Only 3% of women employed in Georgia use full-time paid maternity leave, report finds

Only 3% of women employed in Georgia are entitled by law to use full-time paid maternity leave, finds a new report published by the International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University (ISET) and the UN Women.

There are exceptions when the employer pays women compensation voluntarily", reads the report. 

The report says that the state compensation for maternity leave is 167 GEL (about $53.18/€44.83) per month, which is less than the subsistence level.

At the presentation of the report it was noted that Georgian labour legislation sets different standards for different groups of employees.

Paid maternity leave is also unequally available to women and men, which is why most women give up their professional activities. Women are also responsible for family affairs, so in the reproductive age they are seen as unproductive employees and less attractive staff. Finally, these circumstances have a negative impact on women's participation in the workforce", reads the press-release published by the UN Women.

The UN Women says that Georgia has not yet ratified the 183 Convention on Maternity Protection by the International Labour Organisation which sets the minimum standards required to protect pregnant women and working mothers in the labour market.