourth-year vacation, and after the approval of the government authority to which he belongs, he is required to take a fourth-year vacation. His right to it or what is left of it has forfeited if he did not submit an application to enjoy it. b- The employee has the right to enjoy all or part of his regular leave at the beginning of the year of entitlement for one or two periods not less than 5 days. Less period not more than 10 days per year may be excepted. c- The entity to which the employee is affiliated must - when he submits an application to enjoy regular leave- enable him to enjoy it, and the entity may - for work requirements - postpone the start of the regular leave (the non-entitlement to enjoy regular leave). d- It is permissible - at the employee's request - to extend the ordinary leave while enjoying it as of the date of its expiry if the employee has a balance of ordinary leave.
Article (132):
Without prejudice to what is stated in Article No. (131) of the Regulations, the employee may request to enjoy his balance of the regular leave due to him, provided that it does not exceed (one hundred) for a female employee, during the period of his service, for a period of eight days. Calculated for the purpose of retirement (twenty-five) years or more, or aged (fifty) years or more, enjoy his balance of the ordinary leave due to him, not exceeding (four hundred and forty days) during the forty-four years.
Maternity
